


Buffy & Star Wars Are Non-Mixy

by Sharie1



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Dimension Travel, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Force Bond (Star Wars), Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Temple (Star Wars), Jedi Training (Star Wars), Mystery, Parody, Post-Star Wars Prequel Trilogy & Pre-Star Wars: Original Trilogy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 190
Words: 503,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28816851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharie1/pseuds/Sharie1
Summary: Comedy, mystery, action, romance.What happens if you send Buffy & Andrew to Star Wars? Chaos and vampires.When Andrew makes a fateful wish he and Buffy are transported to Naboo. Searching for the Wish demon who sent them there, Buffy accidentally joins in the fight against Darth Maul and changes the course of that universe.Obi-Wan Kenobi finds himself training (and watching) the Chosen One, this time Buffy and not Anakin. Will he survive the girl who makes him burn like the fires of Mustafar? Or is he destined to fall into the flames like Anakin?Will Sheev Palpatine have a new apprentice? Will Buffy become his inVader? Can he bring the Slayer to the Dark Side and make her his Empress?Join them in a fun and thrilling epic adventure in the Star Wars universe as Buffy and the Jedi Scoobies fight the undead Sith.Buffy + Obi-Wan eventually. Slow burn but Force bonded.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Buffy Summers
Comments: 419
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

Andrew's WishDisclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to J. Whedon. The characters of Star Wars belong to G. Lucas or whoever owns those rights at the moment. All are used here without permission, No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N:  
Set after the Fall of the Hellmouth in Buffy and the Phantom Menace in Star Wars. Pairing is Buffy and Obi-Wan. Slow burn, friends first!

Please note, this is a comedy but hopefully with an interesting plot. Prepare yourself for overblown actions, fun poking at favorite characters (no real bashing) and swings between comedy and tragedy. Those with a sense of humor bypass are probably better off walking away now.  
The rest of you, sit back and enjoy.  
Oh, and if you like it, please review it. I love reading reviews  
...

....

Andrew! Andrew, use the crossbow!”

Buffy ducked as a huge axe swung over her head and then used her magical sword to stab upwards. The swords sharp edge sinking through the yellow feathers on the creature's chest, a plume of orange blood squirting towards her. She jumped back, trying to avoid the blood. The snake-headed demon screamed, the high-pitch noise hurting her enhanced Slayer hearing, before it fell to the floor and dissolved into a pool of goo and feathers.

Two more demons burst from the shadows behind her. As she spun to face them, she caught a glimpse of Andrew. The plump, blonde Watcher-in-training half-crouched half-lay on the dirty floor of the factory, crossbow lying discarded beside him as he strained, reaching for something under a large stack of shelving.  
What was he doing?

She kicked out, sending one feathered snake-head into a stack of twisted, rusting shelving that collapsed from the impact of the large creature. Instinct made her dart and roll, just as a huge axe came down slamming into the floor where she'd been only a moment ago. Taking advantage of the demon's weapon now being embedded into the floor, she sprang to her feet, the sword coming around in a wide arc and slicing cleanly through the back of the demon's neck.

Buffy came to a halt, instincts on high alert, scanning the empty factory, using her Slayer senses to sense for danger. Nothing pinged at her spidey-sense and the only noise she heard was Andrew scrabbling and grunting as he tried to reach whatever it was that had rolled under the shelving stack.

“It's okay! I've got her!” Andrew scrabbled to his feet waving his Princess Leia figure. He didn't bother picking up the crossbow, instead, he began looking over the action figure for damage.

Buffy rolled her eyes. What had the newly formed Watchers Council been thinking of sending him to her to train? Was it pay-back for having walked away from them all after the fall of the Hellmouth? From the moment he'd arrived she'd had to put up with his Sci-Fi addiction. Within hours of arriving his collection of dolls and models had begun to take over the house. She'd had to put her foot down and ban them. Not that he took much notice. That morning, she'd noticed a grinning Captain Kirk posing on the counter and some random robot staring at her from the top of a fridge when she'd been eating breakfast.

It felt as if there was no escape from Sci-Fi in the entire house; if he wasn't watching a movie in the living room or playing with his pose-ables in his bedroom, he was trying to educate her while making food. In fact, if it wasn't for those impressive food cooking abilities she'd have sent him packing after that first night, because the guy was going to be a terrible Watcher.

“Ugh, Look at my boots!” she found herself yelling. She'd only bought them last week in a 50% sale at the mall.“They've got orange goo all over them!”

Her once stylish yet affordable tan leather boots with silver clasps and a perfect height heel for the fashion-conscious Slayer were now ruined (RUINED), with orange demon goo-blood. All because Andrew had been looking at his Special Edition Princess Leia instead of using the crossbow on those demons with the snakey heads and the body of Big Bird from Sesame Street.

Andrew didn't even bother looking over. “Umm, it might wash off?” He was examining Princess Leia's arm, no doubt worried in case it had developed a hairline crack from being dropped.

Buffy narrowed her eyes at his lack of concern. The Goof had fallen to his knees as soon as the first Big Bird Demon burst out the shadows, his precious his action figure rolling across the factory floor and crossbow forgotten. This was the final straw. She'd had enough, she was going to ring Giles in the morning and tell him the Nerd was untrainable, she was sending him back.

Her eyes fell to her boots once more and grimaced at the splatters that covered them. Orange goo? Why would Sesame Street's Big Bird demons even bleed orange goo?

“Wash off?! Wash Off? I'm going to slice and dice your dolly for this, Andrew.” She darted across and waved her sword menacingly at Princess Leia.

“Nooooo!” Andrew clutched the figure to his chest, his chin wobbling and eyes full of horror. “You don't understand!” he wailed. “If only you knew the importance of Princess Leia to the galaxy! She's like you, Buffy. Except she has a twin brother who does all the fighting.” Already forgetting about the demons and her boots, he continued, “I've got Obi-Wan Kenobi on order. Collectables Monthly have brought out a special edition release and he's being delivered tomorrow. I'll show him to you, Buffy, when I unpack him. You'll love him.”

“Why should I care about Obi-Wan?” She snorted as she put her sword away into its scabbard. “He's only a fictional character and that whole Star Wars thing you're into is really crap-”

“I wish... I WISH I could take you to the Star Wars dimension and make you love it as I do.”

“Andrew! You know better than to say the 'W' word...” She hissed, looking about her.

There was the sound of laughter echoing around them and then, “WISH GRANTED”

“Andrew! What have you done? Arghhhh...”


	2. Planet Of The Droids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Buffy finds herself on a new planet

Planet of The DroidsThe first thing she was aware of was the whine of high-pitched blaster shots echoing in a large building.

Instinctively, she ducked. A blaster shot whizzed past her head mere inches away. She was sure it singed some of her hair and considering how much she paid her hairdresser for highlights it was so not of the good.

Keeping her head down, she sneaked a fast look around her. The factory had gone. Instead, they were in an aircraft hangar, on one side of her were spindly, metal robots armed with ray guns, while on the other side a group of people in desperate need of a fashion make-over shot back. Grabbing Andrew, who'd lost the crossbow but had managed to keep hold of the Princess Leia figure, she pulled him down behind the storage boxes.

The little blonde geek had been standing out in the open, gaping at the battle going on around him. She'd no idea how he'd avoided being shot by one of those ray guns. In fact, looking at his eyes, all wide and shiny, she realized he was loving this - the freak! That was it. She was going to throw him out of her house when they got back. It wasn't the first time he'd summoned demons and he must have been conducting rituals or something in his bedroom to cause the Vengeance demon to follow them.

“Where are we, Andrew?” Still gripping his arm she almost used a little bit of Slayer strength, the only reason she didn't was that he'd be whimpering about painful bruises for months on end afterward. Sadly, he was so hyped up having his wish granted, that he barely noticed her tightened grip on his arm.

“We're on Naboo! How cool is that?” There was a huge grin was on his face. Buffy felt like slapping it off. “There's Padme, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan. Oh, and look, that must be Anakin getting in a fighter with R2.”

“Where on earth is Naboo?”

“It's a planet in the Outer Rim of the Star Wars galaxy. Isn't this ace?”

“We're being shot at, you idiot! How can that be ace? We need to get out of here.”

“Naa, it's cool. I'm going to ask for their autographs.”

With that, he pulled from her grasp and ran over to the group of humans. He seemed to be aiming for the two wearing bathrobes deflecting shots back at the robots. Buffy followed him, using Slayer speed to dodge the laser shots which, for some reason, centered on her and not Andrew.

“Can I have your autographs?” Andrew panted. He tugged a piece of paper from out of his coat pocket and waved it at the group. “I've brought a pen. It's got a picture of Picard from Star Trek on it.”

Buffy felt her toes curl with embarrassment. The Star Wars-y people were shooting him confused looks as continued deflecting laser shots. Should she walk off and abandon him? He was such a nerd! The only good thing was that he didn't have a camera to stick in their faces, filming them as he'd done to her.

“Autograph? Master, what does he mean?” The younger, red-haired man, who sported a short hair cut and a puny braid that bounced next to his face, called over to the older man.

Buffy frowned. He looked familiar.

“I'm not sure...” he replied. Frowning at her and Andrew as his wrist twisted, deflecting shots with his lightstick.

He'd a distinctive voice, deep and rich like warm honey. Buffy took a closer look at him. Here he'd long hair and a beard but, in the last movie she'd seen him in, he'd been cleanly shaven with short hair. He'd been running round in Paris looking for his daughter who'd been taken. She'd enjoyed that movie. It reminded her of how Dawn kept being kidnapped.

Buffy took another look at the younger one and wrinkled her nose. Wasn't he a heroin addict? Was that in this film? Sensing her watching him, the guy slanted a glance at her. His warm blue eyes sparkled as he precisely swung his pretty blue lightstick, deflecting shot after shot unfailingly back at the target even though his eyes were on her.

Buffy noted both guys were easy on the eye. The younger one reminded her of Riley and was kind of cute. For a military type with an odd haircut. She hoped he didn't do drugs, although wandering around in public wearing an ugly brown bathrobe was generally not a good sign of your mental health.

However, it wasn't the two guys that interested her the most. It was their weapons. Those cool light sticks made a low buzzing sound that sounded almost like purring to her ears. Oh yeah, she REALLY liked those light sticks. They were completely and utterly drool-worthy. It was no wonder Andrew and Xander kept going on about them. Would she prefer a green one or a blue one? Could she snatch one and take it home with her? Imagine if she fought with one of those. It would definitely help keep down the amount of demon goo ruining stylish clothes. Slash and burn instead of slice and splash. Which reminded her...

“Andrew, we've got to find our demon! You know these wish things never turn out well. C'mon.”

“Nah.” Andrew shook his head fast. “There's no way I'm missing this. I want to watch the Jedi battle Darth Maul. It's a lightsaber epic.”

The little geek was ignoring her. Stupid Star Wars freak! She tried again, “Andrew! You know this isn't a movie. It might have escaped your attention, as you're so busy drooling over their Jedi bathrobes, but we're in the middle of a battle with fighter planes taking off and an army of those metal robot thingies firing at us..”

“Droids! They aren't robots, they are droids, Buffy. There are whole armies of them!”

He grinned at her. Practically quivering with excitement at how he'd wished them into the middle of a battle. If he took his action figure out and started playing with it she swore she'd leave him right there. Walk out right now and he could stay with his Jedi buddies and... Her Slayer senses screamed.

Her thoughts shuddered to a halt. A demon, with a face that was straight from Hell, appeared behind Andrew. His face glowing as red as a stop sign on a dull day. Buffy straightened up. It seemed a bit Vengeance demon ass-kickery was on today's agenda. She tensed, ready to fight.

“Can I borrow your phone?”

It took a moment for his words to register. “Huh?”

Andrew gazed at her with pleading puppy dog eyes. “Can I borrow your phone? I think I've lost mine back at the demon factory. I want to video Darth Maul as he's way cooler here than he is in the film. Plus you know Xander will never believe me unless I have evidence.”

Fool her started looking for her phone before she realized what she was doing. “No. A whole world of no! I haven't got it with me anyway, must have lost it too. Andrew that demon grinned at me. I think he might be our Vengeance demon.”

Andrew began bouncing from one foot to the other. “ That's Darth Maul! He's a Zabrack! Unless he's a Vengeance demon too. You can't fight him, Buffy. He's a Sith and too much for a Slayer only a trained Jedi can fight him.” He took a step back at her death glare, whining, “They've got those fancy moves... and The Force... and did you see their lightsabers?”

“Hey, thanks for your vote of confidence. I'll have you know I'm full of fancy moves and I'm known for having plenty of force!” She pouted. “C'mon let's follow that fight! And just watch me, he's gonna be a Za-Broke demon when I've finished slaying him!” she said. With a wave of her sword, she took off after the Jedi and the demon.

Still clutching his action figure in one hand and his autograph book in the other, Andrew followed on her heels.


	3. Magical Sword v Lightsaber

Buffy and Andrew (who'd insisted on giving fight commentary) ran through the buildings following the demon and the two Jedi. Despite the excitement of watching the fight (the three of them had some real acrobatic moves), Buffy knew she needed to stop and question the demon before the two Jedi threw him down a hole in the floor. If they did that before she spoke to him, she'd never find out if he was the Vengeance demon who'd sent them here.

And he really did look like a Vengeance demon to her. If the horned head, the fancy teeth, and yellow eyes weren't a big enough clue, the way he kicked off her Slaydar was. If she could just persuade the Jedi to lay off the fighting until she'd had a little talk with him... How was she going to stop them?

“Whoa!” Andrew crowed with delight as they came to a halt in a corridor. “Watch those acrobatics! Maul's a bad-ass, but Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi totally rock the Force!”

“Never mind that,” she replied. “Where's the room with the big drainage hole? I've got to get to the demon before the end of the fight.” Honestly, did she have to 'think' of everything? Andrew was acting like he was at the best Sci-Fi convention ever but she'd a life to get back to.

“Umm. Yeah, it's this way. I've got a 3d plan of the palace on my computer.”

Leaving the Jedi and the demon fighting on some high walkways (specially made with no railings, a lawsuit waiting to happen if ever there was one), Andrew took her to the right, through some doors to another long corridor. Coming to a stairwell, they began to descend. As they ran down the stairs, Andrew instructed her to find a long corridor containing 'cycling beam shields' and whatever happened not to get caught by one, as the end wouldn't be pretty.

“The room with the energy drain is deep in the bowels of the building. You might need to use your Slayer speed to get there as there are a LOT of stairs,” panted Andrew. She really needed to step up his physical training by the look of it. He spent far too long in his room on his computer and it was having a serious effect on his running skills.

“Anything else I should know before I kick his ass?” Her inner Slayer was screaming at her to hurry in case she missed the big finale.

“You can't use your sword to fight him. Lightsabers cut straight through metal,” he informed her.

Buffy beamed back. “This isn't an ordinary sword, Andy-Boy. Willow's done all sorts of magical mojo on it and she's guaranteed it unbreakable in at least nine different Hell dimensions.”

He didn't answer, his face had gone bright red and he bent over trying to get his breath.

Leaving Andrew behind, she ran lightly down the stairs. The levels flying past as she used her Slayer speed. In fact, it almost felt as if she was flying, her feet hardly seemed to touch the steps and, even after reaching the very bottom of what felt like a hundred different levels, she wasn't the slightest bit out of breath.

Her spidey-senses screamed out, telling her the demon was already in the basement room. She quietly slipped her way through large sections of machinery towards the room containing the big drainage pit.

In front of her, she could see the black-clad demon pacing about on the opposite side of the hole. He was glaring at the long-haired Jedi, who'd managed to get himself locked behind one of those laser walls Andrew had warned her of. Was the Jedi praying? He was down on his knees, his weapon in front of him, muttering to himself. Oh, she remembered this part of the movie. Or was she getting mixed up with Kingdom of Heaven? He'd died in that one as well.  
She peered across and saw that the younger guy was further down the corridor, trapped behind another energy wall. He was bouncing on his heels, twirling his lightsaber until he spotted her looking at him. He did a double-take and she grinned and gave him a little wave with her fingers.

It was time for her to make an appearance. Sliding quietly out of the service area, she crept out silently behind the demon...

“Hi!” she said loudly and perkily. “Can I ask where you got your Tattoos done? I want a good one so need to avoid wherever you went for yours.”

To her delight, the tattooed demon had no idea she was there until she'd spoken. He jumped. Literally jumped. As in eight feet into the air. Buffy's smile widened, there was nothing like sneaking up on your enemy like a predator and surprising them. Across from her, the sweaty long-haired Jedi guy blinked in surprise at her sudden appearance. She guessed she'd surprised him as well with her Slayer sneakiness. He met her eyes, reignited his fancy green light sword in a determined way.

Drawing her own sword (Willow's magic kept it invisible until drawn, not all cops were as blind as the ones in Sunnydale) she waved it at the demon saying, “You need to send us back. Andrew made a mistake. We don't want to be in Star Wars. You can also tell your boss, D'Hoffryn, that I'm going to kick his ass for granting this wish!”

Instead of engaging in a friendly banter – part of her hoped he wouldn't- the demon snarled, bringing down one side of his double edged light staff and slamming it brutally against her sword. There was a gut-clenching moment when she thought the hissing red blade might slide right through hers but, thanks to Willow's magic, the blade held. The demon's red and yellow eyes narrowed and then he began to fight.

She parried away the dual crimson blades, trading blow after blow with a high speed Slayer powered thrust and block of her own. He spun away from her, before backflipping overhead, landing just behind her. She'd sensed the move in advance and was ready for him. Slamming each crimson blade with even more ferocity than his, their blades blurring.

At one point their blades met and he held her off, speaking in a surprisingly refined voice, “I believe you have the wrong person, for I don't know this Darth Hoffryn. However, I admire your courage, your darkness, and your anger.”

“Well, I think you do know him. You've got a look of him, similar teeth and all. And I'm not angry – not yet.”

She jumped away from the hole he'd been trying to lure her into, and he came at her again with a particularly forceful double blow, surprising her with his strength. Parrying the blows, she backflipped, immediately followed by a butterfly twist kick to his shoulder sending him flying towards the long-haired Jedi. The green lightsaber swung, and the crimson blades blocked and once more there was a tangle of red and green blades.

Buffy darted across, fighting next to the Jedi. Her magical sword blade slashing and blocking alongside the futuristic green light blade, united against the double-edged weapon of the highly-trained demon.

“This is not your fight,” politely panted the Jedi, “You need to leave this to me.” He leaped forward to intercept a red blade that was heading in Buffy's direction and almost getting himself skewered on the crimson blade in the process. Buffy managing to bring up her sword and block what would have been a killing blow. To her annoyance, a moment later he was there again. Trying to get in front of her to protect her. And once more almost becoming impaled on the long red beam.

Buffy shook her head in exasperation. “Are you TRYING to get yourself skewered?”

Another spinning thrust from the demon had the Jedi falling to the floor. His hip pierced by a red blade and the sickening smell of burning flesh filling the air. Buffy jumped in front of the fallen man and followed through with a fast and frantic attack. Determined to stop the demon from inflicting a killing blow on the fallen Jedi.

“You're not dying on my watch,” she called out.

Engaging the demon once more with a blur of metal against scarlet light, Buffy managed to get in a poorly executed Slayer punch to his face. Despite the lack of real strength behind it, the demon staggered, baring his teeth at her.

“Pooh! Halitosis. Seriously, do you even have a dentist? You really need to sort a dental plan out. Yuck!”

The demon responded not with words or blows but with a Force push. Taken by surprise, she fell, falling, and rolling towards the central hole. Only by slamming her fists into the ground did she manage to avoid an unwanted trip down the butt hole of doom.

“That's cheating!” she shouted but now the demon had turned from her.

The young Jedi had finally burst into the fray once the last energy shield opened, and he was now attacking the demon with such intensity that he broke the end of the demon's light staff.

Whoa, he's got some nice moves going on - for someone who's had a drug problem.. Buffy bounced on the balls of her feet, waiting for an opening to dive back into the fight.

Then, because she'd got sidetracked and was drooling over the younger guy's moves - Giles always told her there was a lot you could learn by watching a skilled fighter - he'd impaled the demon on his lightstick. The demon hovered on the brink of the drainage pit. One quick front kick from Jedi guy sent the demon tumbling straight into the drainage pit. Buffy stood silently, sword still held out in front of her, waiting to see if she'd be sent back to her own dimension. Across from her, the young Jedi stood in almost the same position, his blue sword glowing and humming softly as he watched her.

Feeling a little uncomfortable at such intense scrutiny, she called out, “That was fun! Do you do this often?”

His brows came together causing a crease to appear between them. Then he gave a slight shake of his head, as if trying to regather his thoughts, before rushing over to kneel by his Jedi buddy who lay groaning artistically on the floor.

Buffy was on her way over to the pair to offer help, when something on the floor caught her eye. Oh, shiny! The demon's red light stick had rolled away from him before he'd fallen into the pit of doom. She picked it up and quickly pocketed it. It was a pity Jedi guy had broken one end off, but it was still useable. Buffy smirked. The rest of the Slayers were all going to be so jealous of her new weapon! Slash and Burn! No more icky demon blood splatters!! No more soaking clothes overnight in stain remover hoping the goo would have come out in the morning. No more ruined footwear!

Maybe there was something positive going to come out of the trip to this dimension after all.


	4. Flight to Croissant

Are we there yet?” Buffy whined to the man in the pajamas sitting opposite to her in the space ship.

The one who'd pompously announced himself back on Naboo as Jedi padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, had developed a tick under his left eye. It hadn't been there before they'd got into the space craft but started not long after Buffy and Andrew had taken turns asking the dreaded, 'are we there yet,' question every few minutes. It was a special of Dawn's - that girl really knew how to be an annoying brat- and Buffy couldn't resist using it on the man in the seat across from her.

The game of torment the Jedi also had the added benefit of keeping Andrew away from the little kid Anakin Skywalker. The nerd had been eyeing the boy with interest since they'd boarded, obviously dying to ask him something. Buffy had felt on edge in case he mentioned Darth Vader to him or, even worse, brought out his Princess Leia figure to show him. She'd only begun to relax when the kid muttered about being cold and wandered off in a sad sort of way to the medical bay to see if Liam Neeson was awake.

“NO! We are NOT nearly there! Will you both desist asking me the same question over, and over, again. I will inform you once the planet is about to come into view.” Obi-Wan shot her a glare and went back to playing a game on his data pad thing.

His accent reminded Buffy of Giles's but after speaking to him for a few minutes she'd realised he was a hundred times more stuffy, uptight, and into lecturing people until their brains turned to soup. At least Giles had been summoning demons and going all Ripper at this guy's age. Obi-Wan Kenobi was was just... well, boring. Buffy watched him playing on his datapad. She had the feeling she might be making him nervous as every so often he'd start gnawing on the end of his braid. Maybe he should get himself a better hobby? If he stayed off the drugs, came off his computer once in a while, got his hair cut, and bought some fashionable clothes he'd almost pass for normal. She didn't care what dimension this was, brown bathrobes were never a good look.

“Have you always lived on Croissants?” She asked, trying to keep her face straight. Next to her, Andrew was giggling whilst pressing his nose on the window watching the star streaks going by.

“It's Coruscant! Please be mindful of the pronunciation!” he responded. He went on, “In answer to your question, yes I have always lived at the Jedi temple on Coruscant. The Jedi took me as a baby from my parents and raised me...”

“That sort of thing is of the bad,” she curled her lip in distaste. “Nothing good comes of it.”

“No, really it isn't bad at all. It's a wonderful opportunity and it benefits everyone in society to have protectors throughout the galaxy trained in the ways of the Force like the Jedi are. We need to cut our ties to our parents as it's against the Jedi Code to have emotional attachments...”

“Yeah, that's definitely of the bad,” she repeated. How could anyone believe that was a good thing? Was he brainwashed by this Jedi cult?

Obi-Wan shook his head at her, his thin braid bouncing about next to his face. “ I am sorry to have to correct you, but it really is an honor to train at the Jedi Temple.” His expression became smug and self satisfied. “Obviously, when you were tested as a baby you must have shown a low or average midi-chlorian reading and that is why you weren't chosen to -”

“Buffy is The Chosen One!” Andrew came to life next to her, with a start.

“Thank you, Andrew, tell everyone why don't you? What happened to keeping the secret in Secret Identity Girl?” Buffy hissed and poked him in the side with her elbow.

Andrew's declaration caused Obi-Wan to stare first at the young male and then to the blonde girl sitting across from him. He noted the way they both squirm at his scrutiny. Reaching out with the Force as he'd trained to do Obi-Wan felt the boy's nerves, while from the girl he felt... annoyance. Although that might not be the Force telling him that at all, it could be the fact Andrew had paled and Buffy's green eyes had hardened and narrowed as they swung in the boy's direction. No matter how hard he tried Obi-Wan found it difficult to interpret their thoughts or even sense them through the Force. Something that made him both uneasy and curious.

The odd pair had appeared out of nowhere in the hangar on Naboo. Buffy had fought the Sith using an ancient style metal sword that should have melted at the first touch of a lightsaber, but hadn't done so. A sword, Obi-Wan had noted, that mysteriously vanished once the fighting was over. Had she left it behind on Naboo or somehow stashed the long blade about her person? He'd discreetly run his eyes over her a number of times, but failed to discover the presence of any weapon hidden on her.  
There was something about the pair of them that felt off. His eyes kept being drawn to her. Watching her, expecting to say or do something to set him on edge. She hadn't been very forthcoming either when asked who exactly they were or what they were doing in the middle of a battlefield.

While he'd been getting his Master medical assistance and dealing with the Nabooan Queen he'd watched the two strangers arguing. He'd overheard the girl berate the young man for 'getting me into this mess' and saying she was 'going nowhere else, here is bad enough'. Later, however, when a weak but conscious Qui-Gon had asked them to accompany them to Coruscant to see the Council the young man had seemed almost ecstatic in his squeal of, 'oh yes please,' while Buffy had curled her lip and said, 'if I must.' Once more, it seemed, his master had picked up a pair of pathetic life forms.

Obi-Wan smirked at the couple's unease, it looked like things had just gotten more interesting with that statement of Andrew's. “My Master already believes that the Chosen One from the prophecy is young Anakin.” He studied Andrew and asked, with a quirk of his eyebrow, “Do you really believe Buffy is another Chosen One?”

At Andrew's emphatic nod, he turned his attention to Buffy who was rolling her eyes at her companion and his soft smirk transformed into a grin. “Surely Chosen One implies One of, not two of, nor three of, does it not?”

“Buffy is The Vampire Slayer!” Andrew rose up in Buffy's defense and she really wished he hadn't. If she had to tell anyone her history it wouldn't be a paddypaw who kept smirking at her and watching her over the top of his data pad when he thought she wasn't looking. She was getting really tempted to ask him about his former drug habit and if he'd visited any dodgy toilets recently.

“Ah, I see. Buffy is the One Chosen to slay vampires. That's... very interesting, or it would be if I knew what a vampire was.” He was positively beaming with smug delight at her now, Buffy shot him a Slayer glare which didn't work, he merely grinned all the wider. Stupid Jedi, they didn't even recognize danger when it was under their noses.

“She also fights Demons, Hell Goddesses and holds back the Forces of Darkness,” retorted Andrew. He slipped into his storyteller mode, lowering his voice in what he hoped was an enigmatic way. “Once, I was the Darkest of Super Villains. A Tortured Soul with a Cruel and Evil past whose feet were firmly set on the path to the Dark Side never more to dwell in the Light. Until The Chosen One, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, plucked me from the Darkness, showing me the Error of My Ways....”

“I made him cry,” said Buffy, with a mega-watt smile at Obi-Wan. “That stopped him in his evil tracks.”

“Yes, thank you Buffy Summers, and I was going to expound on your talents of bringing the Light to those that tread the Path to the Dark Side but oh no, you had to ruin my big moment.” Andrew sighed and slumped back into his seat, arms folded and looking disgruntled at having his story derailed.

“The Dark Side?” Obi-Wan asked suspiciously, unsure if they'd turned the tables on him and were teasing him. They'd been asking him annoying questions and sniggering virtually from the moment they'd gotten in the space craft. The one who'd announced himself as Andrew Wells had been extra annoying. He kept wandering around, opening cupboard doors and trying to lift up sections of the flooring to see into the engine section of the ship.

“Are you trying to read my mind, Oh-Be-Nosy-One?” Buffy's question came out of the blue. “That's rude. You wouldn't like me poking around inside your brain would you?”

“Er, no. Indeed not.” Obi-Wan flushed, he had been trying to read her mind, several times in fact, but he wasn't going to admit it to her. “About the Dark Side-”

“Yeah, that reminds me. Is there a bathroom on here?” she stood up and looked around her. “I want to freshen up.”

Obi-Wan sighed and pointed towards the back of the ship where the 'fresher was. It seemed he wasn't going to get answers now, but he'd put all his concerns to the Council and let them question her.

A short while after the petite blonde reappeared looking a lot cleaner but a whole lot more annoyed. “Andrew! Andrew! Are you awake? Why didn't you tell me I've been walking around with orange demon goo splattered all over my face?”

Andrew opened his eyes and yawned. “ I didn't notice. I must have been too excited looking at everything else in this dimension.”

Buffy turned her attention onto the padawan who'd suddenly become engrossed in his datapad. “How come you never said anything either, Oh-Be-Nosy-One? You can't tell me that you didn't notice my face was splattered with orange spots.”

Obi-Wan looked up with a fake innocent expression on his face. “I am so sorry. I did notice. However, I thought they were tribal markings or perhaps peculiar to your species.”

"Peculiar to my species?" Buffy huffed in disbelief as she slid back into her seat. Honestly, it was no wonder Darth Vader had become all dark and snorty if this is what he'd had to put up with. Buffy was already beginning to see the lure of the Dark Side and she'd only been in this dimension for a few hours.


	5. Obi-Wan meets Mr Pointy

Buffy woke up as someone's hand clamped down on her shoulder. Instantly, her nerves screamed danger and she sprung to her feet in a low fighting crouch, Mr Pointy drawn and at the ready... To be faced with the sight of Obi-Wan falling backward over his chair in a flurry of robes, his arms wheeling as he desperately fought to regain his balance and dignity in the face of The Slayer.

“Oops, sorry,” said Buffy with an apologetic smile. She slipped the stake back into her waistband and leaned forward to give the embarrassed padawan a hand up from behind his chair. He'd got himself tangled up inside his bathrobe. “I'm still a bit hyped up. You know with the dimensional travel and the demon slayage. Not to mention it's the first time I've been in a space ship and, there was, like, you prodding me while wearing your bathrobe. Scary sight. Hey, surely you know you need to be more careful waking a girl up from her beauty sleep.”

Obi-Wan took his time smoothing down his robes and swallowed a couple of times to calm his nerves before answering her. He didn't want his voice sounding high pitched after the shock of nearly being staked.  
“I'm sorry to have startled you, but we will be coming out of hyperdrive shortly and I thought you might like to prepare. It can be quite an uncomfortable experience if you are not used to it. And no, I do not have experience waking girls up – it is not something a Jedi has training in. I mistakenly believed they'd be significantly less aggressive and that I would not be subjected to having a sharp stick thrust in the direction of my heart.”

Buffy smirked and gave him a consoling pat on the arm. “Yeah, I can see why you've never had a girlfriend or been to datesville. It's the unfashionable clothes, the dodgy haircut and the tendency to nerd-ism which is a dead giveaway. You're not exactly a prime material boyfriend, you know.”

“It's isn't because I can't get one, it's because I'm not allowed one!” blustered Obi-Wan, feeling oddly affronted. He looked over to where Buffy's companion lay curled up asleep against the side of the spacecraft. “Anyway, look at your boyfriend snoring and drooling in his sleep with his mouth stuck to the window. He may have the ability to speak but he isn't exactly 'prime' boyfriend material is he?”

Buffy's mouth dropped open. This was much, much worse than all those times she'd been asked if Spike was her boyfriend back in Sunnydale when he'd been stalking her. Ok, later the bleached vampire became special to her and in a lot of different ways but Andrew? No, that was all sorts of wrong, on all sorts of levels and it was never going to happen. Definitely Eww, with an extra side helping of Ick. “Andrew is so NOT my boyfriend! I'm training him to be a Watcher...”

Obi-Wan tilted his head and raised one eyebrow at her. “ Your relationship seems much closer... Perhaps you are in denial? You could be really in love with one another and have yet to admit it?” He found it entertaining to see the girl squirm in front of him, a look of disgust and horror on her face at the thought Andrew being her boyfriend. The pair were actually more like siblings, Buffy being the bossy older sister and Andrew a rather hyperactive child being constantly being rebuked.

“No! Eww, pass me the brain bleach, please. That's just bleh!” She gave a theatrical shudder and turning to the man they'd been discussing gave him a little shake to wake him.

“Wha..? Uh? Wha..?” Andrew unstuck his face from the window, looking around blearily, before rubbing his eyes and beaming. “Ah, cool I thought it was a dream. I'm really here. Do you think I could learn how to use a lightsaber?”

“NO!” replied both Buffy and Obi-Wan in tandem, and then locked eyes in mutual horror at the thought of a lightsaber wielding Andrew.

The blonde boy pouted. “I'd be totally cool with a real lightsaber. I've handled weapons like that before...”

“Yeah, but only while gaming and that doesn't count.” retorted Buffy. “ Anyhow, Braidy-boy here woke me up because he reckons we are going into the hive drive or something. Says we are better off awake when it happens,” Buffy looked over at the young Jedi for confirmation and he frowned for a moment in confusion, before nodding slowly.

“That's coming out of HYPERdrive. The dampers don't seem to be working as they should on this vessel and the effect can cause nausea or even vomiting especially for those with a weak stomach or unused to space travel. I thought it better to warn you.”

Both looked over at Andrew speculatively before Buffy said quietly, “ Got any sick bags handy?”

…....................................................


	6. Buffy & The Jedi Temple Of Doom

Oh-be-Boring was talking again. Buffy could see his lips moving but she'd zoned out ages ago.

“.... land at the Jedi Temple. My Master will be met by the medical team and while I am discussing his injuries with them I must insist that neither of you stray away from the ship. The Jedi High Council has been notified of our imminent arrival and I shall be debriefed regarding the events on Naboo as usual. They have also agreed to speak to yourselves regarding your predicament. Of which you have been very reticent of explaining to me...”

Buffy retrained the eye roll. Did the guy love the sound of his own voice or what? She only needed the cliff notes, not the full book recited to her. Get on with it already!

“Look I get it, see Council, do the 'splainy and go get a coffee. You do have coffee in this dimension, don't you? I'm getting withdrawals. Also, food would be good. Andrew will probably want some after all the vomiting he did coming out the hivedrive.” She shot a look over at the green-tinged Watcher across for her, then down at the Jedi's footwear. “Shame about your boots. I know how that feels, mine are still icky after fighting the Big Bird Demons back home.” Buffy gave him a big, bright smile to show him how appreciative she was of the fact it was his boots and not hers that got splattered with projectile Andrew vomit.

Obi-Wan winced as he looked down at his boots. The sensation of dropping from hyperdrive had been particularly rough and both Buffy and Andrew had been affected. Buffy had gone pale and held on to her chair (there were some interesting fingerprints left in the tough material where she'd held on so hard), while Andrew had evacuated the contents of his stomach a number of times. Mainly into the sick bags, but once on his window next to him and another time onto what had been the padawan's favorite boots.  
During the vomiting session, Buffy had left her seat and gone to set next to Obi-Wan, saying it was safer. The Jedi thought she showed little compassion for her companion, even going as far as to say with an odd smile, 'maybe he'll start hating it here and the demons will send us home,' which seemed a very strange comment to make to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan was distracted from contemplating his boots by Buffy leaning across him, looking out his, thankfully vomit-free, window and taking what must be her first view of Coruscant.

“The entire planet is a city?”

He nodded in reply. It was people's first reaction on seeing the built-up planet. He opened his mouth, about to explain about the number of levels it contained, the number of people believed to reside there, and the importance of the planet's position in the galaxy, but before he'd the chance she spoke again.

“Planet of the Droids was so much greener and had way prettier buildings than this one. This place is kinda ugly in comparison.” She leaned closer to the window, her nose almost pressed against the transparisteel as one building caught her eye. “What's that big monstrosity of a building with the five watchtower things? Is it a prison? Have you got a high crime rate on this planet?”

For a moment Obi-Wan was so flustered he couldn't speak. Partly because she thought his home was a prison and partly due to the way he could feel the softness of her right breast through her top as she leaned against his arm.

“That's the Temple!” he squeaked. She sat back down and gave him an odd look. He coughed, and continued in his normal voice, “That's the Jedi Temple, today is a little overcast but it's beautiful in the sunlight and is considered to be one of the most prominent architectural features on this planet.”

She raised an eyebrow at that and smirked annoyingly at him.

Thankfully, for Obi-Wan's sanity, his boots, and Andrew's stomach the craft landed smoothly. Obi-Wan rushed down the spaceship's ramp to greet the medical team who'd been standing by. Master Qui-Gon's stretcher was taken off, little Anakin following the stretcher down into the medical wing, and once again Obi-Wan was left to deal with the two strangers his master had foisted on him. He looked around him and not spotting them by him as he'd carfully and clearly instructed, realized they'd wandered off.

….......

“Whoa, look at all the weird aliens, Buffy! Think how many worlds they must have come from to all look so different. This is way better than Earth, don't you think? It's like an Alien United Nations on this landing platform alone.”

Andrew had come back to life as soon as they stepped off the spaceship. He was now bouncing around, trying to look in several different directions at once as they walked across the huge landing platform. “George Lucas is a genius! I think I like him better than Roddenberry now, except for the Federation Starships and the Borg are still the best enemy ever!”

Looking around her, Buffy privately thought a lot of the aliens looked like demons and wondered if George Lucas had ever visited Sunnydale. Although some of the aliens gave her the wiggins with their demony looks, she wasn't getting the evil creepy slay-it-now vibe as she had with Dark Mall back on the planet of the droids. She noted that most of those around her wore pajamas and a bathrobe with only minor variation in styling and color so they must all be Jedi.

She was just getting into the touristy stuff, like looking at weird statues of aliens in intimidating poses and general alien watching, when Andrew suddenly left her side and darted off. He dived through a group of young kids in Jedi outfits before coming to a dead stop a short distance away from them. He was looking at something, then he turned around and mouthed something at her. She wasn't able to decipher what he was saying but, whatever it was, it wasn't a good sign. She quickly followed and, coming to a halt next to Andrew, scanning the area for danger or Vengeance demons. The place was full of weird aliens milling about but none of them gave her spider senses a tingle, let alone made them jingle.

“ Andrew? What's going on?”

“Darth Sidious!” said Andrew in a loud stage whisper. “The evil Sith Lord himself masquerading as the benevolent Sheev Palpatine, the politician. Look at him, pretending to be paternal and all innocent with his evil smile. When even now he weaves an evil plot that will cause destruction and death for a generation or more around the galaxy and all in the hunt for power and glory.” He paused, looking at Buffy. “He'll be actively looking for a new apprentice now Darth Maul is dead. He's evil, Buffy. You could go over and slay him.”

“Shh! Keep your voice down. I'm not going to slay him!” She watched the group of humans standing at the lower end of the platform about to climb into a speeder. One of them must be the evil Emperor Andrew and Xander were always talking about. “Andrew, the plan is to find our demon, give it the option of dying or spell reversal, and then we go home. We're not here to get involved with the dynamics in this dimension, and there's definitely no killing of evil politicians. I don't care if this guy is Lord Voldemort. The answer's no.”

“Spoilsport!” pouted Andrew. “We could have so taken down the wrinkly face of evil.”

They both stood watching the speeder containing Sheev Palpatine fly off, only looking away from the rapidly disappearing vehicle when they heard their names being called.

Buffy scowled when she saw it was the Jedi padawan. He was probably going to lecture them again.

Oh-Be-Moaning's voice called across to them. “Where have you been?”

He was hurrying towards them, bathrobe swinging and braid all a bouncing. “I specifically asked you not to wander off and did so several times before we landed. Don't you remember my implicit instructions to you both?”

“We must have missed it. With you going on for so long our brains gave up and died,” Buffy said cheerfully. Hoping he'd take the not-so-subtle hint. “What's the sitch?”

“What's the .. uh..?” Obi-Wan developed a line between his eyebrows as he tried to work out what the small blonde said. He was getting the feeling she used this strange language of hers as a way to irritate and deflect him away from important questions.

“What's the what?” she tried again, with a quick glance at Andrew who was still sulking about the Big Bad he'd seen zooming off. She was going to need to keep an eye on him 24/7, otherwise, he'd wander off and start a rebel alliance or something. It wasn't as if she could distract him by suggesting he watched one of his Star Trek DVDs or go online and play Jedi Knights with his fellow nerds.

“I'm not sure how to translate what you've just asked me into Basic.” Obi-Wan gave his robe a swish as he swaggered along, his shoulders back and thumbs hooked into his belt.

Buffy noted the way his bathrobe hung from his shoulders. She decided he was probably trying to look cool in front of his Jedi buddies; there were a good few staring over at them, no doubt wondering who he was with and what he was up to. They'd obviously never seen him with such normal people as her and Andrew and were impressed.

“Basic? What's that?” she asked, pulling her thoughts and eyes away from those gawking at them. She wrinkled her nose. “Are we not speaking English? And if not why do I need to go all Giles-y on you? What's the what means 'what is going on' and sitch is 'situation'.”

“I suggest you do, indeed, need to go 'all Giles-y' if you wish to be understood.”

“But there'd be no fun in that, Ubi-Doo.” She gave the Jedi a friendly nudge with her shoulder, before adding, “What's happening with the Council meeting?”

“Oh yes! That's why I've been trying to find you. They contacted me to say they are ready and eager to speak to you. I am to take you to them straight away. ”

Obi-Wan looked down at Buffy who'd become oddly silent as she strode along at his side him. Andrew trailed a few steps behind them, staring up at the passing air traffic in rapt fascination as if he'd never seen anything as wondrous in his life.

They were a very odd pair and he wondered what the Council would make of them.  
…................................


	7. Dark Force Of The Slayer

Buffy thought the Temple must be overcompensating for something in its sheer scale. Either that or it was built for really big aliens. Back in the year dot, its architect must have been told to design an immense building and he'd gone all out on it - no expense or taste had been spared. The front steps, leading up to the entrance were so wide you could march entire armies in formation. Which, obviously, would come in handy later when little Anakin freaked out and brought his battalion of clone army buddies for a visit.

There was also something about the Temple that gave Buffy the creepies. It generated an odd vibe that reminded her of Sunnydale High. Was it built on a Hellmouth?

Braidy-Boy was strutting along happily giving them the tour guide talk. As they walked across the blue carpet, heading towards the main elevator intersection he pointed out interesting features in the corridor. Andrew was all wide-eyed, like a little kid having his first visit to the zoo's monkey house, while the Jedi reminded her of Giles when he'd found someone willing to listen to him expound on obscure demonology books. Every so often, Jedi-boy would look down at her to see if she was impressed by his home and conversational powers and she fought hard to keep an interested expression on her face. All those years of tricking Giles into believing she was listening to him in the library sure came in useful.

It wasn't that she was being rude, although the guy did dry her brain up with words, something inside the Jedi Temple of Doom was distracting her. It was like a background buzz on her spidey sense and her inner Slayer was telling her to hunt down the cause. Knowing her luck, she'd find out it was that little green puppet who ran the Council or something.

She wasn't looking forward to being questioned by the Jedi Council and deciding how much to tell them. It had been bad enough dealing with her own but she had to admit curiosity at seeing this group. According to Andrew, they had all these cool superpowers that made them all-seeing yet they unknowingly invited the head honcho of the Dark Side for friendly chats.  
It had been Andrew's idea to come here. Andrew said that the Jedi were the type who'd be more than happy to help two lost travelers who needed a base to hunt the Vengeance demon from. She was a bit cynical on how much help they'd get. But then, she'd had more dealings with councils than Andrew had.

On leaving the turbolift, Obi-Wan led them over to the waiting room. He was beginning to feel apprehensive, not an unusual feeling for him when facing the circle of masters.

“I need to go in first to brief them regarding the events on Naboo,” he said. “As you know it all got very complicated with my Master being seriously injured and then your sudden appearance. They must be fully appraised-.”

“While you're appraising can we have coffees and perhaps a bagel?” Buffy interrupted. “We also might need quilts and a pillow. With your tendency to the long-windedness, it might take all night before you're finished 'splaining.”

“It's called caff, here Buffy.” Andrew pointed out helpfully. “And their milk is blue.”

“Eww, I'll take mine black then.”

Obi-Wan rubbed his hands across his face. It had been a long day and his usual Jedi serenity had been stretched to its limit. What he needed was to meditate in a quiet (Buffy and Andrew free) place and reach out to the calming effects of Force. “Look, I'll try to be quick. I promise I'll get you both a caff, or tea, after the meeting as well as finding you something to eat. Please... please don't wander off again.” It was Buffy he looked at when he said this. There was such desperate pleading in his soft blue eyes and he reminded her of Dawn.

She let out a dramatic sigh, letting him know she was doing him a big favor before sliding gracefully into one of the seats outside the High Council Chambers. “C'mon Andrew. Let's give Ubi-Whasit a chance to do his presentation and then you'll get your heart's desire of meeting the Jedi Council. I've got a feeling it's gonna be like dealing with the evil lawyers from Wolfram and Hart myself.”

“It's gonna be so cool, Buffy! If I'd a camera I could have made some great videos of our time here. Do you think we could travel around to lots of different sci-fi dimensions and create video diaries....”

As soon as the doors to the Council Chamber slid open Obi-Wan darted inside. It was probably the first time in his life that he considered standing before a session of the Council a safe and relaxing place to be. Normally, he was very apprehensive at having to face the circle of esteemed masters but today it seemed by far the safer option.

…

Braidy-Boy had been gone a long while. Buffy knew this would happen. If talking was an Olympic sport that guy would get a gold medal. She wouldn't be surprised if the other Jedi on the Council weren't exactly the same too. Standing up, she rolled her neck from side to side and stretched out her arms before wandering innocently towards the door. There she lingered, using her enhanced hearing to listen to what was being said. This might help decide how to play this meeting. She could go for dizzy valley-girl, Slayer or a mixture of the two.

Oh-Be-Boring was talking, “Yes, Master Windu. My master believes she could have used a previously unknown Force mind power on the Zabrack during their fight. I also heard some of her comments and it definitely had an adverse effect on the Sith.”

What the...huh? A Force mind power? She was the Slayer and Slayers didn't have mind powers! What was he telling them? Buffy heard someone ask Oh-Be-Moaning to explain more. She listened intently, motioning Andrew to keep quiet so she could hear better.

“It was the strangest thing, Masters. I was trapped behind the cycling energy fields but, according to Qui-Gon, she appeared behind the Sith and asked him where he'd got his tattoos done. Neither he nor the Sith had been able to discern her until she spoke. I also heard her asking about his teeth; both times it affected the Sith's fighting ability. Could it really be some kind of the Dark Side Force use?”

“Cloudy, the Dark Force is. Many ways to subvert the enemy's mind, it has. Bring her in, you must.”

She put her finger to her lips to stop Andrew asking questions and darted back to her seat. She'd made it back just in time as the Council chamber doors opened and Obi-Wan strode out.

“The Council are ready to speak to you now. If you'd please follow me.”


	8. Midichlorian Levels off The charts

Midiclorian levels off the charts!

Andrew had given Buffy a quick run down on the Jedi Council members while they'd been in the waiting room. He'd explained how the little green frog was the Grand Master and you couldn't miss him as he'd an unusual way of talking. There was a guy from Microsoft who fought with a purple lightsaber and there'd be a man with a very long head. There were several others, Andrew had named each and every one of them but she'd forgotten who they were already

She'd seen the film once, or parts of it when she could be bothered watching. The original Star Wars trilogy had never interested her and the prequels even less. Still, Andrew had nagged her into watching them with him so she'd an idea of what to expect. Only a vague idea though. If someone had told her in advance that she was going to be sent here she'd have watched the movie a bit more closely. That or gagged Andrew so he couldn't make the wish in the first place.

So when she walked into the Council chamber some parts of it looked familiar to her and other parts didn't. For a start off, she'd remembered the room was right at the top of the tower and had floor to ceiling windows that provided cool views across that section of the planet. She didn't remember the spaceships flying past the windows and it felt strange that she could not only see them but hear them too. It felt as if they were holding a meeting in an airport control tower.

She stood in the center of a ring of seats and in each individually designed chair sat an alien. That had surprised her. She'd thought most of the Jedi would be human but it seemed that wasn't the case. Most of the Council masters appeared to be demons and gave her slaydar an odd fuzzy feeling. They'd been polite enough bunch so far, all nodding their heads or at least moving things that could pass as heads as Oh-be-Boring introduced them.

She was a little surprised to see Cousin It (called Ole Rusty in this dimension), wearing his hair up in a bun and, sitting in a chair not far from him, a strange demon with a three-foot undulating neck topped off with a small bald head. The thing stared at her, red eyes boring into hers as if it could see directly into her mind. She'd stared back at it and then had to look away and hide a laugh when Oh-Be-Busy introduced it as 'Yacky Poo'. She'd covered the snort of laughter with a cough.

Now, next to her, Andrew (the nerd) was virtually vibrating with eagerness as he stood in front of his favorite Jedi - Yoda. He'd always claimed the creature was his all-time favorite Star Wars character as he apparently was some kind of wise guru.

Buffy eyed him. He looked like something from off the Muppet Show. She half expected him to break into song or a tap dance while wearing a top hat. Miss Piggy would love him. Kermit had better watch out.

“Traveled a long way, you have, hmm?” The little green frog with the dangly ears asked. If that was the extent of his all-knowing wisdom Buffy wasn't impressed. He knew full well they'd just got off the spaceship from the Outer Rim and she knew Oh-Be-Waffling would have told him that they weren't from around here. He'd been in here long enough, anyway.

“Yeah, that's right. A different dimension in fact.” Buffy had told Andrew to let her do the talking and she'd decided to go with the honest truth- her version of it. “It's a long story. The main gist of it is Andrew caused us to be brought here against my will. Now I'm looking for the demon who sent us here so I can beat it into submission and send us home again.”

“You don't have a strong Force signature,” said Nick Fury, who for some reason was on the Council here and that was confusing the hell out of Buffy.

“Hi Nick,” she said, “Your eye looks good. Not that there was anything wrong with the eye patch, because Xander has one, but it must feel good having your eye back. Two eyes are always better than one. Unless you're a Cyclops and then I suppose you could always keep the one left over as a spare.”

Her comment was met by... silence. Nick touched his eyes - maybe checking in case one had gone missing.

Andrew leaned over to her. “That's Mace Windu. Nick Fury is from The Avengers,” he said in a loud whisper.

Buffy felt her face go pink and she squirmed uncomfortably. “Oh, I'm sorry about that. I got the wrong movie. Blame me for being bad. I sorta watch one movie per night, maybe two, if I fast forward all the boring bits and they all blur into one. Anyway, it's nice to see you've got both eyes in this one. Umm, sorry you were saying?”

“Neither of you have a strong Force Signature. Why is that Buffy?” asked Nick, er Mace.

Buffy frowned. Looked from him to Andrew and back to Nick uneasily. “A force signature? I can't remember signing anything. Andrew, have you signed anything since we got here and haven't told me?”

“No, Buffy. I think he means he can't sense us very well through the Force. I told you all about the Force on the way here and how it provides cool superpowers to those with a high midi-chlorian count like the Sith and the Jedi.”

Andrew wasn't looking happy at Nick's comment. Buffy put it down to the fact her Watcher would love to be strong in the Force and beat Anakin in the chlorine department.

Nick Fury had started rubbing his bald head and making it extra shiny. “Look,” he said, “have either of you ever had your blood tested?” He leaned forward, pulling a small device from out his pocket. “If I test you, we can find out why your Force presence is almost undetectable to us.”

Buffy narrowed her eyes suspiciously, she wasn't here to do blood tests for Initiative style military groups. Before she could refuse, Andrew jumped happily forward with his finger outstretched. Nick stabbed it with his little machine.

After a series of beeps, Nick fiddled with his datapad to check the result. He was frowning. “I think something's wrong with the test. This reading can't be right. It's off the charts!”

At that, Andrew was buzzing. “It's high! It's high! I've got a high result!” He practically did the Scooby dance as he thought of all the bragging he'd be able to do to Xander.

Meanwhile, Nick continued looking at his screen and shaking his head in disbelief. Yoda and Long-head leaned over, looking at the reading and they too exchanged astounded looks.

“Never seen result like it, I have, “ said Yoda, peering at the blonde boy in amazement.

“What the count? What have I got?!” Andrew was almost squealing with excitement. Buffy could feel herself cringing - he was such a nerd!

Nick Fury rubbed his forehead again. “This can't be right. And yet there's nothing wrong with the system. All the other blood readings are completely normal for a human.” He shot a puzzled look at Andrew. “The result is coming up as zero for midiclorians. I can't understand it, all known living organisms have a reading, it cannot be a zero.”

Buffy began laughing. The look on Andrew's face! If only she'd been able to take a photo of him. “Never mind Andrew, you can still be my Watcher. Who wants to be a Jedi and wear your bathrobe out in public?” She smiled brightly at the Jedi Council who all sort of glared back at her for insulting their precious robes.

“From you, a test, Hmm?” Yodel wore a very sly and slanted smile as he looked in her direction. Although to be fair, maybe that was his face, and he'd got a health problem.

For a moment she thought of refusing, but honestly, did it matter? She held her finger out to Yodel. He carefully pricked the end of her finger and inserted the tiny blood drop into the side of his datapad. Seconds ticked by and then the datapad beeped.

“Interesting, this is. Another strange result we have,” said the little frog.

“It's zero again isn't it?” Buffy couldn't say she cared or was even surprised.

The entire Council, however, now regarded the two humans with open suspicion.

“Can you tell me, how you used Jedi-like skills to fight a Sith Lord if you haven't any midi-chlorians, Buffy? ” Nick lounged back in his chair, his fingers steepled, regarding her thoughtfully.

Sensing the Council's growing suspicion, Buffy pasted on her brightest, valley girl expression to look less intimidating.

“Okay, I'll make it quick as Braidy-Boy promised to take me on a coffee date once we're out of here.” She caught the slight groan from Obi-Wan's direction and smirked a little. “As I said, Andrew and I are from another dimension and our dimension is very different to this one. There's no Force so no need for any of us to have the mid chlorine whatsit that you have here.  
Our world is also different in that there are no aliens, only humans. Those that aren't human are usually demons who are usually evil. They go around killing innocents and starting apocalypses.  
Anyway, there's a Chosen One-.” Nick Fury dropped his datapad and Buffy watched him pick it up before continuing. “One girl in all the world who's given extra powers to fight the Evil Creepies – that's me. A Slayer that is, not an evil Creepy. Yeah, I'm the good guy. Well, not actually a guy, because as you can see I'm a girl. And Slayers are always girls. So we slayers are like Jedi Knights but not. We don't have Force powers, but what we do have are way cooler clothes and nicer hair." She gave Obi-Wan's dorky braid a pointed look.  
"Andrew here,” she jerked her thumb in Andrew's direction, “is my apprentice Watcher, friend, and also my partner in crime. He researches the different demons and gives me pointers on the best way of finding and slaying them.” She smiled at Andrew who gave a geeky two handed little wave to the Jedi Council.  
“Anyway, Andrew wished us into this dimension. Normally making wishes doesn't matter, but a Vengeance demon overheard him it sent us here. Now I need to find this demon and persuade it to send us back to where we came from. It's proving kinda difficult to locate, which is why we hoped you'd have some magic hidden away that Andrew can use to summon it.”

She looked up at the Council masters, hoping that her little speech would have reduced their qualms. Instead, she found them staring at her, their expressions pole-axed. Except for Ole Rusty, (whose bun had come loose causing his hair to slip over his eyes) and the long necked, guy called Yucky Poo, but he'd looked stunned when she'd walked in.  
For an unnerving moment, she thought she'd broken them, but their faces slowly morphed back to life. Okay, Nick's did - she wasn't sure about the others.

“And the Sith Lord, Darth Maul. You fought him using the Slayer powers that you normally use to fight demons?” asked Nick Fury. He'd recovered from the shock and decided to focus on the parts of her speech he understood.

“Yeah, I thought he was the demon at first due to the creepy vibes he had pouring off him. Now I'm thinking that was because he was all evil and forces of darkness. My Slayer powers let me know when evil is around and I'm into holding back the forces of darkness. It's in the job description.”

“Always in two, the Sith are. Master and apprentice. Think you could find the master? Stay in Temple you can. In our Archives, your demon ritual you may find.” Little Yoda was doing the half-smile thing again and looking at her.

“Yeah...that would be do-able.” Buffy sneaked a peek at Andrew, who was staring hard at her and she didn't need to be a mind reader to know which Big Bad he was thinking of. Not that she intended to become involved with taking down this dimension's Big Bad. Definitely not. She intended to have nothing to do with him. All she wanted to do was find the wish demon and get out of here as fast as possible. That was her agenda and she was going to stick to it.

..


	9. Obi-Wan's New Mission

Obi-Wan's FateObi-Wan was sitting cross-legged in his new apartment attempting to meditate. Meditating and restoring his balance in the Force wasn't working out as well as he'd hoped it would.

This should have been the happiest day of his life so far. He'd helped a Queen regain her kingdom and been the first Jedi to kill a Sith in over a thousand years. Master Qui-Gon, although badly injured in the fight was alive and set to make a full recovery. The Council had agreed that his old master could train Anakin Skywalker. Whilst tomorrow he, Obi-Wan Kenobi, once deemed not good enough to even gain a master would be knighted by the Jedi Council. It was the fulfillment of his life's ambition.

Yet something felt off in the Force. As if the path his life was supposed to take had taken an unexpected turn and his future was now cloudy. Slowly, he began to recite the Jedi mantra that had always sustained him through times of darkness.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

Yet peace was elusive and he felt deeply troubled. This had been a long day, perhaps that was the problem. It had been a very, very, long day and was not over with yet.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

Sometimes though, ignorance could be bliss. After speaking to Buffy and Andrew the Council had asked him to take the couple to an empty apartment in one of the accommodation wings, then return and speak to them further. Once back in front of the masters, Obi-Wan found that Buffy's story and explanation for her fighting skills were doubted. They then revealed their plans for his first mission as a new Jedi knight.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

Mace Windu had looked far from serene and more agitated than Obi-Wan had ever seen him.  
“Buffy Summers and Andrew Wells are coming across as voids in the Force. Yet we can see for ourselves that Buffy is more than a Force void. We believe she's hiding her abilities. Camouflaging herself perhaps. She needs to be watched. It's even possible that this other name she calls herself, this Slayer, could be her Sith name, Darth Slayer. The boy, Andrew, she freely admitted him to be her apprentice, one who aids her by dabbling in the darkest of magic's.” The man had paused and looked across at Master Yoda. “Master Yoda believes their presence here could be changing the future of our galaxy.”

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

Master Windu had gone on, “Sith Mages were the most powerful of the Sith practitioners and we already know Buffy how used dangerous mind control against Darth Maul. Therefore, we've decided that it's better to keep them here as our 'guests', where they can be watched rather than allowing them out causing chaos in the galaxy.”  
Master Ki-Adi-Mundi had explained the Council's mission. “To monitor them constantly will be your first task as a Jedi Knight. You must become their friend, assess the risk, and report any Sith-like activity. In particular, who they meet. To aid you in this your new apartment is located next to theirs.”

There is no death, there is the Force.

“But Masters, what if their story is true?” Obi-Wan had asked. “As I explained before, Buffy did protect Master Qui-Gon Jinn during the fight. Several times she put herself in great danger by deflecting potentially lethal blows. She continued to do this until the door shield opened and I was able to rejoin the fight. If she hadn't been there I believe I'd have been too late and my master would now be part of the Force.”

“Nothing to fear from being watched, they have then. Help them go home, we will,” Yoda had replied sagely.

Obi-Wan had come away with a feeling of disappointment in the Council. A feeling he'd never had before. He knew, with the re-emergence of the Sith, they were right to be watchful of strangers at this time. However, befriending and then spying on those who'd come to the Temple asking for help felt intrinsically wrong. Buffy had risked her life for Qui-Gon. Why would a Sith protect a Jedi and then make up an outlandish story and ask the Jedi for their help? It didn't seem right to him. But then, he was only the lowest ranking knight and not even that until tomorrow. Who was he to question the logic of the Jedi High Council and in turn the entire Jedi Order?

He cocked his head in the direction of the wall connecting his and Buffy's apartment, considering the mission. The pair were playing a music holovid at full blast and over the music he could hear them shouting to each other. This was going to be like spying on Jar Jar Binks. In fact, Jar Jar was far more likely to be a Sith Lord than those two idiots next door. He sighed, as he listened to the racket the pair were making. Whoever wrote that part of the Jedi code about harmony and serenity had obviously never lived next door to Buffy Summers and Andrew Wells.


	10. Craptastic coffee

Crap-tastic Coffee.Rubbing his tired eyes and putting his datapad down, Obi-Wan decided to give up trying to find information on the planet called Earth. He needed to go to his bed for some much needed sleep. Perhaps the planet Buffy and Andrew claimed to have come from was far beyond the known reaches of the Outer Rim or maybe it really was located in another dimension. He'd not been able to dig anything up on inter-dimensional travel either, but guessed he'd need to visit the archives for a topic as obscure as that.

Next door, the music was still playing loudly for the late hour and he clearly heard Buffy shouting. “Andrew! Andrew! I thought you'd fixed the droid that brought us the crap-tastic Coffee? It's stopped moving in the doorway and I can't get the door to shut!”

“I tried Buffy. It seemed to work okay after I fixed it, honest. Go next door and ask Obi-Wan!”

“Okay. I want to ask him why I can't get any water to come out of the shower. It's kinda weird. It keeps making gushing noises and stuff. I bashed it with the sword hilt thinking it was blocked with the gunky stuff but that didn't fix it.”

After a few moments the buzzer rang on his door. He rose from his chair and opened it.

“Hi, to my friendly Neighbor,” Buffy said. She smiled brightly up at him, her long hair falling in loose waves down her back, her eyes green and wide. She looked the picture of innocence and Obi-Wan didn't fall for it for a second.

“I've a problem, well two, maybe three. I kinda have a droid stuck in my front door and the shower head has no water coming out of it, and it sorta came off in my hand when I was turning it. Oh, and the couch has lightsaber burns and rocks to one side when you go to sit on it, do you think the Council will give us another one?”

“You do know it's a sonic shower and shouldn't have water coming out of it?” Obi-Wan pushed his fingers through his short hair and looked at her tiredly. He'd gone over all this with her earlier.

“Oh, that's of the weird. How do I wash my hair? And use my creamy rinsy stuff guaranteed for extra shiny?” Buffy frowned up at him.

He stared at her, wondering if she really expected him to solve that mystery. “I honestly have no idea. Look, I'll come and do a diagnostic on the droid for you. It's very odd one broke down like that. Did it make any unusual noises or did you see sparks coming out of it?” He asked, trying to force his brain to work logically. It was getting late. It had been a long day and he really just wanted to crawl into bed and pull the covers over his head.

“Yeah, I noticed its leg dropped off after it brought us the crap-tastic coffee.” Buffy gave a shrug. “I thought that was weird.”

“Its leg fell off? That is... highly unusual. I've never seen nor heard of that happening before. It simply came away from the body section, you say?” He had to admit losing a limb sounded a very odd thing to happen, service droids rarely broke down. Perhaps it had been in an accident earlier and it had become loose at the hip.

“Yeah, that's right. Andrew tried to stick its leg back on. He used my nail file but then it fell off and it sorta got stuck in my doorway as it was crawling along. The droid that is, I put its leg behind the couch to give to someone later.”

Obi-Wan sighed, the more she spoke the less sense this all made. If it wasn't for the Council he'd be tempted to walk off down the corridor and hide out in the medical ward with Qui-Gon until she went back to whatever dimension she came from.

With an odd feeling that he was leaving behind his sanity, he walked with her to the door of her apartment and stared at the service droid lying half in and half out the doorway clutching its tea-tray. Straight away he could see that it was missing a leg and he also saw that there was more damage Buffy had neglected to mention. It had a lightsaber burn through its chest cavity.

He looked up from the droid to Buffy, who was busy examining her fingernails. Her eyes flicked up to meet his and then she looked off down the corridor, her cheeks distinctly rosy.

“It was totally an accident,” she said, and pouted at him. “It brought us the coffee and I switched on my new nifty lightsaber. I didn't realize how long it was gonna be and I sorta took off part of the couch and the droid's leg. Andrew screamed. The droid lurched forward and jumped onto my blade before I could say anything. I think it must have been suicidal.”

Remembering the Council's warnings, Obi-Wan felt almost nauseous. Could Buffy be a Sith Lord after all? “You have a lightsaber?”

“Yeah, it's really pretty. I've called him Mr Sparkly,” she said and a delighted smile lit up her entire face.

“What color is it?” the words half-whispered.

“Red.” And yes, she wore a proud smile when she told him the color.

He didn't know what to say but she was looking at him and expecting an answer. “Oh.”

“Will you help me dispose of the body? I can go grab the leg.” She pouted again. Taking his stunned silence for agreement she dived back inside her apartment before he could think of anything to say.

As he waited for her to collect the severed limb, Obi-Wan realized, that as long as he lived next door to Buffy Summers, he'd never again find solace in the Jedi code.


	11. Scooby Ubi-Doo

Buffy sat on the sofa sorting through her weapons and thinking about the events of the previous night. She was seriously considering initiating Ubi-Doo into the Scooby Gang. He could be like this galaxy's version of Scooby-Doo, which would go well with his new name-age. He'd really surprised her last night, going above and beyond with the acts of good neighborliness and he'd almost guaranteed himself the place as the first Jedi-Scooby in existence.

She'd be the first to admit the droid dying in her doorway, with a missing leg and a lightsaber hole through its chest, looked on the suspicious side of an accident. With the Council here distrustful so of her (she might pretend to be stupid, but she hadn't missed the looks all those aliens were giving them), she'd known they were living here on trial. It wouldn't look good admitting she'd accidentally slain a service droid armed only with a tea-tray. Then again, she'd never expected the mincing British droid to shout, “Oh my!” before leaping onto her lightsaber blade in a fit of panic after it lost its leg.

Braidy-Boy hadn't said much when he'd seen the droid(surprise). Although he'd definitely gone paler when she'd explained how the droid had committed suicide on her lightsaber. There'd been a moment after she'd asked him to help her dispose of the body when she thought he might say no, but he'd seemed to get over the shock quite rapidly. He'd told her the best place to dump unwanted body parts was in the garbage chute located at the end of the main corridor. He said not to worry, that everything went into a big crusher at the bottom of the Temple.

She'd explained to him that she was worried in case people caught her dumping a body and got the wrong idea about her, especially as it was her first night in this dimension. Obi-Wan had given her a long, considering look before using his superpowers to make sure the coast was clear before embarking on to the main part of the corpse disposal. He even went as far as helping her lift the droid's body into the chute hole and then giving it a Force push after the Slayer push jammed it partway down the chute.

After they'd disposed of the body he'd gone on to fix the buckled, disconnected showerhead and explained once more how the sonic do-dad worked. He wasn't sure what to do about the couch. Then Andrew had the bright idea of swapping it for another couch from one of the other unoccupied apartments further along the corridor.

Ubi-Doo had jiggled the empty apartment's door lock with some fancy Force persuasion (she'd have just have bashed it with her hand or sword hilt and given herself completely away) and, between the three of them, they pushed the damaged couch into the hallway, along the corridor and exchanged it for a nicer one with a full set of legs and no lightsaber burns.

All the sneaking around, breaking and entering, not to mention dumping of non-dissolving bodies, reminded her of Sunnydale. It had been kind of unexpected finding herself doing it in this dimension as well. Not that she'd ever stolen furniture after accidentally slaying the legs off her own.

When the three of them had finally slumped down on the new couch in her living room - after they'd nearly been caught by one of the Temple guards who'd walked down the corridor just as they were pushing the new couch into her room- Andrew had burst out laughing.  
Buffy had given him one of her 'are you nuts?' looks and he explained. He said he never would have thought he'd spend his first night in the Jedi Temple stealing couches and pushing a body down a garbage chute alongside a Slayer and Obi-Wan Kenobi. She had to admit, it did sound weird and she'd burst out laughing.

Ubi-Doo had looked at them askance. She guessed it must be the first time he'd got involved in something like this. He was a worrier and reminded her of Willow when she'd first met her back in High School. Willow had soon changed; joining in breaking rules, and fully embraced Scooby life. It made Buffy wonder if she could convert Ubi into becoming normal? If she could persuade him to cut off the dorky braid, get a new hairstyle, and find him some better clothes maybe he'd lighten up? Maybe she could even get him a girlfriend? The guy was obviously in need of some expert guidance and she was the one who'd happily provide it. She didn't mind, it would return the favor he'd done for her.

Buffy turned back to the weapons spread across the table. Ubi-Doo would be calling for them any time now. He was going to give them a tour of the Temple, take them to a lightsaber class and then to the library in the afternoon. She could hardly wait to show Mr Sparkly off in all his crimson glory to all the Jedi-Knight-wannabes - they were going to be so jealous when they saw her using him.

…..........


	12. Weapons From My Dead Enemies

The buzzer on their door rang.

There was a gut-clenching moment when Buffy went into a panic in case they'd found the dead droid and realized she was responsible before her Slayer senses told her it was only Braidy-Boy. She'd no idea how she'd managed to identify him. It wasn't as if he was a demon, but he'd got a very shiny vibe that gave her Slaydar a peculiar tickle. She guessed all that meditation Giles and Spike had made her do, saying it would increase her skills, was finally paying off and she was finally able to work out what's the what.

Andrew opened the door and stood back, letting Ubi-Doo in without a direct invite, because even in another dimension you can never be too careful.

“You've had your padawan braid cut!” exclaimed Andrew. He'd noticed the burnt section of hair next to Obi-Wan's ear straight away. “Congratulations! Wow, that means we've met you right at the beginning! You were a padawan and now you've been knighted! How cool is that? Knighted as you're the first Jedi to kill a Sith in over a thousand years!”

Obi-Wan blinked rapidly and opened his mouth soundlessly.

Andrew continued chattering, “The only thing you need to be worried about is if he's really dead. Otherwise, you might get him coming back to life with new legs or something and showing up further down the line. Obi-Wan Kenobi, I think you're fantastic! You're like my favorite Jedi knight and it's an honor to meet you at the start of your wonderful career!” Andrew was gushing now, going all wide-eyed and bouncy. He made a grab for Obi-Wan's hand and began pumping it up and down enthusiastically.

Obi-Wan stared from Andrew to Buffy, obviously in shock.

“Yay!” said Buffy with a genuinely happy smile for him. “Congratulations Ubi-Doo, a knighthood, and a new haircut, that's definitely of the good. Now, if we can ditch the bathrobe and find you some decent clothes, you'll start looking more like a normal person and less of a nerd.” Buffy grinned, then turned back to finish cleaning her weapons before she put them away.

“Umm, thank you. I think,” He said, a frown creasing his forehead. “I am very pleased the Jedi Council believed I deserved my knighthood for destroying the assassin and saving the Queen's life. I studied hard for this and it's always been my ambition to do good in the galaxy.”

Turning to Andrew with a swish of his robe, he asked, “Can I ask how you know so much about the Sith when before a few days ago I'd never ..." his voice stuttered out. "Is that... Is that Darth Maul's lightsaber!?!” Obi-Wan had caught sight of the familiar lightsaber hilt on the table in front of Buffy.

The lightsaber was not the only weapon on display. There was an impressive array of weaponry laid out. Obi-Wan didn't think any of it had come from the Temple so where had she been hiding it all on the journey to Coruscant? He looked down at the sword he'd seen her fighting with on Naboo. It lay across Buffy's knee being lovingly rubbed down with what looked like a ripped Jedi Temple issued bed sheet. While in front of her, on the low table lay several wooden stakes, a number of daggers, and yes, that certainly looked like the Sith's lightsaber glinting sinisterly amongst them.

Buffy looked up from polishing the sword. “ Sorry, just getting rid of the last bit of demon goo. If it's left it can cause corrosion and affect Willow's mojo. I forgot to clean it last night with all that cloak and dagger stuff we did. Yeah, it was Dark Mall's, but now it's mine. It's really pretty when switched on, all crimson-y and glittery like a Christmas light so I've named him Mr Sparkly...”

“You can't claim a dead Force user's lightsaber!” The Jedi rubbed his hand through his short spiky hair. “Especially not a Sith's! The crystal it uses is charged by the Dark Side of the Force! That's why it's red! It's contaminated! Don't you realize this? Don't you realize how dangerous...” Obi-Wan's voice trailed away, an iron band of worry tightening around his chest as he looked at Buffy's face and the weapons displayed in front of her.

Was the Council correct about her? Was she in league with the Sith? He stared at the lightsaber hilt, sensing the Dark Side crystal inside the weapon. If she wasn't a Sith, she needed saving from herself. She needed to hand over the lightsaber and destroy the crystals before being exposed to it for too long. Otherwise, it would surely lure her into serving the Dark Side like its previous master. He had to help her.

Despite having misgivings at not doing so, he hadn't told the Council about the slain droid incident after his knighthood ceremony. If he had done, that would mean he'd need to admit he'd helped her dispose of it and also tell them that she'd somehow persuaded him to break into one of the other apartments in their corridor.

Obi-Wan still had no idea why he'd gone along with everything she suggested to him. He could only put it down to extreme exhaustion and stress affecting his thought processes. The whole evening had felt like one big nightmare that was best forgotten, but now, hearing Buffy crooning over a Sith weapon, he was wondering perhaps if he should have alerted his Masters.

“Honestly, it's no big,” she was saying. “I'm a Slayer, we have an affinity with all weapons so it'll work fine for me. And it's not contaminated. I disinfected it in some bleachy stuff I found in a cupboard – well, Andrew said it was bleachy stuff, I couldn't read the label. I think it was in Arabic or something. Ubi-Doo, you need to stop with the worrying or you'll end up with an ulcer. Andrew, tell Braidy-Boy what happens back home after we deal out the slayage.”

“Slayers and their Watchers should always collect weapons and any magical artifacts from demonic bodies where possible,” recited Andrew. “It's in the Slayer Watcher Handbook,” he explained proudly, “Buffy did the right thing grabbing it when she had the chance. I'm going to research it when we get home. I can't wait to Google Darth Maul and see what it says about his lightsaber.”

Buffy slid the sword back into its scabbard and place it on the coffee table. Grabbing Mr Sparkly from the table, she rose to her feet. “See, I am totally not weird collecting weapons off my dead enemies. It's really no big. Hey, do you want to spar now or later? I've been fiddling with the lightsaber and I think I've turned down Mr Sparkly to a low sting level. I prodded Andrew with it before to see what happened and he didn't die from it, so are you up for a duel? Or are you scared I might injure you?”

Obi-Wan, still trying to process the fact that these two made it a habit of raiding the dead, took a moment to answer the exuberant girl who thought she posed a challenge to his competency as a knight.

“Injure me?” His voice was incredulous. “You may have been able to hold your own for a short time with the assassin and your sword, but the lightsaber is by far a different weapon. It's doubtful you'd even score a single hit fighting me. More likely you'll injure yourself.”

“In other words, you're scared,” replied Buffy, looking down at her fingernails, a small smirk on her face.

“Indeed not. The Jedi are trained to fight in many different forms of combat and whether it's a lightsaber or a primitive sword, you'll never beat me."

“Braidy-Boy, you've never fought a Slayer before,” Buffy smirked, she'd not only rankled the Jedi but also distracted him from abusing Mr Sparkly. “Believe me, I'll soon have you on your back begging me.”

There was a pause, during which Andrew gave her a funny look, and Obi-Wan looked confused. Buffy added quickly, “Wait! That last bit sounded way better in my head than it did out loud!”

“You are mistaken about me, Buffy. I neither have a braid nor will you beat me in any form of combat.” Obi-Wan smirked back at her, secure in the knowledge that the tiny blonde girl would never be strong enough or skilled enough to beat a Jedi.

“Challenge accepted Ubi-Doo!”  
…........................................


	13. Money from The Jedi Temple For Shoes

“Oh look, there's Nick. I want a word with him. Nick! NICK! NICK FURY! Wait up a bit,” Buffy shouted, the call echoing down the corridor.

It caused every Jedi in the vicinity to turn around to look at her. Every Jedi that is but Master Mace Windu, who must have been purposely ignoring her, as he continued walking (faster) to avoid her. Seeing that he wasn't going to stop, Buffy took off down the corridor towards him. Jedi scattering from out of her way as she ran with a surprising turn of speed, determined the man wasn't going to escape from her.

Obi-Wan and Andrew were left behind, gaping in astonishment.

“ She's very fast, isn't she?” said Obi-Wan as he watched the blonde blur intercept Master Windu at the bottom of the corridor and somehow managed to trap him in an alcove. “Has she already forgotten his name? I don't think Master Windu is happy to be called Nick Fury, nor do I think he'll start answering to it.”

The blonde boy next to him didn't answer but he did grin gleefully.

“That's why she does it, isn't it?” Obi-Wan said thoughtfully. “It's to put people off balance and annoy them.” He was thinking of all the names she'd insisted on calling him since she'd met him and how well her methods worked.

“Buffy says quipping is the forgotten weapon to use against the enemy. I know her Watchers were annoyed by it when she was first Chosen, but later Giles admitted it yielded great slayage results. Buffy is the Slayer Queen of quippage,” Andrew beamed proudly, as they approached the Slayer and the Jedi master.

Now they were closer they could hear her conversation. “... think you suit Nick better than Mace. Nick is a total badass so I'm not sure what you're complaining of. It's not as if I've called you Mrs Doubtfire. Anyway, what I wanted to ask you, as I kinda forgot to ask yesterday, with all the stress of the splainy stuff and those aliens on the Council staring at me, but can I use my credit card here?”  
She took her wallet from out of her pocket and showed him her credit card. “Andrew said you use credits here and I wasn't sure if this would work here. I need to go shopping.”  
She lifted up first one leg and then the other so the master could inspect each boot.  
“These were new boots, but they got soaked in Big Bird blood and I'm like, eww, yuck. I literally only bought them this week so I'm not happy. Not to mention how this one time I'd demon blood soak into my skin and it sent me all telepathic. Yeah, I can see with your face you find that weird. I could hear my friends' thoughts. Willow was all, 'oh, she doesn't want to be my friend anymore,' Oz thought he didn't exist, and Xander kept thinking about me naked, which was definitely another eww...”

Mace Windu put up a hand, to halt her babble. “I'm afraid your card won't work here. However, I'll arrange for some credits to be transferred over to you so that you can buy what you need. In the meantime, please feel free to select something from the Temple stores as we wouldn't want you walking around in bloodstained clothing.”

Buffy smiled and tried not to look smug at how fast he'd caved in and given her money. “The credits will be cool, thank you. I'm not sure about the Jedi clothing, but Andrew might like it. Anything's better than that stripey sweater he insists on wearing. It's getting on my nerves.”  
She gave Andrew's stripey sweater a dirty look before turning back to Mace once again. “I nearly forgot! Food! What do we do about breakfast and our meals? We found some strange capsule things in the cupboard. Andrew insisted were Wheaties and he made me eat them with blue milk from out the fridge but they tasted vile.”

“You can eat in the cafeteria or order breakfast through the service droid assigned to your quarters. I'm surprised it didn't inform you of that when it visited your apartment, Miss Summers,” Mace replied smoothly.

Obi-Wan blanched. He kept his eyes trained on Buffy and didn't look in Master Windu's direction in case the master read the guilty panic in his mind. He noticed how Buffy maintained her smile and apart from the briefest flicker in her eyes, showed no sign of any guilt as she faced the master.

“Yeah, that droid. I think it went home early. It mustn't have felt well or needed oiling or something. We've not seen it this morning. Hey, it was real nice speaking to you, but I have to go now. I promised Ubi-Doo here that I'd have him on his back and I can feel him giving me daggers as I'm delaying dishing out his pain.”

Buffy stepped neatly away. Keeping her face carefully blank she grabbed Andrew's arm with one hand and Obi-Wan's with another, before dragging the pair of them down the corridor.

The Jedi master stood watching the trio leave, a confused expression on his face.


	14. Slayer v Jedi Knight

It felt as if he was being watched by half the Temple.

Obi-Wan lay on his back, Buffy half-lying, half-kneeling on top of him. The expression in her eyes as she looked down at him reminded him of a predator's. A predator about to eviscerate its prey. It might have been the Force push he'd sneaked in during their bout that had sent her over the edge. She'd sent him tumbling to the ground several times with an unusual move and he'd thrown the push at her without thinking. She'd lost her footing and hit one of the columns with the back of her head and the blow seemed to drive her into a whole new level of ferocity.

His entire body felt like one huge aching bruise, whilst she seemed to be brimming with energy, there was hardly a mark on her, and he hadn't held back at all in this last bout. Whatever strange source of power fed these Slayer abilities was like nothing he'd ever encountered before in any human or non-human. What made it even more remarkable was that it lay hidden away inside a small girl of fragile appearance.

Despite feeling embarrassed at being defeated, part of him admired her. Not that he'd ever tell her or admit it to anyone else. If only it had been someone else she'd fought and thrown down so many times. Today of all days too!

The morning had started off innocently enough. On reaching one of the training rooms he'd been surrounded by acquaintances wanting to congratulate him on his new knighthood and as Buffy had been nagging Andrew about his fitness level, they'd agreed to work out without him and spar later.

Buffy and Andrew then began to go through a routine of complex choreographed hand, leg, and body movements. Their movements were so slow and controlled in the way they were carried out that they could almost be taken for a soothing form of meditation. Then the tempo had changed, the slow performance changed to incorporate a series of kicks and hand blows that it was obvious they were not a dance or a meditation exercise but for use during combat.

Intrigued by the Katas, he'd sat down alongside padawans and knights who'd come in and stopped to watch the blondes. It was easy to see Andrew was a beginner, his stamina soon giving out and he'd flopped down into a seat. Buffy continued on, her natural fluid grace turning the series of complex moves into a beautiful and captivating dance.

On finishing, Obi-Wan had called out to her. “Would you like to try unarmed combat with me? I promise not to use my Force abilities.”

Unarmed combat would also delay the unveiling of the Sith lightsaber she'd stolen. Obi-Wan had high hopes she could be persuaded to let him dismantle. Despite her being so annoying, he didn't want to see her getting into trouble.

In hindsight, he'd been overconfident. Not exactly a good thing for a Jedi knight to be and something his old master would have surely lectured him on. Obi-Wan had stupidly believed that, even without using the Force, his years of training would soon put her in her place. Now, because of his own challenge he was lying on his back (again) and Buffy leaned over him with that predatory expression.

The predator expression vanished to be replaced by a sparkle in those green eyes. “You ready to call uncle, Ubi-Doo?”

He'd no idea what the term 'uncle' was about, but guessed it meant did he yield to her. He nodded, arching his back he sprang lightly to his feet. He might be one throbbing mass of pain, but he'd rather not let all those watching know the extent of it.

“You're well trained and deserved the win,” he said graciously. Then, added to warn her, “However, a Dark Side user would not hesitate to use one of the darker abilities to overcome you. Abilities such as Force choke, Force Lightning, etc, As a Jedi, I'm a far more civilized opponent.”

Seeing Buffy's raised brow he winced inwardly. His words had come out sounding pompous and pedantic. He wasn't certain why, but Buffy seemed to bring out that side of him. Or maybe he was simply more self-conscious around her.

“Well said, Knight Kenobi,” Yoda called to them. He'd appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and was now hovering in front of them.

Buffy blinked in surprise. Was that a trash can lid he was floating on?

Yoda gave his usual half-smile at Buffy. Deep in his eyes, Buffy noticed there was a calculation as he asked, “Interesting fighter, you are. Victory to you everything it is.”

“Thanks, I think,” Buffy replied slowly, trying to untangle his sentence. “I was chosen to protect the world so there's always been kinda the need to win. When losing means that yourself, and those you love, die it sorta gives you the incentive to win.”

“Fight with your passion and strong anger, you do. Hmm?”

“Ah, I knew this question would be coming. Andrew was doing the talking in my ear earlier when I was eating the not-Wheaties in the blue milk. I totally get it. The Jedi are afraid of having strong emotions in case they freak out and go dark side. I'm not you though. I'm an emotional kinda girl who draws strength from those emotions, and if that's anger so be it. There's nothing wrong with powering your fight with anger as long as you don't let it control you. That would be so stupid.” She explained, watching the creature's green face as she did. He didn't trust her. Did he think she was here to bring down the Jedi Order? If what Andrew told her was right, they were cooking that one up all by themselves.

“Training, you've received.”

Buffy knew that was a question. “My Watchers trained me. They were sent by the Watcher's Council who...” She almost said 'help Slayers', but caught herself in time. “... they trained Watcher's to train Slayers.” That was more diplomatic. She couldn't help the grimace at how they'd treated her over the years. “Those running the Council were all pompous and overbearing. They didn't like me and sorta got dispersed.”

“Dispersed, how. Hmmm?” The flying frog was definitely venturing into interrogation territory now.

“By explosion.”

She didn't really want to get into a conversation about the First and the army of potentials who'd become Slayers, but seeing as how Obi-Wan looked shocked, she added, “I did warn them they were in danger but the Council was too pompous to listen. It went all messy for a while. Things did become better and then we took over the Council. It's much nicer than the old one was.”

Giving the horrified Yoda a bright smile, she turned to Andrew. “Andrew, I'm heading back to the apartment for one of those phaser showers. I'm feeling all icky. And you look worse than me, your hair stuck out all around your head with sweat. Not that I'm letting you use the shower before me. You'll need to wait your turn.”

She gave Obi-Wan and the flying the frog a nod. “Excuse me. I'm going for an all rinsey non-rinsey shower.”

As they walked away, Buffy leaned in and whispering to Andrew. “ I'm not sure why you thought this lot would help us. You can see they don't trust us. We'd have been better off asking Lord Voldemort for his help.”


	15. The Jedi House of Fashion

Buffy been trapped in this one place for what seemed like hours and she still hadn't found exactly what she wanted. In her opinion, the service droids working worked here were being less than helpful.

Okay, to be fair, she'd gotten a couple of nice pajama sets and a decent bathrobe. It was just that the type of clothes the Jedi Temple store stocked weren't the sort she'd wear out in public. The Jedi Temple complex was huge, but if the Jedi were only allowed to choose their outfits from here it was no wonder they were all so badly dressed.  
She could imagine what Cordelia say if faced with this kind of choice. That girl would have broken down and cried. That or burned the Temple to the ground for crimes against fashion and clothing in general. Maybe that was why Anakin had freaked out, slaughtered everyone, and set fire to the place - lack of style choices and offensiveness to the fashion conscious. Not that Darth Vader was remembered for being a fashion icon.  
Looking about her, Buffy decided that the only good point was it was free. Thank's to Nick Fury's generosity. But if that stupid droid, one of those nervous types with a British accent and a mincing walk, brought her another brown bathrobe to look at she swore she'd rip its head off!

“Would Miss Buffy like to see some human female undergarments? We have a nice selection over here.” The droid showed her their full range. Of like, three.

“Eww, I'm not wearing those! Have you nothing lacey? Or pretty? Or maybe even with less material involved? No? Then I hope I don't have an accident wearing these, I'll die of embarrassment if I'm asked to strip off in front of a cute doctor. Give me the black sets, they are, like, way less offensive than brown.”

Andrew came out of a cubicle wearing a full set of Jedi robes. He pranced about in front of Buffy, his hand on his hip, pretending he was on the catwalk.

Buffy snorted. “Andrew, you're not wearing that, you look like Nick Fury! He wears exactly the same thing! Go and find something different.”

She turned away from Andrew, to find the stupid droid beside her holding up another brown bathrobe. Again. Honestly, it was every single time she turned her back for a moment, the stupid metal robotic monster re-appeared holding out, what she was sure was the same, offensive brown robe. Did it think she wouldn't notice? Did it think she would change her mind and give in?  
Maybe this was why the Jedi had such bad fashion sense, they were all relying on this droid for their styling guru. It probably thought if it continued offering the same thing she'd give up, accept it, and go away.

“No, I want something in black and tighter fitting. Yeah, that's right, a coat. I wanna coat. Look can you get me a coat? And not made out of that rough toweling stuff the bathrobes are made of.”  
The droid stared at her unblinkingly (it had no eyelids). She took the bathrobe from the droid's hands and threw it with Slayer strength to the back of the store. “If I see that thing again I'm gonna make you eat it.”

“I thought Miss Buffy would like to wear the same clothes as our newest knight, Kenobi?”

“No, I don't want to go all matchy-matchy with Kenobi. Why would I even want to look like him? Look, black, fitted, and nothing dragging on the floor as it collects dust. Do you want me to draw you a diagram?” Honestly, did she need to start designing her own clothes or something?

After sending the droid off to search of a suitable black coat, okay she was channeling Spike's duster, she started looking in the trousers section. A couple of minutes later, she turned around to find... another droid. At first, she'd thought it was the same one since it looked and sounded exactly the last one, but this had a different number stamped on its chest. It stood beside her, holding out... another brown robe.

“Oh, for freak's sake. How many times... I DO NOT WANT A BROWN ROBE!” The Stupid robot put the robe down, gazing at her with a lost and offended expression. And could a metal man with a tin head even have an expression?

Buffy sighed loudly. “Look, I need trousers. Get me trousers. Slim fitting. Loose enough to fight in or having some stretch to them. No! I don't want the weird ones that look as if you've pooped in your pants. Yeah, black. Have you got any nice silk blouses in? Well, what have you got? Tops? No, not black and not white. Have you got anything in a cute baby pink? Red? Green? Well, what color do you have? Brown? Black? Okay, guess it's black then, at least it won't show the blood.”

“Would Miss Buffy like a nice cream over tunic? Exactly the same as the one Knight Kenobi wears?” one of the droids asked.

“A cream tunic? No, I don't need a tunic that looks like Kenobi's! What the hell is he, all of a sudden? A freakin style icon?”

“Is this alright Buffy?” Andrew was back out of the changing room modeling something he'd found right at the back of the store.

“Oh for God's sake! No, you look like Yodel. Put it away and get something else. What is that thing anyway? It looks like a dress.” She rolled her eyes. Andrew was walking away in a sulk because she wouldn't let him wear a Yodel dress.

Buffy went over to the boots and shoe section. “Have you got anything with a three or four-inch wedge heel? No, a heel. I'll look like a garden gnome wearing flats. Yeah, I'm sorta desperate as mine have Big Bird demon blood on them and if I keep wearing them I might mutate and get Big Bird feet. Oi! What do you mean what species am I? I'm human and a female!”

She narrowed her eyes. That Tinhead was going to pay later for accusing her of not being human. She'd got Mr Sparkly with her, all it would take was one quick swipe and she knew Ubi-Doo would help her dispose of its body...

She sighed once more, sat down on a stool and started trying on cavalry boots. Yeah, the only good thing about shopping in the Jedi clothing store was that it was all free and they stocked nice pajamas – the jury was still out on the bathrobe.


	16. Jedi Temple Hellmouth

Obi-Wan sat on his cushion inside his apartment, his concentration supposedly on the Force, allowing the healing properties of the Light Side flow through him and heal his bruised body. Instead, he found his thoughts drifting to Buffy.

After their bout in one of the training rooms, Master Yoda had become curious about her fighting skills. He'd questioned her and the answers she'd given hadn't reassured the Grand Master. She'd admitted to drawing on her anger to empower her during a fight and also told them that winning was always important to her. Obi-Wan thought she'd been truthful in her answers and put across her reasoning across well. It was important to win if losing meant death for those you were chosen to protect and she'd explained, although she used her emotions to give her added power and incentive during a fight, those emotions were always under control. She wasn't a Jedi, so why were the masters judging her by their rules?

The information her own council had been bombed obviously worried Master Yoda. Especially when she admitted she'd been at odds with them and that now she and her friends were running that very same council. Perhaps she hadn't explained enough and only done the 'cliff notes' version, but he had to admit it a council take-over hadn't sounded good.  
After Buffy had left. Yoda had taken him to one side and once more explained how important it was for him to watch the pair. Impressing on him the necessity of keeping his mission a secret and telling him to report back immediately if he saw any signs of Buffy being a Sith.

Obi-Wan hadn't mentioned that she'd got Darth Maul's lightsaber in her possession. It made him feel uncomfortable that he hadn't mentioned it, but if he could get Buffy to hand it over to him for dismantling there'd be no harm done. When he'd laid eyes on the Sith infested thing that morning he'd felt his heart rate escalate. The memory of Darth Maul wielding it against him and his master, then stabbing through Qui-Gon still played heavily on his mind. His old master was lucky to be alive. If Buffy hadn't been there to aid Qui-Gon it was likely the older man would have died before he'd escaped the last energy field to help him.

So far, Buffy hadn't heeded his warnings about the Dark Side lightsaber and seemed determined to flaunt it in front of the entire Temple. He knew for a fact that once they became aware she owned a red lightsaber the Council would distrust her even further.

This whole spying mission was putting him on edge and making him question aspects of the Jedi he'd never thought to question before. It was all very disconcerting. But not as disconcerting as what Buffy told him during dinner.

After Buffy and Andrew had been to the clothing store, they'd spent several hours in there arguing with the droids, they'd all eaten dinner together in the cafeteria. Obi-Wan taking it upon himself to explain the different foods that were on offer as even the most common foods seemed unusual to them. Both Buffy and Andrew had been fascinated with the differences (mainly Andrew).

Neither Buffy or Andrew had been completely at ease during their meal. This wasn't due to the differences in food, but due to the number of curious padawans who'd tried to read their minds. It seemed both Buffy and Andrew easily picked up on this, which was unusual as most were unaware when a Jedi attempted to gently probe their thoughts.

“I swear, if one more person, or whatever it is, try to do the mind bendy on me I'll kick their ass,” she said loudly. She swiveled in her seat to pointedly look at a group of young padawans sitting at the table across from them.

Obi-Wan shot the group a harsh and judgemental look. “These guests are enjoying the hospitality of the Temple and are here at the invitation of the High Council. If any of you wish to go before the masters and explain why you felt the need to infringe on their privacy with your poorly executed mind-reading skills, please remain behind. The rest should leave now.”  
The group climbed to their feet and leave the cafeteria before turning to look at Buffy, who was watching him curiously.

“Thanks for that Ubi. But, you'd best not try any mind-reading skills on me, poorly executed or not. Else you'll have a funny walk.”

He smirked and couldn't resist teasing, “My mind tricks are far harder to detect and more sophisticated than a mere initiate's or a padawan's. I could already have used my skills on you and you'd never know... Ouch!”  
Obi-Wan bent over and began rubbing at his shin under the table. “There was no reason to kick me! I've not attempted to use a mind trick on you. It only works well on the weak-minded so you've nothing to worry about. You being as stubborn as a Bantha tick in a sandstorm.”

She scowled at him, “Take it as a friendly warning, Ubi-Doo. And less of the tick comments.”

“If that was your idea of a friendly warning I don't wish to be the recipient of a less friendly one,” he continued, still rubbing at his stinging shin. He'd been hoping to use a little Force persuasion on her later, letting him dismantle Mr Sparkly before any of the masters spotted it. Now, it looked as if he'd need to either steal the weapon or lecture her into giving it up as he didn't relish his chances of escaping injury-free if he tried to persuade her using the Force.

“This place is giving me the creepies,” Buffy said out the blue. A shudder went through her and she looked around, as if expecting something to leap from the shadows and attack them.

Andrew, who'd been rocking back in his chair as he watched the pair bickering, sat up. Knowing the Slayer well enough to take her warnings seriously, he began to look around them carefully. “What do you sense, Buffy?”

“The whole Temple has a weird buzz going on. Ubi-Doo, is this place built on a Hellmouth or something? What's in the lower levels?”

Obi-Wan took his time answering her. He felt out through the Force, searching for anything out the ordinary or was tainted with darkness. “I don't sense anything different from normal.” He cocked his head looking at her. “Master Yoda claims the Force has gone cloudy over the years as if the Dark Side is tainting it somehow. As for the Temple itself, I believe it was originally built over the remains of a Sith Temple with the expectation that the new building would negate the Sith's effects. Certainly, you are the first person to mention a 'weird buzz' to me.

Buffy seemed genuinely worried. “It almost feels like there's something nasty in the basement. I lived on a Hellmouth for years and fought the nasties that came through it. From what I've been told, you've enough going on in this dimension without dealing with the evil creepies too.”

Obi-Wan hadn't said anything at the time, but later he wondered if the source of unease might have something to do with the Sith holocrons kept in the lower reaches of the Temple. Even the knights weren't allowed access to them for fear that even watching one of those dark holocrons would lure the viewer to fall to the Dark Side of the Force.

Was that what she was sensed? Or were her Slayer senses picking up on something else entirely?


	17. A Refreshing Problem

Later that evening the buzzer went on Obi-Wan's door. Unable to sense the caller through the Force he knew it must be either Buffy or Andrew, but something made him suspect Buffy. Slowly and very stiffly, he made his way over to the door.

“Hi, to my friendly neighbor,” Buffy chirpily as soon as the door slid open. As she smiled up at him he ran his eyes down her. She wore a cream Jedi issue sleepsuit, was barefoot, and without her make-up. At first glance, she'd pass for a young padawan and not a stranger who hailed from another dimension. Obi-Wan also noted she was exuding an aura of great innocence, instantly making him tense and wary.

Obi-Wan folded his arms and leaning back against his doorway regarding her tiredly through narrowed eyes. “Hello Buffy, what do you want?”

“What makes you think I want anything, Obi-Wan? I might just be being neighborly and came around to see you?” she replied. She raised an eyebrow and then pouted at him.

“You have that look on your face and you just used my real name rather than one of those monstrosities you make up.” Yes, she definitely needed him for some 'task' again. Obi-Wan really hoped it's didn't involve her crimson lightsaber and 'slayage'. She was going to get him into a lot of trouble he could tell. He'd had one of his bad feelings earlier and this would explain it...

“What look?” Her pout became even poutier.

“That pout which you are using on me right now, and the 'I have a problem' look.” The sad thing was he was very susceptible to her pouts, even now he was trying not to smile at her expression. He'd already learned her pouts were linked to some request she'd yet to make.

“Ahh, I do have a slight problem but it's no big. I asked Andrew and he kinda did his best but it didn't work so thought I'd ask you.” She shrugged and looked down the corridor towards her apartment. He resisted the urge to look in that direction in case there was another dead droid lying in her doorway. If she mentioned a broken-down droid he was going to walk back into his apartment and shut the door. He was not falling for that one again.

“What have you done?” he asked, knowing it was nothing good. 'No big' could mean just about anything.

“I had an idea. I put my Big Bird splattered goo boots into the clothes 'fresher.”

“It's really not made for boots Buffy, they have to be cleaned by hand. Have you broke your 'fresher?” Oh well, that wasn't too bad, he could handle that.

“No, my 'fresher thingy is fine.”

“I don't understand if your 'fresher is fine then what's wrong?” He could feel himself becoming confused, a common occurrence around Buffy.

“I put my boots in someone else's fresher. “

“Whose?” He closed his eyes for a moment. Don't say she'd not sneaked into Mace Windu's apartment and used his.

“Well, you know that apartment that's empty a couple of doors down? Not the one we stole the couch from, the other one? I sorta got Andrew to break in there, you know to test his skills at lock picking the door. And then, while I was there, I thought I might as well 'fresher up my boots and used that 'fresher instead of mine in case they broke it. Cos hey, no one is using it anyway. But now the door won't open and Andrew is stuck inside it.” By the end of the speech, Buffy was examining her fingernails again and refusing to look at him

“Andrew is stuck inside the clothes 'fresher?” Wondering how he'd even gotten in there.

“No, he's in the apartment. He can't get the apartment door open again and he is getting stressed. He's been trapped in there for hours. Since we had dinner in that cafe place where everyone kept doing the mind bendy thing at me. I thought he was in his room. He locks himself in there, but as long as he isn't summoning evil demons I don't want to know what else he gets up to.  
Anyway, I was getting ready for bed and realized I'd left my boots in that 'fresher. Then, when I went to tell Andrew I realized he was missing. I just thought he'd gone off exploring at first, but then when I went up to the other apartment I could hear him behind the door. He was having a panic attack cos he'd been in there so long and he thought no one would notice he was missing and he was going to die in there.”

Obi-Wan rubbed his hand over his short spiked hair. He sighed. “I'll come and get him out for you, but you really shouldn't be telling him to break into apartments, Buffy. Even unused ones.”

“But it keeps him out of mischief and he isn't doing any harm to anyone. He becomes annoying if he gets bored.” Buffy winced and Obi-Wan found himself wincing as well at the thought of a bored and annoying Andrew. As long as they were empty apartments he supposed Andrew wasn't doing any harm. There was absolutely no need to bother the Council and let them know of his antics.


	18. Two Ninjas

Buffy and Andrew walked out of their respective bedrooms at the very same time in their newly Jedi acquired outfits and stared at each other. The looks they exchanged were not of a complimentary nature but more one of fascinated horror.

“We look like freaking Ninja's,” said Buffy, she screwed her nose up as she looked over the blonde boy. Andrew was wearing a black top, black leatherette vest, black trousers, black boots, and a long black duster coat. In other words a mirror image of herself.

Andrew shook his head, “Ninja's don't dress as badly as this.”

“You're probably right. I just knew black on black was not a good look to go with unless it's dark. And then only if I'm out, like, patrolling graveyards and supposed to be unseen. Stupid Jedi store didn't have much going on in regard to style choice. ” Buffy pulled a face as she thought about the limited fashionable choices on offer in there.

“According to the droids we could have both gone completely matching with Obi-Wan Kenobi.” grinned Andrew. He didn't admit he'd been thinking of going with that idea until he'd spotted Buffy's face and realized it wouldn't go down well with the Slayer.

The Slayer rolled her eyes and winced. “So not gonna happen! Can you imagine if we'd met him dressed in exactly the same outfit as him? He'd have thought he was like our style icon or something. Or we'd already been brainwashed by his emotionally repressed Jedi cult.”

“Brown really isn't your color, is it Buffy?” Andrew was twirling his long duster coat and thinking it looked way cooler than Spike's. The best thing about this outfit was the coat, it had deep pockets and everything.

Buffy walked over to the full-length mirror, which for some strange reason, was located in the living room. She pulled a face at herself. “Nope,” she said, with a good strong pop on her 'p'. “Least not the crap-tastic Jedi monk brown, anyway." She continued looking at herself in the mirror, frowning. "When I look at myself, you know who I kinda remind myself of? And not in a good way either.”

“Well...” began Andrew, coming to stand behind her and looking in the mirror from himself to her and back again.

“Angel! When he was going through his dark and broody, and lingering around behind the Bronze dumpsters phase.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow. “ I didn't know him then. I was going to say Anakin Skywalker just before he completely freaked out or maybe even Darth Vader.”

The pair's eyes met in the mirror in mutual horror.

“Umm, Would you be up for a bit of shopping in the real shops, Andrew? Spend Nick Furys' credits and get ourselves something with a bit more styling and color. I'm not keen on the Darth Vader look.”

Andrew nodded slowly, "Yeah, I think that might be a wise move..."

…....


	19. Nerf Herders

It was lunchtime and Andrew had decided to skip lunch in favor of research with a strange new friend he'd made somehow, leaving Buffy to face the Cafeteria of Mind Bendies all by herself.

She hovered indecisively, looking at a menu written out in some weird hieroglyphic squiggles and she didn't have a clue what they said, as she wasn't able to read Basic. Andrew, who'd apparently learned to read it a few years ago in some weird online chat room, had been trying to teach her but she wasn't all that patient. Honestly, she just wanted to go home and couldn't be bothered.

They'd been in the library section of the Temple that morning, hoping to find the demonic section but the woman running the place had been less than helpful. She'd spent a long time looking at them both as if they were something the cat had dragged in and Buffy's Slayer glare hadn't even made a dent in the strict librarian's armor.

“I mean, what's so wrong about asking to see your files on demons and demon summoning? And maybe some of this Sith magic stuff?” Buffy had asked. Andrew had been too scared to ask her, the wimp.

“You need special authorization from the Council members to see those sort of scrolls or holocrons and since you aren't even members of the Jedi Order it's highly unlikely that will be granted.” The human woman, with sticks in her severe hairstyle, glared back at them.

Buffy wondered if she was evil like Snyder. She wasn't getting any vibes saying slay but there was something off about the woman. Although maybe that was because she stood in Buffy's way of finding a ritual to summon vengeance demons or maybe it was her dislike of authority figures in general.

“Ugh! What's the big problem? We only want to summon some demons, not start an apocalypse. You know what? I will speak to Nick Fury and get your stupid authorization!” Buffy had flounced out the library with Andrew on her heels. Stupid NuNu woman! Should have been called NoNo, not NuNu.

So, that had been a total waste of time. And now Buffy was starving, looking at a stupid Jedi menu in stupid Basic, which she couldn't even read, and there was no one around to ask which was human food and which was the demon alien food that could kill her.

“You look lost,” the soft male voice came from behind her and she turned to see a handsome, dark haired human looking, male in his early twenties with a gold tattoo flash across his nose and cheekbones and similar tattoos on his bare arm.

Flashing him a wide smile she said, “I'm not exactly lost. I'm kinda staying in the Temple as a guest but I don't read basic and I need human food.” She waved a hand at the menu and then the empty seating behind them. “ There were a lot of nosy mind readers here yesterday at dinner but now there's no one around to ask.”

The dark haired man laughed at the mind readers comment and gave her a formal bow. “Quinlan Vos, at your service, milady. I'm near enough human so we can eat the same foods. Come, I'll point out the things which you can eat." He took her arm and towed her towards the service hatch. "I believe I know who you are now. You are the one at the center of Temple gossip. The one who came back with Obi-Wan after the battle at Naboo. Is that where you're originally from?”

Buffy smiled, taking three or four Nerf steaks and added salad to her plate. “I'm Buffy Summers. I've not been a milady since Halloween so call me Buffy. No, I'm not from Naboo. I'm from further away than that. A planet called Earth." They picked up their plates and walked over to a table. Once she sat down, she continued, "I was sort of dragged to Naboo against my will by Andrew, whose like my apprentice watcher. Now we are stuck. Your Council told us they'd help us find our way back to Earth and said we were welcome to stop here until then. Trouble is, they've got like this evil librarian who doesn't like us...”

"Ah, Jocasta Nu," said Quin knowingly. "I know her well."

Buffy nodded. She cut up her steak and cautiously ate a section, then finding it tasty she started tucking in with relish and missed the way Quinlan watched her polish off the steaks with a raised brow. Nerf steaks were supposed to be extremely filling but the small human girl ate like she was four or five times her size.

Buffy waved her fork and the last piece of steak at him. “These Nerf steaks are good. I seem to remember a band playing at the Bronze called Nerf Herders, yet we don't have Nerfs there. Which is Of the Weird.” At the man's blank look she added, “ Do you know Ubi-Doo then?”

“Ubi-Doo?” Quinlan looked puzzled, then grinned. “Oh, Obi-Wan! Yes, we trained together as padawans. I heard he has been assigned to help you...”

Buffy looked over at the cafe doors as they opened and the familiar brown robes appeared. “Speak of the devil, and there he appears. ”

“Buffy! I've been looking for you in the Archives! Master Jocasta Nu said you'd only just left. Hello, Quinlan, it's good to...”

And then Oh-Be-Boring was like going on to his friend for like a week, so Buffy got up and went back to the serving section and filled her plate with more steaks.

“Oh, this should be very interesting,” said Obi-Wan, breaking off his conversation to his friend. He nodded with a grin towards Master Windu who'd wandered into the cafeteria unwarily.

Quinlan frowned and looked over to the master who suddenly caught sight of Buffy as she turned with a loaded plate and waved to Master Windu. Quinlan wondered what Obi-Wan found so funny about the situation. He knew Obi-Wan had an odd sense of humor but... “I don't see how this is int...” he began and stopped.

“Nick! Hey, NICK FURY! Glad I caught you,” shouted Buffy, hurrying over to Mace Windu whose eyes bugged out with horror and looked caught between flight or fight as the small blonde bore down on him. Buffy grabbed his arm and seemed to be having a heated conversation with him about something, resulting in the renown master beating a hasty retreat and Buffy smirking.

“From the way Master Windu withdrew, I take it she is not an easy assignment,” said Quinlan slowly. “ And to think I was about to congratulate you on your first mission as a knight protecting one so easy on the eye...”

“I think it's more a case of protecting the galaxy from her,” replied Obi-Wan drily.

“Where's Andrew?” Obi-Wan asked when Buffy sat down again and started digging into her second round of steaks.

“Gone off with a bucket and a man with tentacles on his head to discuss asteroid mechanics.” She took another bite of steak and looked up to see both men watching her eat.

“Where do you put it all?” asked Quinlan. He looked at Obi-Wan, “Are you sure she tested human? OUCH!” He bent down and rubbed his shin, causing Obi-Wan to chuckle.

“Sorry Quinlan, but it's nice to see someone else on the receiving end of Buffy's 'friendly warnings' for a change. I don't think she likes people asking if she is human...” As both his friend and Buffy gave him dark looks, he changed the subject. “So, Andrew went off with a man who has tentacles and a bucket, is that right? Can you perhaps elaborate on that explanation, I am afraid I am floundering here.”

She snorted, “That doesn't surprise me, you look like a flounder. Droid bucket thing, it whistled. Man with lots of tentacles on his head, and smiled a lot, said he'd help Andrew with his asteroid mechanics.”

“Ah I see, Astrometrics, a D2 unit, and Master Kit Fisto. I knew I'd get there in the end, although why you didn't say that in the first place...”

“And where would the fun in that be, Jedi-boy? I like making you work for your information,” Buffy replied with a grin, putting her forky type eating utensil down on her plate now she'd cleared it.

Sighing, Obi-Wan glanced at his friend who was sat watching the two of them bickering with a smirk of his own. Deciding not to ask what he found so amusing, Obi-Wan asked instead, “How did you and Andrew go on in the Archives, Buffy? Did you find the information you were looking for?”

“Stupid NoNo woman wouldn't even let us look at the demon summoning stuff. Total waste of time and Andrew wasn't much help, he was scared of her.” Buffy pouted, causing both men to stare at the pout in fascination. “That's why I pulled Nick Fury and he is gonna have a word with NoNo but might have to ask Yodel about us looking through the Sith stuff. It's because they are scared we might freak out and go dark or something. In the meantime, I'm gonna search your local underworld, hit a few graveyards, demon bars and that type of stuff and see if I can find a demon to interrogate.”

Quinlan moved forward in his chair and pushed his empty plate away as he leaned his elbows on the table. He looked over at his friend then at the blonde girl sitting beside him. “Why don't you get Obi-Wan to take you to see his friend Dex? He knows a lot of people involved in the underworld and someone might be able to help...”


	20. The Boy Raised by Droids

“Is black your favorite color, Buffy?”

Buffy sneaked a peek at the Jedi walking alongside her as they went to find a taxi to take them to see this Dex. She wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic about what Andrew had called their Darth Vader outfits, although she wasn't wearing a phallic style helmet the fact she'd chosen it in this dimension was a bit worrying. Not that she intended to do any undersea heavy breathing impressions while she was here or go over to the Dark Side.

“I don't usually wear this much black unless I'm patrolling the graveyards at night, so no. There wasn't much choice in the Jedi clothing store unless I wanted to do the brown look, so I grabbed this.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at her comment. Knowing she'd spent hours arguing with the service droids in there, he teased her by saying, “I normally find plenty of choice and the droids go out their way to be very helpful.”

She huffed and didn't answer, her attention instead on a male Jedi, with a colored, molded head-tail thing going on, walking towards them carrying a small bundle. As he passed her she saw he was holding a young baby of the same species as himself and she looked at him curiously.

Once the man had passed, she smiled at Obi-Wan and nudged him with her shoulder. “Is he going to confessional then?”

“What?” Obi-Wan looked around at the Jedi puzzled, then back at Buffy.

“Looks like he kinda broke his vows and got all emotional with someone and now he's got a kid? Is he going to confess what he's done?”

“Ah, no. They probably sent out someone of the same species to do the collection of the Force sensitive baby. The child will be handed over to the droids to rear now in a nursery clan of about ten...”

“You've got to be kidding me?” Buffy had stopped and grabbed his arm. She stared up at him with an indignant look, as if she was going to march back into the Temple and demand the baby be taken back to the parents.

Obi-Wan could feel her agitation and building anger vibrating through the Force around her. It was odd that she was a Force void and yet could affect the Force so much with her emotions. He put that question to one side for now as he took in how upset she was becoming. Gently, he removed her hand from where it was clutching his arm and taking hold of it between both of his own tried to send out soothing calm and reassurance down the connection.

“A parent is never forced to give their child to the Temple, they are simply given the option and it's considered a privilege to have a child studying here...” he began.

“Yeah, and I bet they aren't pressurized at all to give their babies to this cult. I can just imagine the speel... Give your baby to us or it will fall to the Dark Side and murder you all.”  
She was staring at the Temple with a horrified expression but when she looked at him, her face softened for a moment. “So, the sitch with you is.. they took you from your parents as a baby and raised you in a pack with other stolen kids by those weird Droids?”

“Well, yes I suppose it could be seen that way but..”

“Oh For Freak's sake Obi-Wan! What chance did you have to become a normal person or to lead a normal life once this lot had you in its claws? I bet they tell you if you try to leave them you will turn into a Sith or something... This is seriously beyond The Bad, it's like a disgusting practice... I thought the old Watcher's Council was evil but at least the girls weren't reared by robots...”

Buffy's anger was reaching out through the Force and he could feel a slight turn in the currents as if the something in the Dark side suddenly sensed her and began to flow towards her. He frowned, ignoring the Force for once in his life and concentrating on her. It seemed the Jedi practice of taking children from parents had echoes in her own life and he focused on this rather than defending the Council and his own upbringing.

Still holding her hand in his he calmly asked, “Your Council has the same practice?”

Buffy huffed, and looked down to where her hand lay sandwiched between his two larger ones. “Yeah, the old Watchers Council and the Jedi Council were the same in a lot of ways. They took potential slayers as children and raise them away from family and friends. No emotional ties allowed, slayage only. Most slayers died within a year of being chosen,” she said bitterly.

She looked up into the Jedi's tranquil blue eyes that were trying so very hard to calm her distress. “I'm the oldest slayer ever and that's only because they didn't find me until I was called. I lived with my family and had close friends who've helped me survive, without those emotional ties I'd have died and stayed dead...”

She pulled her hand out from between his two warmer ones and Obi-Wan felt the loss of their connection. “C'mon, let's go and see your friend Dex,” she said, still upset but purposely changing the subject.

Unsure of what to say to make things better, he nodded and simply walked beside her to the taxi.


	21. Dexter's Diner

Buffy stared at the diner in disbelief. So, a 1950's American diner in the middle of an alien street, in a Sci-Fi ultra-futuristic city with flying cars and spaceships speeding past overhead, and yet everyone here thought this place was normal?

The sight of it sort of sent her off balance, with flash backs to her life as Anne coming back to her in bursts. If there was a portal somewhere nearby with a Hell dimension slave thing going on she wouldn't be surprised. Maybe there was, and in that case, at least she wouldn't have far to grab a demon for questioning.

Ubi-Doo was strutting towards the place now with his bathrobe hanging off the back of his shoulders, every so often he'd give it a swish for added effect. It looked like this place was one of his favorite hang-outs, not that he'd have been able to have that many, being raised by droids. She bet he'd never even been taken to the park when he was a kid. No wonder he was such a nerd.

He halted before the diner door as if a thought had occurred to him. “Dex is rather unusual. Umm, he is not a demon Buffy so I'd rather you didn't brandish your 'Mr Sparkly' or 'Mr Pointy' at him. He has always been very helpful to me and Master Qui-Gon Jinn in the past when we needed information.”

“Ubi-Doo you're gonna get an ulcer with all this stressing. Now get in there and stop swishing your robe about you're making dust.” Buffy gave him a little push towards the door.

Inside, the layout was diner-like. It was just like any at home, until a droid waitress with one wheel came cycling towards them.

“What can I do for you hunny?” The wheelie droid asked, looking at Ubi-Doo and refusing to look in Buffy's direction.

Buffy had no idea why the droids in this dimension got all nervous when they saw her, maybe she was the Chosen Droid Slayer over here or something. The only ones who didn't seem to mind her were those bucket ones who came to a halt and gave out long whistles of appreciation every time they spotted her. Which was a surprise, as the first time she saw one in a corridor she'd tried to lift the lid and throw some garbage inside it.

“Two Jawa juices please and can you let Dex know an old friend is here to pay his respects,” Obi-Wan took her arm and guided her to an empty seat near the back of the diner. Slipping into the red leather effect seat in the cubicle she looked back down the aisle taking in the diner and the strange assortment of aliens who were eating there.

“This place is weird,” she said. It was like Willy's Bar, filled with all sorts of odd creatures that looked like they should be demons but didn't give out the demonic vibe so must be simply aliens going about their alien daily business.

“Everything is weird to you,” replied Obi-Wan with a grin. “Likely it is because you are the weird one and everyone and everything else is normal.”

“Haaa haa, not funny, Jedi-boy. No, its normal for me, that's what's weird. There are lots of places like this back in my dimension. I didn't think I'd... Is that your friend? The massive toad person with four arms wearing a filthy vest with holes in it? Cos it looks as if he's having problems with a disgruntled customer or four.” Buffy spotted the signs straight away, she'd worked diners and seen this type before. Coming in, wanting something for nothing and money to go away.

“Dex is perfectly capable of looking after himself. However, you shall stay here and I shall go to see if he needs my assistance.” Obi-Wan slipped out the cubicle and walked quietly up behind the aliens (who looked a cross between a dinosaur and a hammer to Buffy) that were arguing with the toad.

Muttering to herself, “Oh, shall I now?” Buffy slipped out her seat and made her way around the other side of the diner counter to come to stand next to the giant toad person.

“Are you guys gonna have a fight?” she asked chirpily, with a huge smile looking from one hammer headed Dino to another.

She could see Ubi-Doo shaking his head at her from behind the hammer heads but ignored him. Honestly, the guy was such a worrier. His friend on the other hand - Dex the Crazy Toad person - gave her a big grin and sort of winked at her, or maybe some skin went across his eye, it was hard to tell with her not being used to Toad people.

“What you got a tiny human female as your protector now, Dex? Pay up and we'll go away, don't pay up and property will get damaged...”

“And I told you before I wasn't paying you money.” Dex folded one set of arms over his massive torso, and Buffy noticed he left the other set of massive hands lingering menacingly by his sides.

Buffy stepped forward, smiling brightly, “You know I only came in here for a quiet drink. Then I saw you Dino things taking up valuable breathing space and bugging Dex here... and I thought to myself, your heads would make a lovely pair of boots. So go on, make my day.”

She caught a quick glimpse of Obi-Wan looking horrified, shaking his head and trying to wave his hand at the aliens to do his mind bendy thing but it was all too late.

The nearest alien threw a punch at her which she easily grabbed in her own hand, spun around and threw him over her shoulder to land on the floor in front of her, kicking him in the head as he landed. She was really chuffed with herself seeing the alien was not only unconscious but hadn't lost his head. Obi-Wan should be proud of her restraint. Normally she didn't stop until the demon was headless.  
Next to her Dex had taken one of the aliens out with a single punch from his massive fist whilst he back handed the third, and Obi-Wan had finally stopped shaking his head and was grappling the fourth alien to the floor.

“Want me to help you drag these clowns out for ya?” she asked Dex.

The huge alien opened his mouth showing a row of small but sharp teeth, “Wouldn't mind. Seeing Obi-Wan is still busy.” They both turned to watch the Jedi struggling to hold down the hammer headed alien.

“Yeah, Jedi-Boy was a bit slow. Too busy wanting to do the mind-bendy thing I reckon, when a good punch can do the same job. Names Buffy by the way. I'm the Slayer,” she said, holding the collar of one of the unconscious aliens with one hand as she put out her other to shake Dex's massive froggy- hand.

The pair of them dragged the three fallen hammer heads to the door (Dex dragging out two, one in each hand, opening the door with a third and waving to a passerby with his fourth) and chucking them out onto the street. Inside the diner, they could hear Obi-Wan being thrown around as he fought the alien dinosaur thing.

Dex tilted his head and looked at her considering. “Think we should go and help him?”

Buffy shook her head. “Nah. He's enjoying himself in there, you know teaching and promoting the pacifist Jedi ways throughout the galaxy. Setting an example to us all on how to behave and so on.”

The toad person gave a deep rumbling laugh, “So how's a Jedi got mixed up with you?”

“That Dex is a long story involving demons, wishes, and interdimensional travel. How about I come into the kitchen and sit with you while you cook? If your friends,” she pointed to the now stirring aliens, “ wanna come back in I'll give you a hand throwing them back out again. I've worked in diners before, you know.”

Together they walked back in carefully stepping around Obi-Wan who was half trapped under a table grappling the hammer headed alien who was still putting up a good fight.


	22. Buffy And The Big Bad

Buffy stared out the window of the flying taxi pretending to look at the buildings around her. They were flying back to the Temple after visiting Dex. Ubi-Doo sat at the other side of the taxi sulking at her. His back half-turned to her, pretending to be enthralled in the view out the window on his side of the speeder and there was a silence you could cut with a knife.  
He'd been in a quiet mood since the diner fight, but it was when she'd innocently began the conversation with, 'I've had a lot of fun today at Dex's,' that the dam inside him finally burst.  
He'd rattled on about it being his mission to protect and keep her from danger, that she jumping into the middle of a fight without knowing what she was facing was stupid and how he was shocked at her willful disobedience. Then he'd gone on again about the terrible image she'd put into his mind about making boots from alien's heads.

Unfortunately, she'd giggled at that point which set him off on a new track.

Obi-Wan claimed that violence wasn't the only answer in life. He'd said that often situations could be diffused by talking and that she should try applying this method in the future when dealing with vampires and demons. That back at the diner he'd the situation in hand and it was only because of her that it had escalated into violence. Apparently, he'd been in the process of sending a 'mental suggestion' to the Dino's, suggesting they put a halt to their 'life of violence and crime'.  
Buffy had gazed at him in disbelief before saying 'mental' was the right word for him and then her brain sort of slipped into a defensive unconscious state as he'd launched into one of his Oh-Be-Boring speeches.

Buffy suspected there was another reason for him being so sulky with her. She'd embarrassed him  
He'd been entangled with that alien on the floor for so long that Dex had become worried in case it was putting customers off their food. The four-armed alien had a point. Who'd want to eat their burger and drink their coffee with two people rolling around underfoot?  
She'd gone over to the pair and, channeling Anya, said it was obvious the two of them had an unresolved sexual tension that needed working off, and it would be better done away from the diner and in the privacy of a bedroom. Her suggestion had the desired effect. Ubi-Doo freaked out and let loose a few Force enhanced punches, knocking the alien out and dragging him outside. Which was definitely of the good, as by then Dex had agreed to listen out for any demon gossip and she wanted to check up on Andrew.

The taxi dropped them both off at the Temple. Obi-Wan pointedly didn't speak to her as he was hoping for an apology, which he wasn't going to get, and Buffy was wondering about Andrew. He was such a Jedi fanboy that he might have gone off exploring on his own. If he'd locked himself inside another room in an isolated part of the Temple she might never find him.

Lost in a tangle of her own worries and purposely ignoring Obi-Wan who was swishing his robe beside her. Buffy didn't notice how he suddenly tensed. All evidence of the former sulk vanishing as he once more became the Jedi poster boy on his best behavior. By the time she spotted the reason for his sudden mood change, it was too late for her to veer off in another direction. Not without drawing unnecessary and unwanted attention to herself.  
“Crap,” hissed Buffy under her breath and slowing her pace. Walking towards the pair of them was the one person she'd told Andrew to avoid at all costs. The Big Bad of this galaxy, the Evil Emperor himself - Dark Sid.

“Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, please let me congratulate you on your new appointment. It's truly an honor to have you working for the benefit of the galaxy.” In front of her, Obi-Wan bowed from his waist, a deep stiff formal bow which he held for what Buffy considered an abnormally long amount of time.

Standing behind the Jedi, Buffy fought the urge to make a witty but inappropriate comment and kick Obi-Wan up the ass while he was bent over. She managed to restrain herself and only slipped up with an eye roll. Over Obi-Wan. she could see Palpatine's face as he smiled. Or maybe that was a sneer, it wasn't easy to tell with his face.  
“Thank you. I believe you also require congratulations on your advancement, Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi?”  
Buffy stared at Palpatine's face. Yeah, that was definitely a sneer. The sarcasm was just rolling off the guy's tongue. He said Obi-Wan required congratulations, but he'd made sure he didn't actually congratulate him. Why wasn't this obvious to the Jedi?  
The Sith continued, “Master Yoda told me all about your mission with Qui-Gon. The brave pair of Jedi who protected Queen Amidala and Naboo at such a terribly distressful time. He also told me of the assassin and how you both fought him. A pity Master Qui-Gon Jinn became injured so gravely...” his gravelly voice trailed off.  
Buffy knew he was thinking it was a pity that Darth Maul hadn't killed them all. She threw the Supreme Chancellor a smug look. Ha! She'd poke a spoke into his wheel there. He'd never expected a Slayer to show up and save the Jedi-day.

“Thank you, Supreme Chancellor,” Obi-Wan gushed, “It is very generous and kind of a great man like yourself to remember the name of a lowly padawan.” Buffy had the urge to kick him again for being obsequious. “I appreciate greatly your congratulations on my rise to knighthood.” Now Buffy REALLY wanted to kick him for being stupid. “It was both a pleasure and an honor for me to be chosen for the mission to Naboo alongside my master. That's all a Jedi wants, to be of service to others in their time of need...” droned Oh-Be-Boring who'd learned everything he knew about talking from droids – and you could tell.

And then, despite Buffy's attempt to blend in with the background and stay unobserved, she noticed the Evil Emperor's eyes on her. His eyes had sharpened like lasers, pinning her to the spot with his intense gaze. As Willow would have said, 'Eeep.'

“And who is your companion, Knight Kenobi? Another knight, recently returned from a mission? I don't recognize her. Introduce us.”

Obi-Wan, with his annoying helpfulness, took her arm. Pulling her forward, saying, “Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, this is Miss Buffy Summers. Miss Summers asked the Jedi Council to come to her aid after she and her companion found themselves unexpectedly stranded on Naboo during the conflict. I have been asked by the Jedi Council to assist them in their quest to return home.”

Knowing there was no way of getting out of this meeting, Buffy dropped into a graceful and elegant curtsy. With her best simpering, fake smile she said, “It's lovely to meet your Emperor-ness.”

Firm hands gripped under her elbows, lifting her out the curtsey and continued to hold her. Leaning in, Palpatine whispered into her ear, “I'm Supreme Chancellor, not Emperor. We mustn't get ahead of ourselves, must we, Miss Summers?”  
That close she'd been expecting to feel the spidey tingles rolling off this guy. After all, Darth Maul had produced them and this guy was far worse. Instead, she felt... absolutely nothing from him. If Palpatine was the Big Bad in this dimension, why hadn't she getting a hit on her Slaydar? Was he a Force void, doing some kind of shifty Sithy cloaking, or was he still human and going to ascend into a Big Snake like the Mayor so didn't give out the creepy vibe. She kept her eyes down pretending shyness and looked at him from under her lashes. He was sleazy, but a Slayer couldn't go around slaying people because they were sleazy.

The man smiled at her. Not a smile of evil, not the sarcastic 'I'm going to tear down the Jedi Order and you're too stupid to realize it smile', but a smile that promised something far worse. It was a 'there's a good band playing at the Bronze on Friday. Would you like to go with me?' type smile. And she wasn't the only one who saw it. Next to her, Obi-Wan looked from the Chancellor to her and then back again, his face kept carefully neutral, but his eyes shone with confusion and wariness.

“Unexpectedly stranded?” drawled Palpatine, his brain obviously taking in this new information and applying it to his own schemes. “Your story sounds absolutely fascinating, Miss Summers. I'd love to know more. We need to meet somewhere less public, put our heads together and come up with a mutually beneficial plan.” His tongue came out, licking at his lips. “Please, do call me something less formal than Supreme Chancellor, Sheev perhaps?” His voice had become low, slow, and almost hypnotic, his expression one of innocence.  
It didn't fool Buffy, she knew exactly what he was and what he'd got hidden up his sleeve. In more ways than one.

“Is it okay if I call you Sid? It's kinda short for Sheev and I think it suits you.” She smiled, showing all her teeth, trying to look stupid. Maybe, if he thought she was mentally challenged, he'd leave her alone. Instead, he beamed at her as if she was a pet who'd performed an amusing trick.

“Oh, I would like that very much, Buffy,” he growled softly, adding, “Sid it is then. And I must say, the black clothing really does become you. It's one of my favorite colors, although I always think a touch of red sets it off nicely.” And he gave her a sly wink.

Buffy winced. That was great, just great. The man who was to become the wrinkly face of evil in this galaxy had noticed her (and her freakin Darth Vader outfit).  
And she really felt like murdering Andrew for that stupid wish.

…..............................................................................


	23. Droids Must Die

Buffy was stood in the middle of a training arena wearing one of her pouts, but its high potency effect was wasted as no one could see it due to the fact she was wearing a plastic mushroom on her head.

“Stupid Jedi,” she muttered to herself.

The wimp, Obi-Wan Kenobi, from now on to be known as Oh-Be-Crapping-Himself wouldn't fight one to one against Mr Sparkly! Kept saying he didn't trust it to turn itself up to full power as it knew it was a Sith weapon tainted with the Dark Side and it wanted to kill all Jedi. She'd replied that surely he shouldn't be worried, what with him being in training since he was in diapers unlike her who'd only ever switched Mr Sparkly on the once (and accidentally slain the droid).

When Obi-Wan had suggested a legitimate droid killing session and she'd jumped at the idea. They'd found themselves an empty training room and he'd locked them both in there – for safety reasons. That had gotten her almost bouncing with excitement, this must be dangerous and she was going to go all Danger Girl to Droids.

What she hadn't realized was that she'd be expected to wear an ugly mushroom helmet at the same time as killing them, and nearly died when he'd produced the monstrosity and gone to put it on her head. The mushroom was supposed to be some kind of helmet all the Jedi trained in when fighting droids with a lightsaber. As far as Buffy was concerned it was there to make you look stupid. The Jedi were good at looking stupid and she didn't see why she had to join their Stupid Club.

“How am I supposed to know where they are if I can't even see them?” she called to Ubi-Doo. She knew he'd been grinning from the moment he'd buckled the ugly helmet under her chin, she just knew it, even if she hadn't been able to see his face.

“You sense them through the Force, Buffy!” he called back, and yeah, she heard the laughter in his voice and knew it was cos she was looking stupid, wearing a mushroom on her head. Stupid Jedi person.

“I don't have the Force, I'm a zero Forcey person in case you have forgotten, Mr Oh-Be-Forgetting-Stuff with all the forcey powers!”

“Use your Slayer abilities then. You have told me 'spidey vibes' are part of your powers often enough. Sense them and hit them before they hit you.” Mr Sarcasm replied, smirking no doubt.

This was because she totally wasted him in that fight the other day in front of all his buddies and then he'd gone and made a fool of himself rolling around on the floor, for like hours, with that alien at Dex's. He no doubt wanted revenge as she'd told him the only time he was a good fighter was when he forgot his Jedi training and lost his temper – like when he'd freaked out at Dark Mall on Naboo. Stupid Jedi needed to learn about the benefits of emotions and stop contemplating their navels as much.

“Look,” she waved Mr Sparkly (and didn't she love that low pitched, soothing hum) in his direction. “I am a Slayer we slay 'Evil'.” She emphasized the word evil in case he missed it. “Droids are machines and don't have evil essence so I won't have a clue where they... OUCH! What the Hell was that?”

“That's a droid sting, Slayer. I suggest you start using those spidey senses you keep bragging about!” The guy was laughing at her now. Laughing out loud at her because she'd been unexpectedly droid stung. “Even the Temple younglings can do this. I am sure you can at least attempt it, Slayer-Girl.”

“OUCH! OUCH! Arrgh, maybe those things are Evil after all.” Buffy tried to relax into herself and concentrate. Trying to remember how she felt in a graveyard at night when she could feel vamps sneaking up on her. Spike, Angel and even Giles had tried a similar exercise with her with mixed results but she'd gotten better over time so now where was the evil stinging droid?

Her arm caught another hit, but she felt a droid to her left hovering in mid-air. She leaped up and let Mr Sparkly slice it, then in the same movement swung down to almost knee level and took out the droid hovering in front of her. She felt Ubi-Doo letting more droid stingers out and she took each one down easily with a fluid and economical movement, relishing the sensation of the slice and dice with her gently humming, mean red saber. It felt nice to be back in the swing of fighting and she soon found her droid killing rhythm no matter how fast they fired their stings or how fast they darted around her.  
Droids were Evil and must die.

And then, there was something different, a full-size droid with a blaster type device firing very rapidly, one that caught her a glancing sting before she released every atom of her annoyance out on it, not stopping until it lay in pieces all over the floor.

Obi-Wan was silent for a long moment and he was no longer laughing at her. “Very good Slayer-Girl, you've slain them all. Including the Blaster Droid. Perhaps I should have mentioned the idea was to use your lightsaber as a shield to deflect the blaster shots back to the blaster droid and not to leap forward and cut the droid to bits and then kick it all over the training area with your feet. But stamping on its head and grinding the metal into the floor was a very unusual touch, I have to admit that.”

He was being sarcastic. The guy had a sarcastic streak a mile wide which was making an appearance now he'd started to relax around her.

“Really, did you like that?” she said sweetly. “Perhaps, you know, it might have been smart to tell me before setting the blaster droid off. It being hard for me to read your mind not having the forcey thing going on but instead relying on the 'splainy.”

“It was worth not doing the 'splainy' so I could watch the anger pouring from you as you stamped the droid's head into the ground. It's not something you usually see inside the Jedi Temple.” And she could feel the sarcasm and amusement coming off him in waves.

Stupid Droids and Stupid Jedi with his no emotions thing laughing at her. She was so gonna get her revenge on him for this. Oh, he was really, really going to pay...


	24. Revenge is Sweet

Obi-Wan decided this was the worst mission in his entire life. Worse than that heart stopping moment when he almost fell into a Sarlacc pit, worse than the time he was chased by angry rancors and far, far more traumatizing than fighting the Sith Lord on Naboo. This was going to give him... nightmares for the rest of his life.

It was partly his fault, but only the part where he'd ignored his old master's warning of always being aware of your surroundings and being mindful of the living Force. Yes, he freely admitted that part but the rest of it was the Council's fault. Follow Buffy, they'd said, see if this Lord Voldemort she keeps mentioning makes an appearance they said, he might be dangerous to the Republic they said, don't let her out of your sight they said...

The whole thing was ridiculous but would the Council listen to him? Oh no, he was only a newly made knight so what did he know compared to Yoda, and Nick forcing Fury? The stupidity of this entire mission was making him question the sanity of the Council and now, because of them.... THIS was happening to him.  
It might even be the final straw that made him leave the Order. No Jedi Knight should be subjected to what amounted to… degrading torture of this nature in the line of duty.

Buffy and Andrew wanted to go shopping at Coruscant's retail district so he'd offered to borrow a Temple Speeder and take them. He'd never actually been clothes shopping so had no idea what he was letting himself in for. His clothes came from the Temple and the few times he'd gone undercover his master had supplied the items for him. He'd envisioned something akin to a trip to the Jedi store, collecting a few bits and pieces and then leaving again but, oh no... not with Buffy.

He'd wondered why Andrew had decided to split early on. Buffy had sulked but it was one of the few times he'd seen the blonde boy put his foot down with her and he'd made a hasty exit saying he'd meet them back at the speeder later. That should have been a warning to him but secure in his ignorance he'd found himself trailing in Buffy's wake as she hit the clothing stores.

Buffy insisted on going into EVERY shop, pawing and squealing over pretty clothes, sneering over those that didn't make the cut, looking at price tickets, asking when they were having a sale, trying mountains of clothes and shoes on (which he had to hold outside the changing room and form an opinion on when she came out wearing them), and then being dragged off to yet another shop. She was also using him as some kind of service droid, forcing him to hold all her bags but refusing to carry any herself saying she needed her hands free, so draped with her bags and boxes he followed her around the retail district desperately hoping she'd say enough was enough and want to go home.

Bored, he'd started tuning out her ceaseless clothes chatter, and began messaging Quinlan on his Data pad, his head down as he typed, simply following her as she led him deeper, and deeper into the retail center.  
Quinlan wanted to know how the mission was going and he'd replied shopping in Coruscant's retail district. Quinlan answered that he wished his missions were that easy as he was dealing with Wookies, to which Obi-Wan replied you have no idea how traumatic shopping could be.

He was just reading an interesting reply from Quinlan when he became aware of Buffy holding something against his chest. It wasn't the first time she'd done that, saying she wanted to see how it looked in the light and you couldn't tell when it was on the hanger. Obi-Wan had given up complaining about it after the first couple of shops but then he realized there was something different about whatever it was she was holding against him.

He looked down to find she was holding up a pink lace, see-through bra against his chest. Obi-Wan wasn't sure whether to freak out and create a huge scene or keep quiet and hope no one in the..umm ..ladies underwear store saw him. Maybe if he pretended he didn't know what that piece of clothing was she'd stop using him as a model and go away.

“Oh that's nice, but maybe this black net one with some flowers on would be nicer.” She was grinning as she held up another bra set against him. She knew he was embarrassed, probably because his entire face was red and so was his neck.

“Yeah, but perhaps not with those crotchless panties, can get draughty....”

He was going to die of embarrassment now. No Jedi knight should ever have to put up with this. He was going to go straight back to the Council and resign, he really was.

“Buffy, please don't do this to me,” he begged, as he became aware of a scantily dressed Twi'lek shop assistant bearing down on them wearing a huge smile.

“I'll try three sets of these on in different colors and maybe the pink one too,” Buffy was saying to the assistant. “They look really cute, and I know Ubi-Doo likes them cos he went all red and bashful when he saw me waving them under his nose.”  
She grabbed the bra sets and pranced off into the changing rooms to try them on. Leaving him standing there, staring at the changing room door and hoping she wouldn't come out into the center of the store modeling them and asking for his opinion.

Obi-Wan glanced at the shop assistant who was smirking with a very knowing expression on her face, leaving him no doubt the direction her thoughts were taking.

“Don't worry,” she said, taking pity on him, “We get lots of Jedi bringing their girlfriends in here, you can rely on us for your secrecy.”

And then, for once in his life, he was completely and utterly lost for words.


	25. Count Dracula

“Andrew, you really need to practice more with the sword,” Buffy told the blond boy, who sulking because he wanted to practice with lightsabers but none of them would even switch on for him let alone let him play with them. Buffy (and the entire Jedi community) was secretly relieved. Andrew begrudgingly took the magic sword off Buffy and started to go through a routine of practice lunges and crouches, making full use of the space in the empty training room, and pouting while he did them.

It was an empty training room as every single time Buffy walked into an occupied one, lit up Mr Sparkly and said, 'Does anyone wanna have a fight?' the place emptied faster than you could say, three, two, one... She'd been in a good six or seven training rooms in the last half hour and every single time the same reaction. It was obvious to her - the Jedi were all wimps.

Even that mutant frog, Yodel, had refused to fight her. When she'd lit up the lightsaber in front of him, to show off her beautiful weapon in all his crimson glory, he'd looked in horror at Mr Sparkly. The frog had muttered something about 'Sith she become... Kenobi, red lightsaber he did not', before taking off so fast his trash can lid almost hit the side of the door on his way out.  
Buffy thought he'd probably gone looking for Ubi-Doo to complain, as she'd managed to grab Mr Sparkly before he did and now she had the nicest lightsaber in the Temple and Yodel was jealous.

“It isn't fair.” Andrew was complaining. “I could be the best lightsaber fighter ever as I've been studying all seven different forms of lightsaber combat from an online tutorial on YouTube for years, and then we get here and these stupid things don't work!” He waved the magic sword at her. “How come you have zero midiclorians and yet they work for you? If they don't work for me they shouldn't work for you either.”

Buffy switched on Mr Sparkly, gleefully taunting Andrew, whose face dropped into a full on sulk. She laughed at him, “Slayer and their affinity with weapons comes as standard, Andy-Boy. Suck it up.”

“So not fair. I wanted a red lightsaber too. That color is totally bad ass.” He took a few more practice swipes and lunges with the sword before stopping, staring towards the doorway behind her.

Turning to look, Buffy's jaw nearly hit the floor. It was Count Dracula. He was standing in the doorway watching them both. Dark iron-gray hair swept from his very distinctive and familiar face, and dark, piercing eyes staring into her own with a mesmerizing quality. Dressed from head to foot in some type of dark Jedi clothing, he wore a long dark cloak that fell gracefully to his knees. His whole appearance was one of refinement and elegance.

Without thinking, Buffy sauntered over to the imposing figure of the legendary Count and coming to a halt inside his personal space, she looked up and said, “Count Dracula, I presume?”

Honestly, she had to say it, because how many times to do you meet Dracula? Mr Movie Dracula that is, she'd staked the other one years ago and hadn't he been a pain in the ass. This older, but far more imposing, Dracula watched her every move with those hypnotic eyes. Taking in her now deactivated lightsaber, and then shooting a quick but dismissive glance at Andrew who was stood gaping nearby, still holding the magic sword.

“My name is Count Dooku, not Dracula. For some reason though, that name does sound very familiar to me...” His deep voice was cultured, with the slightest of accents and yet somehow it held a touch of darkness as if he really was the fabled Count Dracula of legend. Dooku's eyes bore into hers for a long moment as if pondering why the name she'd called him cried out to his soul. “So, Mistress of the Red Lightsaber, my question for you is... who, and what are you?”

Buffy gave him a wide smile, “Well I'm not Mina so don't be attacking the neck. I'm kinda like Van Helsing but not, as I am a lot prettier, younger, and also female, which is a big plus. Although if you guessed that name, you'd almost be on the right track. I'm Buffy, Buffy The Vampire Slayer.”

Dracula tipped his head to one side and considered her thoughtfully. “Hmm, Vampire Slayer.... that sounds... painful for vampires. So Vampire Slayer with the red lightsaber...”

“And don't forget Mr Pointy!” chirruped Buffy, before whipping out Mr Pointy from the back of her waistband and holding it under his nose, causing Dracula to recoil several steps, hissing as he took in the sharpened wooden stake with widened eyes.

Recovering from his shock, he murmured, “No, I would not wish to forget the sharp stick. It looks... lethal.” Pulling his eyes away from the strange primitive weapon he said, “Perhaps you'd like to spar with me, Buffy? For some reason, I find I have the urge to fight a duel with you, and what more civilized way could we do so than with a lightsaber?” Dooku smiled at her, and Buffy found herself examining his teeth. Nope, no fangs out yet, but there was time.

She stood back and switched on Mr Sparkly and the Count switched on his own green lightsaber - the symbol of a great and renown duelist.

“What form do you prefer to fight with?” he asked.

“Oh, generally the winning form. Pound and Slash Girl that's me. I like to win,” she cheerfully replied. Holding her lightsaber high, to one side and across her body as she'd seen Dark Mall do back on Naboo she smirked at the Count.

“Oh, from your stance you have experience of Juyo, the form that calls upon the Dark Side,” he raised an eyebrow in surprise. “As for winning... I like to win too Buffy, and I usually do,” and Count Dracula smiled, evilly at her.

…..

Buffy was pouting. Dracula wasn't pouting. Dracula was smirking. She could so take that smirk off his face if only she could release the Slayer who was howling inside her to stake him. She bet he would dust if she did.

Stupid Jedi Dracula.

But Dracula had won in the lightsaber spar and he was good. He was like really, really Sally Mon the Wizard good. She'd been burnt twice on the arm and even had her lightsaber knocked from her hand which resulted in his sword at her throat before she could blink. Buffy was confident she could have taken him down if she'd gone all Slayer with Mr Pointy but this was a proper duel with rules and stuff, and she'd enjoyed it in some weird way.

Nor was she unhappy when he said in his rich, almost hypnotic voice. “It has been a great pleasure to fight with you Miss Summers, and I find it hard to believe this is the first time you have used your lightsaber against a living opponent. With a good tutor you would become almost invincible, despite the fact you are not strong in the Force. In fact, that may indeed work to your advantage, you are able to match any with your speed and strength yet your moves cannot be foreseen by a Force user. My intention was to leave the Jedi due to.. personal reasons but now I am considering delaying my departure. If you are willing, I'd like to take you as a pupil and train you during your stay here?”

Andrew was stood behind the Count. The way his jaw dropped as he listened told Buffy that whatever the Count had been planning on leaving the Jedi club for was something kinda important to the Star Warsy galaxy, but hey, he'd offered to train her and even if he was Count Dracula there was no way she was gonna refuse weapon tutelage from an expert.

“I'd love that, thank you Count,” and she grinned, like a cat who'd gotten the cream.


	26. Roses Are Red...

Obi-Wan Kenobi was on his way back from a rather tense meeting with the Masters in the Council when he came across a young boy, walking up and down in the corridor outside his apartment. It wasn't an unusual sight, the younglings were often sent on small errands around the Temple, it helped them to get to know the layout and their fellow Jedi which was important for their initiate trials. What was very unusual was this boy was carrying a display of flowers in a vase that was almost the same size as he was.

Obi-Wan stopped and asked where he was headed and who he was looking for?

“I've been sent to look for a Buffy Summers. Is she a new knight? Someone's sent her flowers and I need to deliver them.” The flowers bobbed about as he tried to look around the arrangement and Obi-Wan put his hand on the young boy's shoulder to steady him.

“She lives in the apartment next door to me. I will press the buzzer for you,” he said, eyeing the huge bouquet of flowers curiously.

Who did Buffy know that would send her a large bunch of exotic black and red Roses? They were very expensive if rather eccentric blooms. Could they be from the mysterious Lord Voldemort she'd been overheard mentioning? He sounded rich, as well as being the sort who'd send exotic flowers to the women in his life, and Obi-Wan could imagine Buffy becoming involved with a rich man who could supply her with shoes on a regular basis.  
If the mysterious Lord Voldemort (and the Council were still using their resources to track him down) hadn't sent them, it was a little perturbing to know she'd gained an admirer in the short time she'd been here and so, when Andrew opened the door, he walked in behind the youngling to find out more. And then was completely taken aback to see the powerful, and legendary Count Dooku sitting on the couch beside Buffy drinking caff and chatting away as if they were the best of friends.

“Oh wowsers, flowers! Thanks for delivering them!” Buffy bounced up and took the vase off the boy, who stood gaping at her in fascination. Obi-Wan had noticed a lot of the younglings stared at Buffy with the same look. He believed it was because they'd never seen anyone with so much emotion on public display before and were amazed by it. Gently, he shooed the boy out and closed the door behind him.

“Andrew, Andrew, can you read this card thing for me? You know my Basic is basically like, totally crap.” She waved the card and Andrew came over to take it from her.

“It's a poem, Buffy. Have you got a Spike hidden away in this dimension? It says...  
'Roses are red,  
Violence is too,  
These flowers are very pretty,  
but not as formidable as you.'  
And at the bottom of the card, it says... 'from Sid'. Oh, there's more on the other side. 'PS meet me at my office today at five and we can discuss your predicament'.” Andrew flipped the card from one side to the other and looked over at the huge display of black and red roses in Buffy's arms before frowning. “Who's this Sid? Do I know him?”

Obi-Wan shot a look at Buffy, who looked uncomfortable at the question. “Er, that would be Chancellor Palpatine. I kinda forgot to mention I'd met him the other day. He told me to call him something informal, and I said I'd call him Sid - as he sorta looks like one...” her voice trailed off as Andrew's face changed.

Andrew looked like he did when they came out of hyperdrive, slightly green, with projectile vomiting imminent. “You met Chancellor Palpatine and told him he looks as if his name should be Sid?” He took a shaky breath, and continued, “Let me get this totally straight.... my brain feels like it's not working properly. You told Chancellor Sheev Palpatine you were gonna call him Sid and not only did he like it but he is sending you a floral arrangement that isn't a funeral wreath and he even signs it Sid?”  
The blonde boy slumped down into the nearest chair. He kept looking from the card to the flowers and from the flowers to Buffy. “What... what have you done? Why has he written you a weird love poem, Buffy?”

That was a question Obi-Wan found he'd like answering as well. Why had the Chancellor developed a romantic interest in a girl without any political connections and from another dimension? Was it love at first sight for Sheev Palpatine? Wasn't Buffy a little young for him? He'd sensed the sparks of interest coming from the Chancellor when he'd introduced them but hadn't expected the man to take it further. For some reason the thought of the older man having a romantic interest in Buffy made him feel.. uncomfortable.

“Maybe he thought I was kinda special,” Buffy said. “He said he liked my outfit.”

Andrew groaned, “Yeah, that makes everything alright doesn't it?” He looked once more at Palpatine's floral arrangement, then to where Count Dooku was sitting on the couch sipping coffee and on to where Obi-Wan lingered by the door. “You do know that if you had Anakin here you'd have a full set?”

“Huh? Anakin? No idea what you are on about there Andrew, but whatever it is I hoped you didn't jinx me.” She looked at the flowers and prodded them with her finger. “I'd like you and Ubi-Doo to come with me to that appointment. He's a bit skeevy in the flesh and I might need to make a quick getaway.” Buffy paused and sniffed her roses. “I've got to say though, these flowers are lovely and it's really thoughtful of him to send me them.”

None of the men in her living room said anything and she looked up at them. Ubi-Doo had developed a line between his eyebrows and looked sort of constipated, Count Dracula was eyeing the floral arrangement with disfavor and Andrew was acting as if she'd just stamped all over his Star Wars DVDs and he wasn't able to get replacements.  
She had no idea why they were all so quiet. Just because Sid sent her some flowers didn't mean she was gonna go skipping off into the sunset, hand in hand with a Big Bad did it?


	27. Interview with The Dark Side

Buffy, Obi-Wan, and Andrew were stood in the dark red ante-chamber outside one of the offices of Sheev Palpatine, Supreme Chancellor of the Senate. They were all looking out the huge picture window at the passing sky traffic and all were lost in their own thoughts.

Andrew was hyped up. Bouncing from one foot to the other and muttering on about wishing he had his camera as this meeting was like, one for the history books, and he couldn't believe what was happening here it was all so cool. Every so often he'd shoot a sidelong glance at Buffy who was keeping her face as neutral as possible which she always found difficult.

Obi-Wan had his arms folded across his chest, his hands hidden inside his over long robe sleeves, and looking thoroughly disgruntled with the turn of events. Neither Buffy nor Andrew had asked him why. It wasn't as if they'd told him that the man they'd an interview with, the man who'd sent a bad love poem and floral arrangement to the Slayer, was the Big Bad Sith Lord himself.

The office doors slid open ominously and Palpatine walked out to greet them wearing his own version of a long, burgundy bathrobe for overweight people.

“I am so sorry to have kept you. A last minute problem that I had to deal with. The Trade Federation has caused so much trouble in the galaxy and it does not make my job any easier.”

He gravitated straight to Buffy as if drawn by an inner compulsion and looked into her face searchingly. “The beautiful Miss Summers, may I say you look absolutely radiant dressed in red and black, such clean colors that never show the stains of mortality I find.” He took her hand and pawed at it while he spoke, and Buffy carefully extracted it and resisted the urge to wipe it on her coat.

“Perhaps you'd introduce me to your friend, Buffy. I hope you don't mind calling you Buffy. You've got such a sweet little pet name for me already. I should really think of one for you, my beautiful inVader from another dimension.” He smiled at her, a dark knowing smile and Buffy repressed a shudder.

Giving him her best LA girl smile in return she said, “Sure that'll be fine Sid. Call me Buffy or Slayer whichever you feel comfortable with. This is Andrew Wells my Scooby Apprentice Watcher and you already know my Scooby Jedi Knight, Ubi Kenobi.”

Obi-Wan shot her a slanted, curious look but said nothing about his new title, merely gave a bow of his head to Palpatine. Buffy had the odd feeling Ubi-Doo might have gone off the Chancellor for some reason. Andrew, meanwhile, beamed and leaped forward to shake Palpatine's hand.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir. My friends are all going to be green with envy when I tell them I've met you. Any chance of a signed photo later?”

“Ah, the Apprentice eh? I'm sure a photo can be arranged. Now, I hope you two don't mind but I'd really like to have a word with Buffy in private. I will ask my secretary to send in refreshments for you while you wait.” Sid smiled graciously and taking Buffy's arm walked with her into his dark and gloomy office.

“Buffy, please take a seat, “ he said, pulling out a chair or her and motioning her to sit at his imposing desk. She sat down, and instead of going round to his own side of the desk Sid pulled his chair round to sit next to her. Far to close for Buffy's comfort, his knees under his long dress were almost touching hers.

“The Jedi Council filled me in regarding your sad tale.” Sid's deep voice taking on a sad growl. “Demons sending you to this dimension at the bequest of your apprentice. Such a sad state of affairs I hope you have a suitable punishment in mind for him? I find underlings often need to be kept in their place rather vigorously.” He gave her a conspiratorial smirk.

She was saved from having to reply by Palpatine's secretary appearing, carrying a tray with two cups of caff and a large plate of assorted cookies, which she placed on the desk and then retreated leaving them both alone once more. Palpatine stared intensely at Buffy during the interruption, trying (and failing) to read her mind, while Buffy stared at the cookies in fascinated horror.

Eventually, Palpatine pushed the plate of cookies towards her, “ A Krillian peanut crunch perhaps? No? Maybe later then. I am sure I can persuade you to sample my delicious cookies, I have them made especially to my own recipes. Now, what was I saying? Hmm?

“You said the Jedi Council sorta did the splainy on how I got here,” replied Buffy, pushing the cookie plate back towards him. Those peanut ones did look kinda tasty.

“Ah yes. I suppose they have been less than helpful in allowing you access to their archives?” he asked, lifting the plate up and wafting it under her nose, before putting it down in front of her again.

Nodding slowly, she had to agree with him, Nick Fury still hadn't gotten back to her.Those cookies smelt so good !

“Yes, I find they can be rather obstructive sometimes.” He gave a dramatic sigh. “I've heard you had similar dealings with a similar type of council before and managed to, er, dispose of them?” An oily smile now, with head bent to one side considering her.

“Well it wasn't me who blew them up, it was the creepies but we sorta took over the organization after that. It's run better now without those asshats being in charge. They were up to all sorts of dodgy deals and things.” She quickly corrected him. Her hand moved, seemingly of its own volition, hovering indecisively over the cookies before she used her fingertip to push back the plate of cookies along the desk towards him.

“Ahh. Say no more I understand completely. Corruption is everywhere these days. Now, the Jedi Council... I suppose since they are refusing you even limited access to their archives they will block any attempts to see their more fascinating Sith holocons and so forth despite you needing to find a way home? The Temple was built on an important, ancient Sith site and there are all sorts buried down there beneath the building. They lock so much knowledge hidden away, claiming it is dangerous. It makes my heart grieve to think of it. Are you sure you wouldn't like one of these cookies? The coconut ones from Naboo are in particular very tasty.”

“Er, sorry, no thanks. I won't be tempted. I'm kinda on a diet. Got to keep nice and slim to keep up with the slaying ya know.” She gave him, what she hoped, was a vacant smile and he beamed back at her.

“Oh, I've heard all about your crimson lightsaber, Mr Sparkly! The Council hardly stopped talking about him to me. They were very... impressed. You must look truly magnificent brandishing him. A far more beautiful, deserving owner than that last loser, er vile creature, who owned it previously.” He curled his upper lip in distaste.

“Thanks, Sid. Me and Andrew always collect weapons off our dead enemies. It's a thing. Stupid Jedi didn't think me and Mr Sparkly would bond, they said he'd only answer to a Dark Force user but I'm the Slayer and I don't see anything wrong with him being red.” She didn't mention she'd brought him with her, hidden up her sleeve, just in case Sid wanted to whip out his own lightsaber, and they could have a duel in his office. Preferably with him dying and not just going wrinkly.

Palpatine gave a dramatic sigh and continued, “I can just imagine you at the Jedi Temple wielding him against them all. It would be a wonderful sight indeed and one I would pay much to see. Hmmm?” He gave her a wolfish grin. “Now, leave your problems with me and I will make inquiries for you. If I may, I shall see you again very shortly. There is a ball being held for all the ambassadors and notables, I'd like you to attend as my guest. I shall arrange an invite. Bring your apprentice along... and your knight. I'm sure we can shake them both off and organize a little time during the course of the evening for a little 'assignation'.” He leaned into her personal space and growled at her softly... “I really don't mind you putting something on my account if you'd like to choose something from one of the better clothing shops. Something dark and lacy would look good on you.” And he gave her a full on leer while trying to look down her top.

“Ugh, I mean Oooh, thank you!” Buffy quickly stood up and scuttled to the door, fighting the urge to kick her way out when it seemed to take ages to slide open. “Er, goodbye Sid. Been nice meeting ya. Gotta go. See ya.”

She darted out, to be met by the sight of both Andrew and Obi-Wan sat at a table together, giggling and munching the cookies with complete abandon. She came to a halt, her eyes widening in shock.

“Andrew? Andrew!” she said. “ I avoided eating mine and find you out here scoffing a plate full! I thought better of you... after all I've taught you, I really did”

“But Obi-Wan's eating them too!” whined Andrew, looking guiltily at her and the almost empty cookie plate in front of him.

“Yeah, but he doesn't know any better!” she snapped, annoyed she'd missed out on dark cookies. Charging out the main door she calling over her shoulder, “C'mon you two!”

“What's the rush?” asked Obi-Wan, grabbing a handful of cookies from the plate and shoving them in his robe pocket for later. “And what do you think the Chancellor wanted her for?”

Andrew shrugged, “I wouldn't like to say.” And snatching up the last peanut crunch, shoved the entire thing into his mouth before he hurried out after her.

…................


	28. A Jedi At Play

“This is the Room of a Thousand Fountains,” said Obi-Wan, as he and Buffy stood on the platform just inside the main doors and they both took in the verdant oasis inside the Jedi Temple.

The huge structure stood numerous storeys high and contained many different planting levels of trees, undergrowth, trickling fountains, and pools. Whilst some fountains and pools were enclosed with seating around them, many others lay hidden amongst the foliage providing the listener with the relaxing sound of trickling water.

“There is a huge waterfall in the very center of the gardens," explained Obi-Wan. "The Jedi come here to train, to meditate, to attend classes and to relax. I thought you might like to see it, Buffy. It's one of my favorite places in the Temple, especially if I feel troubled.”

Buffy walked forward, leaned against the banister surrounding the platform and looked around her. It was like a jungle, with huge trees, some towering high above her while others were smaller, while in between them were many different layers of exotic plants like she'd never seen before, some laden with flowers and others without. From somewhere ahead of her she could hear the waterfall, its waters sounding as if they fell from a great height, while in other places she could hear the gentle play of much smaller fountains.

Her Slayer hearing also picked up the sounds of a lightsaber spar going on somewhere above her, while below she heard a class of Jedi kids being taught about the Force, and further on she could hear the soft murmur of voices as people strolled along hidden pathways.

Several paths lead away from the platform, snaking their way out of sight between the foliage and she wondered where they all led.

“It's beautiful,” she said. It was, she could feel the place relaxing her, the background Hellmouth buzz she picked up from the Temple almost completely muted in this part of the temple.

Obi-Wan smiled, genuinely pleased she liked it and continued watching her as she took in the gardens.

Buffy guessed something was playing on his mind. “What's up Ubi-Doo? Have I got something on my face?”

Obi-Wan looked at her intently for a moment before reaching a decision. “ Well, actually there is a large spider crawling in your hair.”

“Eww! Get it off me, get it off me!” squeaked Buffy, flipping her hair frantically trying to find the alien spider.

The Jedi moved with Force enhanced speed and made a big show of removing the (imaginary) spider from her hair and stamping on it. “You were extremely lucky that I noticed it when I did. That was a rare Moraband Black Widow, very poisonous, very dangerous...” He was trying his hardest to keep the smirk from his face. The first step at getting his own back on her for his shopping trip nightmare was telling her there was a spider from the Sith homeworld crawling about in her hair.

“Thanks, Ubi-Doo. Do you think it's safe to venture in there?” she nodded to the garden. “There might be a nest of them ready to drop on our heads. Could do with some insecticide spray or something..”

He smiled reassuringly at her. “Oh, I am positive it was the only one, they are very territorial and highly aggressive creatures. Although should I spot another, I shall be sure to remove it from you as I did with this one. Now I was about to say before I spotted that spider, that I know you claim not to have access to the Force...”

“ According to the Yodel not a middle chlorine particle in sight and don't care. I'm a Slayer and that's enough to deal with,” she replied, trying to smooth down her hair. There was a huge clump sticking up now on the side of her head where Ubi-Doo had messed up her hair when he'd grabbed the spider.

Obi-Wan gave a little sigh at how she still mangled her words. “It's Midiclorians, Buffy. Yes, I know you tested as zero however, I have noticed your stronger emotions affecting the Force, they create a rippling effect, although you yourself are invisible. It's very odd. Would you care to come with me and we could indulge in a small experiment together?”

Buffy's eyes widened in surprise, she stopped playing with her hair and swung round to look at him, “And the answer to that kinda depends on what sorta experiment you want to do with me?”

“Would you meditate with me? To see if through meditation you can gain and use the force”

“Oh... Are you going to ask me to levitate pencils?” She asked, frowning at him. “ Cos I'm warning you Willow has already tried that and I couldn't do it.”

“Since I have no idea what a pencil is, no. Come, let's go into the gardens and I'll show you. I think you'll like this one. Upwards or downwards?”

“Down, I always find more interesting things turn up the lower you go.”

So now they were sat in a secluded small circular paved area, with deep pools of water on three sides and Ubi Doo sat opposite her telling how she must breathe slowly, how to allow her thoughts to float past her and the basics of meditation as if she'd never meditated before. Giles had moaned at her often enough over the years to practice so it wasn't exactly new to her.

Sitting cross-legged she opened her eyes and looked across at Ubi-Doo- he looked cute with his face all relaxed and his mouth not moving – until he tilted his head and, with his eyes still shut frowned at her, which made her giggle.

“Do try to concentrate, Buffy.” Ugh, and now he sounded like Giles, she bet his next words were going to be 'find your inner balance, your center'.

“Find your inner balance, the center and allow yourself to relax.” Yeah, she knew that one was coming, should have put a bet on it.

“Can we not go and play with our lightsabers instead? Mr Sparkly is bored.” She perkily asked and pouted, hoping he'd open his eyes and fall for the pout. She'd noticed it had worked before on him.

“ Mr Sparkly will need to stay bored. Concentrate Buffy. Close your eyes and tell me what you see around you.” He kept his eyes shut so missed the pout.

“You want me to see around me with my eyes shut? That's like a mental statement.” She couldn't resist teasing him, he was worse than Giles.

He ignored her, and she pouted again, but since his eyes were still shut missed it. Sighing, she allowed herself to drift into a meditative state and did as he requested, looking around her with her inner eye.

“The Hellmouth buzz is here. I thought it wasn't at first but I can feel it, low pitched, dark and almost hidden by layers of lighter waves coming off the plants and stuff. And you, you are all big and shiny. You're making ripples too, wavy ones. In fact, you are all wavy. Want me to wave back?”

“Do try to be serious. You are Force sensitive to others so obviously have some access to the Force. Now, can you tell me what emotions are coming off me?” He asked, opening his eyes and stealing a long look at Buffy while her eyes were closed.

“I thought you Jedi didn't have any emotions? I thought you were like Vulcans or maybe the droids? Well, not the nervous ones with the odd walk but the others. You know, no emotions and no personality either. Or is that, like, your aim in life?” she smirked, her eyes tightly closed.

“Of course we have emotions, Buffy. But strong emotions and the darker ones destroy our peace so we should avoid them,” replied Obi-Wan sharply. He wondered how more experienced Masters would have coped with Buffy as a padawan. Would they declare her untrainable? Well, he was as obstinate as she was and wouldn't let her beat him.

“I can feel your emotions Ubi... you are feeling very frustrated. Looks like your Jedi training is being stretched to its Outer Rim limits with me.” She grinned. She didn't need to be Force sensitive to hear that in his voice. “Oh, and you're hungry, I can hear your stomach rumbling. Okay, and now you are kinda sulking as I pointed that one out... UGH!” Buffy spluttered, as a large splash came from the pool next to her, sending cold water flying up, soaking the back of her neck, trickling down her collar and down her spine.

She opened her eyes and looked into the pool next to her and watched the ripples dispersing across the surface.  
“Are there fishes in these ponds? I think a big one just leaped out, maybe a salmon or...” She heard the man across from her snigger and spun to look at him incredulously. “Did you just splash me?”

With his eyes closed, and wearing the usual smirk he nodded, moved his hand slightly and water splashed behind her.

“That's so not funny, Oh-Be-Annoying One!”

“Well the point is to use the Force to splash me back, Buffy,” he replied smugly. “I thought you would find this exercise fun. Now it is your turn to splash me. You might be amazed by what you can do.”

Buffy closed her eyes and concentrated. Mainly thinking about drowning the infuriating Jedi who'd soaked the back of her neck. Of course, nothing happened. Same as that time with Willow and her freakin pencil.

“Can you not try harder?” Obi-Wan asked. He could feel absolutely nothing from her through the Force and if he didn't know she was sat opposite him wouldn't have even known she was there. Yet he still had a feeling she'd be able to access the Force in some way and was determined to encourage her to discover it.

Buffy huffed, “ I am trying. This is like the pencil thing all over again but with water, which is way more difficult as water is all slippery and runs through your fingers. Ubi-Doo, you sure know how to show a girl a fun time don't ya? Bring her down here into the bowels of the Temple, persuade her to sit next to a green, slimy fish pond and then throw cold water down her neck. Oh-Be-Undateable-Wan."

Obi-Wan winced, and cut her off, “ Master Yoda says, 'do, or do not, there is no try.'

“Yodel is an idiot. He comes out with weird statements that don't make any sense. How do you know if you can do it or not unless you try? And what about that other crap he spouts? 'Fear leads to Anger, Anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering?' Why the hell should it lead anywhere? Why can't a fear be just a fear? And anger just be anger? Where does he even get this crap from? A cheap fortune cookie? Anyway, I met the Fear Demon, two inches big, no anger from me when I stamped on him, he splatted, job done...”

“Buffy! Be quiet and concentrate.” Obi-Wan was rapidly losing the fight to keep his patience - so much for them both meditating together to gain peace and serenity like he and his friend Siri used to do together.

“My brain will explode if I do ...arghh! There is no need to throw more water at me! All down my arm is soaked now. Not as if I can soak in a hot tub after this, is it? Crap-tastic shower which has been making a strange whistling noise ever since you fixed it. I thought a bird had gotten in the other day, spent ages looking for it and it was Andrew in the shower...”

Ignoring her ranting, he splashed her again making sure she was well soaked, and said, “ Can you not at least try to be more Jedi like. You give in to your emotions constantly and yet brag that you use them in a positive way while instead you...”

“Jedi this, Jedi-boy.” With Slayer speed and strength, she was up on her feet, grabbed him by his robe, lifted him to his feet and putting a leg behind his knee pushed him backward. He dropped down into the pool, where he landed on his back in a flurry of brown sinking robes and a shocked expression.

She laughed at his face when he resurfaced. Oh yes, she'd definitely made Jedi-Boy accept the emotions of anger and frustration now. “Never disrespect the Slayer .....aghh.”

He was holding his hand palm upwards and she found herself lifted off her feet and flailing her arms trying to keep balance as he moved her over the pool using the Force.

“Put me ...Nooo! Don't put me down! Don't... Obi-Wagghh...”

Obi-Wan smirk turned into a huge grin as he released her to drop into the pool, well away from him, where she made a loud splash and disappeared from view below the surface.

“Is this the sort of thing my old Padawan gets up to these days?” asked a new voice, and a suddenly somber Obi-Wan turned around in the pool to see his old Master scowling at him with little Anakin gaping alongside him.


	29. Taken

When Buffy surfaced from the pool where Obi-Wan had dunked her, she spotted Obi-Wan's Master Key friend standing on the pathway with the little boy Anakin Skywalker. Putting her revenge plans on hold, she took in the expression on Master Key's face and that of Ubi-Doo's and frowned. This reminded her of the times she'd been caught goofing around in class with Xander back at Sunnydale High and the teacher (or even Snyder) belittling them both with a severe put down in front of the entire class.

Narrowing her eyes she listened as Qui-Gon chastised Ubi-Doo. No one disrespected one of her Scoobies unless it was her or maybe another Scooby and Ubi-Doo was definitely an honorary Scooby gang member now, even if he did just chuck her into the slimy fish pond.

Qui-Gon was saying,“...I believe the Council's mission was for you to give help and aid to Buffy. I am sure that directive did not include playing with her inappropriately, nor trying to drown her to teach her a lesson nor should the Force be used to do so. Or have you forgotten all that I, and the Jedi Order, has taught you and let your emotions....”

“Hey! Key Gone! So good to see you out and about now.” Buffy gave him the LA girl smile to distract him. “Me and Andrew were gonna come and visit in the hospital but Ubi-Doo said you weren't up to seeing lots of visitors and I guess Andrew can be a bit much, huh?”

She waded over to the edge of the pool and Qui-Gon came over to help her out. “Thanks! I threw Ubi-Doo in and he is kinda sulking cos I have the Slayer powers which are like, way cooler than his. By the way, how's your daughter, Bryan?”

Qui-Gon was taken aback. “I think you are mistaken, I don't have a daughter.”

“Oh yes, you do! That one who keeps getting kidnapped. She's been Taken a few times now hasn't she? Thank goodness you have the skills necessary to keep tracking her down, Bryan. It would cost you a fortune to keep hiring someone every time she was Taken. We had the same problem with my sister Dawn. I am sure she must have had a sign over her head with 'Kidnap Me' written in big letters....”

“No, I haven't got a daughter.” Qui-Gon was staring at her now, willing her to shut up about his non-existent daughter in front of his former padawan and Anakin. He'd never hear the last of this if the gossips got hold of it. It would be all over the Temple that he had a secret daughter who kept being kidnapped. Rumors traveled fast in the Temple and Buffy wasn't exactly known for being quiet. Even now Mace Windu was being called Nick Fury behind his back, all due to Buffy shouting it down the corridors every time she saw him.

“Sure you do.” The blonde girl smiled knowingly, as she watched Qui-Gon waving his hand at her with a determined expression trying to mind bendy her into dropping the daughter subject. “Got to say Bryan, I don't blame you for denying it. I've felt like that with Dawnie a few times.

“No Buffy, I really don't have a daughter! And my name is Qui-Gon, not Key Gone nor Bryan.” Qui-Gon was clearly vexed now, waving his hand around frantically and shooting worried side glances at Anakin, who luckily was more fixated by the sight of the soaking wet slayer and his master's former padawan wading across the pool behind her than listening to the adult conversation going on.

“Hey, if you say so Key. I believe you. There is no need to try the mind bendy stuff on me.” She winked at him and smirked. Mission distract and protect accomplished – job done.

She looked down at her wet clothes, grimaced, and started to wring the pond water out her hair and clothes. Spotting little Anakin watching her she gave the young boy a friendly smile. “Hey Anakin, you look happier than you did on that spaceship coming here. Are you feeling better now they've accepted you into their weird cult. I mean as a Jedi?”

The blonde boy nodded, appearing lost for words as he gazed entranced at how she wrung the water from her long hair. “Are you an Angel?” he finally asked. “ I've heard the pilots talk about angels...You are very beautiful with your long blonde hair, just like an Angel's.”

Buffy paused in mid wring, she was sure she'd heard him use that angel line before somewhere. “Er, thanks. I bet you say that to all the girls?” She watched the young boy redden with embarrassment.

“Only the really pretty ones. But there's something about you that's special, you're like sunshine and shadows. Will you marry me when I get older?” He asked.

He was studying her closely and if he'd been ten years older she'd have panicked. No one would want Darth Vader deciding he wanted to marry you. He'd be the sort to hunt you down until he got his own way. Maybe she should have a long chat with him about being a good husband (no choking) and parent(no torturing or lightsaber battles), although that might come across as being a bit odd - with him being nine. Andrew would know the details of what sent the little guy over the edge, she'd find out, and have a quiet word with Key about him.

“I'm not sure if Yodel or Nick would be very happy about us getting married," she said. "Anyway, I'm a bit old for you so I'll not hold you to it.” Seeing the boy was about to argue she continued quickly, “You know, I don't feel like an Angel at the moment. I'm not exactly styling a heavenly look here but it could be worse I could look like Ubi-Doo,” she jerked her thumb towards Obi-Wan was trying to climb out the pond and almost getting dragged back in again by the weight of his waterlogged, brown bathrobe. They all paused for a moment watching him struggling out the pond, before she added, “Yep there goes a Nerd, straight out of Nerds-ville.”

Anakin started giggling, and Key was looking less stressed now she'd stopped talking about his daughter. Only Obi-Wan was sulking, but that was nothing new, and it wasn't as if he was the only one standing around, soaked to the skin and dripping slimy fish pond water onto the floor.  
Plus Buffy had seen something very interesting while she'd been in the pool... Something she was going to go back and investigate further as soon as she got the chance.

Why would there be a cross carved above a cave at the bottom of the Jedi Temple? She bet there was a passageway hidden down there and wondered if it led to a tomb or something much more interesting.

But now, her boots needed emptying out as they were like, squelchy, and maybe full of pond weed. Then she had to face a long walk through the Temple besides Oh-Be-Soaking and the fact they were both dripping wet and it wasn't raining outside was bound to attract sarcasm and unwanted attention.

…...

A/N;  
Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon) was, of course, Bryan Mills in Taken.


	30. In Obi-Wan's Bedroom

Buffy sneaked quietly across the darkened living room, heading towards the two bedrooms that she knew lay at the rear of the apartment. She halted in the adjoining corridor, listening carefully, and when she heard the slow regular breathing sounds coming from one of them she tapped on that door and waited. After a few moments of listening, the breathing didn't change so she opened the bedroom door, sneaked across to the bed, and gave the sleeping man a good hard push before darting back to the doorway.

“What the...? Force Sake! Is that you Buffy?” Obi-Wan sat up, then made a grab for his sheets. Pulling them quickly up to his chin, he took in the figure standing in the doorway silhouetted by moonlight. “What are you doing in my apartment at this time of night? And more to the point, why are you sneaking around in my bedroom?”

Buffy gave a low chuckle. “Yeah, sorry about that Ubi-Doo. I didn't want to stand outside your front door waiting around for you to answer the buzzer in case someone saw us. I don't want anyone in the Temple to know what I'm doing. I need you to do something for me and I'd like to keep it between ourselves. It can be our little secret.”

Obi-Wan was silent. His brain still foggy with sleep he tried to process what she'd just said to him. Stay between the two of us... secret... not wanting anyone else in the Temple to know what went on between them?

She meant... She wanted him to have sex with her!

Obi-Wan's heart began pounding very fast and his brain didn't seem to be working as it should... He wasn't sure what to say to her. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. He was a Jedi and he knew he wasn't allowed any, but when it came down to it, he felt torn.  
The sheet he was holding up against his neck, to protect himself from prying eyes, was making him over-heated. What would happen if he dropped the sheet and asked her to get in bed with him? The thought of making such an improper suggestion made him feel breathless and a little dizzy.

Qui-Gon would be very disappointed in him.

Obi-Wan sighed, knowing that sort of thing was not for him. He was a Jedi. It was up to him to take charge of the situation and make sure they didn't do anything that they both might regret in the morning.

“Buffy, I'm very flattered. And I won't say I am not tempted by your offer, because I am. If things were different too how they are my answer would be different. However, you know I'm a Jedi. You shouldn't be coming into my bedroom as we're not allowed to indulge in sexual relationships, especially ones-.”

“Huh? Er, no. I think you are Oh-Be-Dreaming there. I haven't come here for THAT.” Buffy stifled a giggle. “Look, I know all this looks kinda weird. I get that. I did knock on your bedroom door, but you were snoring so loudly that you couldn't hear me over the top of your snores. I was forced to sneak in, prod you and run back out again.”

“I don't snore,” Obi-Wan said. Really hoping he hadn't been. His master had never said he snored and no one had ever mentioned it when he was living in the dormitory.

“You so do, you snore extra loudly too, with a little whistling noise at the end.” Buffy was smirking, knowing he couldn't see her expression in the darkness.

“ I so do not.”

“You so do. And I can beat you at this, I've had years of experience with my younger sister. Anyhow, I came in here to ask if can I borrow some rope?”

“You broke into my apartment, came into my bedroom at... 3am? And woke me from my sleep because you wanted to borrow some rope? Buffy, I have no idea what kind of perverted games you are into but I have no intention of taking part in any of them,” Obi-Wan teased. She'd embarrassed him and it was time to turn the tables on her.

“It's for Andrew!”

“Does that make it sound better? No, it doesn't. If you two want to play-.”

“Ughh! Andrew fell down a big hole in the room of a thousand fish ponds and I need to get him out. Look, if you don't have one I'll sneak into the Jedi supply store. I just thought you might have a rope... that I could use...sorta hidden away.” Buffy explained.  
It all sounded a bit lame, even to her ears. It was Andrew who'd said 'ask Obi-Wan'. If she'd sneaked into the Jedi supply store, rather than Obi-Wan's bedroom, she'd have avoided the embarrassment of Ubi-Doo thinking she'd broken in to rob him of his monkish virtue.

Obi-Wan groaned. “If you would kindly go into the living room and wait there, I'll get out of bed. What length of rope do you need?”

“About 50 feet?” Really she hadn't a clue, it had been a deep hole and it had taken her ages to crawl out of.

“Why the kryffin Snit should I have a 50 foot long rope lying around, for Force Sake?”

“No idea. Want me to leave and raid the Jedi store? I might have to 'fix' the droids working in there if they get in my way.” She wondered if the strange words Ubi-Doo used were swear words. She'd not heard him swear before, but he might be one of those grouchy people when he woke up first thing in the morning.

“No! Do not go into the store! I'll find you some rope. But will you stop lingering around in my bedroom so I can get out of bed and dress?”  
Buffy noted he the way he was still holding up his bed sheet at chin height. The guy was obviously scared in case she saw his naked... neck and it turned her into a sex-starved rapist.

Buffy laughed, “ Yeah, as if you've got anything that I'd wanna see anyway.” She closed the door quickly and went to wait in his living room before he could think of a smart come back.

….....................


	31. Scooby Jedi Knight

The Temple was quiet as the Jedi Knight and the Slayer Queen walked through the long corridors together. As usual, Obi-Wan was immaculate in his cream pajama suit and brown bathrobe, while Buffy kept her long, black duster coat buttoned to hide the mud she knew was caking all over her Darth Vader ninja suit. She was having a hard time trying not to laugh as she thought how filthy Obi-Wan was going to get if he insisted on following her down to find Andrew.

He didn't have any rope hidden away, after all, so all her efforts of sneaking into his apartment in the dead of night had been wasted. Actually, he'd accused her of breaking in but she'd explained she'd not broken anything at all. It was just that she could easily remember his keypad code - one, one, one, one.

Embarrassed Ubi-Doo had immediately claimed he'd forgotten to change it after he'd been issued the apartment and it wasn't his normal one but she guessed he was annoyed she'd made him look a fool- again. She didn't know what it was about the guy but she really did enjoy provoking him.

“I shall visit the supply store and they will provide us with a rope and anything else we might need. The droids there know me and so it won't be a problem,” he was now insisting. He was looking at her with disapproval, all because she'd teasingly mentioned using her Slayer ability to 'subdue' the droids and steal the rope.

“Well, get a few more head light, glowy things too. It's really dark down there. Andrew had a couple that he'd... found... lying around the Temple, but after he fell into that hole- dragging me down with him, the Nerd - I had to leave him one cos it's really dark down there and a bit creepy,” replied Buffy. “I think we fell into that old Sith Temple as there were some weird ugly statues and ancient Runes all over the place. Well, I think they were Runes, but they might just be fancy Basic cos a lot of the time unless it's basic Basic it all looks the same to me.”

Her casual mention of the hole Andrew had fallen into being part of a Sith Temple filled Obi-Wan with horror. He almost stopped him in his tracks. He'd not even got as far as the Jedi supply store and this was already looking far more complicated than when Buffy had first woken him asking for help as 'Andrew has fallen down a hole in the room of a thousand fish ponds'.

Not that it should have surprised him. It seemed that every single time she brought a problem to him it started off as being something semi-reasonable, and then turned into an absolute nightmare once he got the full details from her. By that time, of course, he was fully embroiled in whatever mischief she, or Andrew, were involved in.

'A droid has broken down in my doorway can you help?' Yes, because she'd killed it with a Sith lightsaber and wanted him to help her dispose of the body so no one would find out what she'd done. ' My couch rocks when you sit on it, do you think the Council will give us another?' In other words, she'd damaged it playing with a stolen lightsaber and he'd ended up breaking into an empty apartment and swapping it for her. 'I've got my boots stuck in the fresher,' translated as, I need you to break into another apartment and release Andrew who's imprisoned himself in there.

Now here he was again, falling for the latest, 'Andrew's fell down a hole, have you got a rope,' and then she casually mentions it might be the Sith Temple Andrew had gotten himself trapped inside.

He'd had a bad feeling about this particular adventure since the moment he'd opened his eyes. Although at first, he'd put that down to the fact he'd woken up to find Buffy sneaking about in his bedroom and seeing her there had created all sorts of odd feelings in him and made him feel very off balance. Now he wasn't so sure that was the only reason... he'd had bad feelings about things before and was almost always right.

As they came to a halt outside the Jedi supply store he said, “Maybe we should speak to the Jedi Council about this before we go any further. They might suggest sending a larger team down there or perhaps have other ideas. I really do think it would be for the best...”

“Yeah? And in the meantime, Andrew is stuck down there while you go wake your Council and they have a meeting about it.” She gave him a look of such disappointment that it twisted something inside him. “Tell you what...” she continued, “You go and tell your alien buddies on the council and I'll get a rope and head down to rescue Andrew, who you might have forgotten, is stuck in the pit of gloom waiting for me to get him out of there.

As she turned away, he found himself putting a hand onto her shoulder to stop her and gave her a reassuring smile and sent a silent message of support to her through the Force.

“You are right, Buffy. If you stay here, I will go and find what we need for this rescue. The Council must be informed about this but they can easily wait until we have Andrew safe,” he said, and before he could change his mind entered the store.

He knew then, as he was explaining to the droids what he needed, that he'd been completely doomed by her. Obi-Wan Kenobi was no longer first and foremost a Jedi Knight, he'd turned into one of her Kryffin Scoobies, and in hindsight, probably had been since the first time he'd seen her fighting alongside Qui-Gon with a primitive sword and demon blood splattered across her face.

….....


	32. Hole In The Wall

“This has to be a joke!” Obi-Wan exclaimed, staring at the place Buffy had told him they were going to venture into.

They'd gone to the very bottom level of the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Once they'd arrived at the pool they'd both taken a ducking in, and Buffy had pointed out the place where she'd left Andrew. The small hole in the rocky banking was partly hidden by undergrowth, and partly submerged in the water; he'd no idea how she'd even spotted it let alone why she'd want to go in there.  
This was going to be the worst scheme she'd ensnared him in so far, he could tell, simply by looking at that hole in the rock face. In fact, this was shaping up to be similar to a suicide mission the High Council sent you on if you committed some crime against the code and they wanted to be rid of you. He didn't know whether to laugh hysterically, or cry, or walk off and leave her. She was totally insane and her friend Andrew was just as crazy.

“Why would you even wish to go down there in the first place?” he asked.

Buffy raised an eyebrow at him. “Less of the 'wish' if you don't mind. That's what got me into this dimension in the first place. Anyhow, this is kinda all your fault, Ubi-Doo.” He gave her a dubious look and she continued with a smirk, “ If you hadn't done that Force dunk on me into the slimy fish pond I would never have seen this..”

She shone her light onto the outline of the cross carved onto the rock overhang just above the hole.

“I spotted that symbol as the light was hitting it at just the right angle when I surfaced out the pond. I guess you Jedi would call it 'the will of the Force'. Slayers and crosses have a long history so I sort of had to come back and check it out. I was hoping to find a demon or vamp lurking about to interrogate and there might still be one down there, although if there is, let's hope it's not found Andrew.”

She sat down on the low wall surrounding the pond and started removing her boots. “It'll be easier if you take off your boots and socks and roll your pajama bottoms up to knee height until we get through the water, it isn't deep if we stay close to the edge on this side. You can put them back on again when we get further into the cave as the water runs off. Oh, and leave your favorite bathrobe behind as it'll only get in the way.” She took her own coat off, folded it and put it down on one of the nearby seats.

Seeing Obi-Wan not moving but looking at her dubiously, she sighed, “You don't have to come with me, Ubi-Doo. Pass me the rope and I'll head out by myself. I'm the Slayer and we slay alone.”

“Why do I get the feeling you do this sort of thing regularly?” Obi-Wan replied, with a resigned sigh. He couldn't let her go on her own down there. It wasn't safe. Sitting down he began to pull off his boots. His other ones still weren't completely dry from his last soaking in this pool and unlike Buffy, he didn't have a countless collection of footwear to choose from. When he looked back up at her, after rolling up his trouser legs, he saw her staring into the pool her mind far away.

“This is my thing Ubi-Doo. As a teenager, I spent most of my free time either in graveyards dusting vamps or exploring sewer systems with Giles, slaying the evil creepies who lived there. Most bad things live underground, at least part of the time.”  
She looked over at him, taking in his clothing and obviously not liking what she saw. “You know, we're gonna have to get you some dark colored clothing now you've joined the Scooby gang. The cream shows up too much in the dark and it's a pain getting the blood stains out of. We'll get you one of these Darth Va... um, ...dark ninja suits from the clothing store. Are you ready? Andrew will probably be crying by now, he's been left down there that long.”

At his nod, Buffy turned, boots in hand, and staying close to the edge waded through the shallower water to the rocky banking. Once level with the opening she lifted up the over hanging foliage, and flicking on her light, stepped up into the low passageway and was soon lost in the darkness. Without hesitating further Obi-Wan followed her, his boots in hand and robe discarded.

….


	33. Great Balls Of Fire

Obi-Wan and Buffy made their way along the tunnel with Buffy in the lead. In the areas where they could walk upright she set quite a fast pace but slowed down when the roof lowered so much that they were forced to crawl along on all fours along the rough floor. Both Slayer and Jedi were glad that the water had drained away early on, at least they weren't crawling through the mud as they descended deeper, and deeper through the earth of Coruscant.

“How far do we have to go before we reach the hole Andrew fell into?” Obi-Wan asked, looking about him at the passageway that appeared to have been roughly cut through solid rock. They were crawling along on all fours again in single file and he'd no idea how Buffy was managing to remember their route, their torches not providing as much light as he'd like, and the passageways tended to all look the same.

“Got a good way to go yet. I'm not sure if we hit some kinda booby trap or if the ground gave way. We were walking along when Andrew stepped on something. Next thing I know, he's grabbing me trying to stop himself from falling, and I'm getting dragged down through the ground with him. We hit lots of mud which saved us the broken bones and finally skidded to a halt in a cavern,” she explained.

Obi-Wan, who was trying to avoid looking directly in front of him, as Buffy's wiggling bottom was steadily getting on his nerves, said, “And how did you manage to escape from this cavern?”

“I crawled up the walls. I think I deserve a new name-age for my new found skill - Spider-Girl.” She looked around at him, careful not to blind him with her light. “We can stand up in a minute, the roof gets higher.”

“Thank the Force for that,” he muttered.

They'd walked for a long way when Obi-Wan felt something move under his left foot. Quickly, he used a combination of highly trained reflexes and the Force to take his weight off whatever it was, causing him to do an odd twist and sidestep.

Buffy gave him a funny look, then after a moment, grabbed his arm. “You did something Ubi-Doo! Can you hear that noise?” She looked behind them. “RUN!”

Despite not hearing anything himself, Obi-Wan found himself running behind Buffy who was seriously using her Slayer speed, a fact he found unnerving as their lights hardly made an indent in the darkness and he was wary of them both falling into a hidden pit as Andrew had.

“What exactly... are we... running from?” he called out to her. As yet he hadn't heard anything and the Force wasn't telling him they were being followed either.

“Ever seen.... an Indiana Jones movie...er, holovid? No? Well, I think... we fell into that dimension ...somehow. There is a giant rock thing.... rolling along chasing us ...but I think this one is on fire.”

Searching behind him with the Force, Obi-Wan found to his horror she was right, there was a massive rolling ball of rock, and ignited gasses rolling at an extremely high speed just behind them. That was not natural and he suspected a Dark Force booby trap of some kind as it still seemed cloaked from him despite its speed and size. If Buffy's slayer senses hadn't told her that it was there he'd never have sensed it until it was too late.

Using the Force to search ahead of him, he scanned for side passages leading off this main corridor. There was nothing. But then, further ahead on the left, a crevice in the rock wall that had occurred during the natural settlement of the rocks over time. Running from ceiling to the ground in height and deep enough – possibly - for them both to fit into. Hoping it really was as wide and deep as he thought, Obi-Wan prepared himself for the next step.

No time to call a warning to Buffy, he sped forward and grabbed her around her waist. Holding her against him, he swung a squeaking Buffy into the rock crevice and pushed her as far back as he could, while keeping his back to the crevice entrance. Hoping they were both deep enough inside, Obi-Wan focused on creating a Force Barrier to seal the opening and protect them from the searing heat of the passing fireball.

The noise of the fireball roared louder as it rumbled along the corridor towards their hiding place. Instinctively he dropped his head down and nearly bashed his nose on Buffy's forehead as she looked up at the same time. Her green eyes, wide and bright in the light from their torches, met his in mute horror. Both their hearts were pounding from the exertion and adrenaline. She was pressed so closely against him Obi-Wan could feel hers as well as his own, almost as if both hearts were in the same body. He tried to ignore the sensation, keeping up his concentration and making sure that the Force barrier didn't slip until they were out of danger.

Then, as they heard the fireball roll off in the distance, she recovered and said a little breathlessly, “Well, this is nice. Must remember to have fun like this more often. Dark, spooky tunnels, booby trapped floors, huge fireballs trying to burn me to death, getting dragged into tight crevices by men with strange powers... and there is no way I'm gonna tell you about any more of booby traps in those Indiana Jones movies cos it's bound to jinx us.”

When Obi-Wan didn't reply, a thought occurred to her. The crevice wasn't that deep and even from behind Ubi-Doo she'd felt the heat from the fireball as it passed by, he must have gotten the full hit and was maybe badly burnt. She stretched her arms around him, gently running her hands over his lower back, feeling up his spine, slowly circling along his shoulders and finally over his neck and into his hair, searching for any tell tale signs of scorching and burning. She let out a soft sigh of relief when she didn't find any.

After a few more moments of silence, she spoke again, “Are you okay Ubi, cos you haven't moved? You didn't get burned somewhere I don't want to feel for the burn-ages, did you?”

“Oh.. so that was what you were doing. I am not injured, as I did a Force Barrier to protect us but found I needed a moment.” came his muffled reply. His arms were still tightly wrapped around her and his face buried in her hair.

“O-kay, I take it murderous fireballs are of the weird and not of the normal in this dimension then?” Wondering why he still hadn't moved a muscle. It was nice and cozy but now wasn't the right time to decide he wanted to get all huggy.

He groaned, “No.”

“So have you done your moment thing? Not that I dislike being hugged, but Andrew is still stranded in a pit... remember? Or have I broken you?”

“Quite possibly you have,” he replied, but stepped out the crevice and waited for her in the passageway. A burnt passageway now she noted, she shuddered as she took in the black smears of soot all along the walls. It was a good job Obi-Wan had spotted the hiding spot just in time.

…....................


	34. Tomb Raiders

Obi-Wan and Buffy continued walking down the soot encrusted corridor, trying to hurry yet being careful to look for anything that could be a trap on the ground and even in the walls and roof. Buffy refused to tell Obi-Wan what sort of traps she was looking for, as she said it would 'tempt Murphy,' whoever or whatever that was.  
Eventually they came to the fireball which had rolled to a stop in the middle of the passageway.

“You have got to be kidding me! No one is that unlucky!” Buffy whined and ran over to kick the still smoldering rock which hissed but didn't move. She then shone her light onto her boot and twisted her mouth in disgust on seeing her new boot had gained a burn hole in the toe.

As Obi-Wan was looking confused, she explained. “Remember me telling you Andrew had fallen down a hole? Take a freakin guess where the entrance is.... under the fiery Rock of Doom.” she rolled her eyes with exasperation. “It chased us all the way down the passageway, misses us and comes to a stop right in that spot? I wish I'd a pair of oven gloves so I could...” She stopped ranting and watched, fascinated, as Obi-Wan lifted the rock slightly using his force powers and moved it further along the passage.

“Nice one Ubi-Doo, I've got to say I'm impressed with you tonight, you've shown some real fancy skills.” She looked up to see him smiling bashfully at her praise. “Of course I could have used Slayer power for the rock rolling but you've saved me nail breakage which is definitely of the good. ” She looked down at her nails, that were encrusted with dirt and split through her climb out the pit and grimaced. “I need to find a good nail-bar and get a manicure, Do you think Nick Fury would give me some credits to go?”

Obi-Wan smirked, “Nick Fury would give you credits to go... away, you have no problem there, Buffy.”

“Ha ha, very funny Oh-Be-Forceful-One. Now make yourself extra useful and find something to tie that rope to so we can lower ourselves down the hole and find Andrew.”

After dropping down the hole into the cavern below Obi-Wan looked about him and realized that Buffy was correct, this must be the remains of the old Sith Temple. There were huge columns of stone, strangely carved statues and on the walls odd writing that he could not translate. The Force felt unusual here too, not exactly dark but very murky.

“What do you sense?” he asked her. Despite the odd surroundings, Buffy looked more relaxed than she often did above ground, and he remembered what she'd said about hunting in the underworld being a regular occurrence on her world.

“That Andrew has freakin' wandered off when I told him not to!” snarked Buffy, flashing her torch around the cavernous space and failing to see the blonde boy.

“I meant if you could feel the 'hellmouth buzz' with your spidey senses but I agree, finding Andrew is more important. Do you believe he's gone off to explore?”

“How Andrew's brain works is a mystery to me, so I'm not even going make a guess,” replied Buffy. “But the hellmouthy type buzz is still here, buzzing away. I reckon the place is full of your dark Sithy stuff. It's stronger in that direction so let's see if we can find Andrew that way. If there is one thing I can say about Andrew it's he gets drawn to trouble.”

Obi-Wan followed her warily through the Sith temple. As all the Jedi were, he'd been trained from an early age to use the Force to sense and gauge his surroundings, but now found he was unable to do so. Something tainted the Force in here, something darkly evil, and instinctively he recoiled from it. Instead, he found himself watching Buffy, who'd an odd look about her, almost like a predator hunting down its prey and he wondered again at the odd sort of life she must have led before she came to his dimension. Not only did she have an unusual affinity with the Dark Side of the Force but she seemed to be able to actively hunt it's creatures down from within it. Oddly enough, it no longer worried him but instead made him trust her more.

She stopped suddenly, causing him to almost walk into her. “I hear something, something rattling,” she whispered and nodded in the direction they were traveling. “It's down there, through the archway and down those steps in front of us and that's where the buzz is coming from. Get ready to light up your Mr Sparkly.”

“It's Flash,” said Obi-Wan, and then gave her a quick, slightly embarrassed look.

“Huh?”

“My lightsaber is called Flash,” he replied, and then grinned more broadly.

“You told me lightsabers don't have names!” Buffy huffed. “You said I was weird naming mine.”

“Well, you are weird,” he replied. “It's not normal to go round telling people your lightsaber has a name, normally it's a private thing. Now, what were you saying about a buzzing from the archway?”

She rolled her eyes, and not bothering to answer him darted to the archway. She stood for a moment with her back pressed against the stone arch before shining her light down into the chamber below her. Whatever she saw caused her to ignite her lightsaber and, holding it upright, jumped down into the chamber.

A moment later he was also at the archway. Looking down at the heart-stopping, vile sight playing out below him before he too ignited his lightsaber, and leaped to join her in the fray.

Buffy was shouting and battling with, what he assumed, were decaying corpses. Most seemed to have been human while alive, although now they were little more than withered corpses, strips of decaying flesh grotesquely swung from their faces as they swarmed towards Buffy. Their bodies held together by little more than sinews, old armor, and shredded clothing, yet each and every one of them came armed with a lightsaber which they used with frightening familiarity.

Obi-Wan fought his way through the horrific creatures to Buffy and then spun around to fight back to back with her.

“Are they vampires?” he shouted. He began thrusting his lightsaber through first one corpse and then another. To his horror, they continued fighting despite the holes through their chests.

“Nope, just stinky zombie things. Cut their heads off, if you can. Otherwise, you need to disarm them. Get it? Dis-arm them,” she called back and laughed as she lopped the saber carrying arm off one of the corpses before beheading it.

Obi-Wan, who was blocking the lightsaber attacks from several particularly aggressive zombies, groaned at her joke. He managed to behead first one and then a second before taking a hit to his own arm, luckily he'd blocked most of it and he continued fighting the three opponents in front of him.

And then Buffy was alongside him, shouting and attacking the three remaining creatures with evident glee.

“You all stink!" she snarled. "Most demons smell better than you lot do! And look at your teeth! ” she called to one whose teeth were dark yellow and twisted towards the center of its mouth, waving her red lightsaber at it as she did so. “What's with you lot and the gross teeth in this dimension?”

As Obi-Wan took the head off the zombie closest to him he wondered if Buffy knew she was using a Dark Force mind power whilst taunting her enemies. For the Dark Side of the Force swirled around the Slayer empowering her as she taunted and intimidated her enemies before slicing them through with her glowing weapon. He found himself standing back, watching enthralled, as the darkness embraced her, flowed through her and become something lighter and cleaner as the last of the zombies died beneath her red blade.

They stood there together in that moment of peace after a battle, red and blue lightsabers raised high, while they looked around them scanning the shadows for movement.

“I'm unable to sense anything, all feels murky to me here and quite indistinct, ” said Obi-Wan. “But these are definitely creatures from the Dark Side of the Force. What do your Slayer senses tell you?”

“I think the Zombie Creepers in this section are all slain now,” she kicked one with her boot and watched, as it and it's lightsaber crumbled into dust. “But I'd really like to know where Andrew's got to.”

…...........................


	35. The Jedi And The Dark Force

The Slayer and the Jedi made their way through the darkness of the Temple. Obi-Wan either walking beside Buffy or a few steps behind her, every so often scanning the darkness behind them for threats. In previous expeditions with his master he'd have used the Force to perceive into the darkness but here the Force was so murky everything became indistinct. He found he was relying only on his five senses, the experience jarring to one normally so attuned to using the Force. Every so often he'd shoot a look at Buffy, to see how she was reacting to the darkness and her surroundings but at the moment she seemed relaxed and thoughtful.

“You know, there was something about those zombies that was off, “ Buffy said, as they walked through a huge chamber and down another set of stone stairs.

“I agree with you completely. Those Zombies smelt like they had gone off a long time ago,” deadpanned Obi-Wan, moving up to walk alongside her.

“Haa haa, very funny.” She nudged him with her shoulder and smiled. “I didn't mean the smell. It was the way they were moving..”

“ Yes, once again, I agree. The fact they were dead and moving around, never mind able to fight, I thought was highly unusual,” smirked Obi-Wan, slanting her a glance.

Buffy grinned back at him. “You'd be surprised at how active animated corpses can get... No, there was something else strange about them. You'd think they'd have been more aggressive especially armed with lightsabers but they seemed slow and gave up easily.”

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise. “You really thought they were slow and gave up easily? For something that had been dead for so long they'd almost rotted away they had a lot of life left in them.” He thought about the short but intense battle they'd fought. “I suppose, considering they were there to protect the Sith Temple, they could have been much faster. Possibly over time whatever, Dark Force magic that drove them has diminished in potency?”

Buffy looked thoughtful as if she was churning over something in her mind and coming to a conclusion. “I don't think the Dark Magic had diminished. I think they were more like part of a trap that had already been sprung. A bit like that fireball, dormant until something or someone sets it off...”

“Could it have been Andrew?” Obi-Wan's worry for the blonde watcher was growing the longer they were in the Temple without finding him. He hadn't mentioned his fears to Buffy but after dealing with the zombie warriors he didn't hold much hope of finding Andrew alive.

“Maybe, but I think whatever woke them did so a while ago. Not years but definitely in the last few weeks. They were milling about looking sort of lost when I first saw the. Then, when they spotted me, they looked almost happy... Eww! What the freakin' hell is that!” Buffy kicked the huge beetle thing that was the size of a small cat from off her foot.

“It is a Spider Roach.” Obi-Wan curled his lip as several more of the creatures ran across their path.“Coruscant's lower levels are full of them. They do bite but are neither poisonous nor do they pose a danger to us. Most likely they came in through cracks in the walls and are breeding in here.”

“Yuck. Sith roaches, lovely. Think I'd rather deal with the zombies...” She stopped and looked sharply to her left. “That Hellmouth buzz thing is coming from over there. I think we are nearly at the center, the core. C'mon.”

Once more she was heading off, following a trail Obi-Wan could not discern, but whatever it was she was hunting, it was taking him deeper, and deeper into the Temple, towards where the Dark Side of the Force was at it's most potent.

The chamber she took him into was smaller compared to the others they'd traveled through, however, the moment he stepped into the room Obi-Wan knew that no longer did the Force feel murky to him. Here the Dark Side of the Force was at its most lethal.

He stopped, swaying, as every negative emotion hit him with utmost intensity. Many of the emotions were ones he'd never felt before. Emotions the Jedi shielded and hid from and the sudden surge nearly made him lost his footing under the continuing onslaught. Rage, Hate, Fear, Jealousy, Greed, Violence, Passion... The sadistic need to harm, to create pain, and watch suffering in others. All surged through him simultaneously.

“Obi-Wan... Obi-Wan...Come back to me Obi-Wan”

He focused on the voice and realized it was Buffy talking to him. Her voice sounded as if it came from far away and she was using his given name instead of one of those strange ones she always called him. A moment later, he felt her hands, one on each side of his face and she tilted his head down to look at her. Obi-Wan looked down into her eyes, which were wide and dark, and then down to her lips as she gave him a soft smile.

“I was a bit worried about you then. You went all weird. Well, more weird than normal, cos you are a weirdo anyway. And a Nerd. You went all Oh-Be-Lost-It when you came in here...” She was smiling at him as she talked and he'd a feeling her words were more to pull him from his thoughts than to chastise him.

Yet her words angered him. She was always calling him weird and saying he was a nerd. She didn't think he was good enough for her. She didn't like him. He wasn't powerful enough. She would leave this dimension and him at the first opportunity and he hated her for it. Something whispered to him telling him what he should do. He needed to hurt her first before she hurt him. All he had to do was raise his hand, he could choke her without even touching her. She needed punishing for trying to belittle him. It was all her fault he felt like this. She constantly made him feel emotions a Jedi should not feel, she...

“Obi-Wan... Obi-Wan.... hey, come back to me! You are freezing to touch! Something in here is affecting you... it must be the Forcey thing.....”

She was talking again but the Dark Force was so much stronger than she was and even now it called and whispered to him...The Dark Side of the Force was so very powerful... He wasn't able to fight it, he was too small and insignificant and had never been the best Force User; he'd been told that often enough by the masters in the Temple. It would crush his mind beneath its immense power...  
And then there was Buffy... she was no Jedi, she had no idea what she was dealing with. The Darkness would engulf her, it would kill her and neither she nor he could stop it. Unless he changed. He could stop the Dark killing her if he changed. If he became a Sith and fully embraced the Dark Side he could protect her, and nothing would ever take her from him including death itself...

“The Dark will take you. I must stop it. Only by embracing the Darkness can we be saved,” he whispered hoarsely. The Dark Side called to him, seducing him with promises of power, riches and life everlasting for him and Buffy, all he had to do was...

“Whoa! Obi-Wan your eyes flashed yellow. Listen to me... I am The Slayer and for thousands of years the Slayers of each generation have been chosen to fight against the Darkness. Obi-Wan, I look at the Dark Side and the Dark Side looks back at me and it is the one who is afraid... I have faced bigger Bads than a few Sith's and I've faced worse things than a room charged with Dark energy so never worry about me.”  
He was listening to her, she was sure of it and she took a deep breath and continued. “Obi-Wan, you are strong and brave, loyal and kind, and completely selfless. You know you are more than capable of defeating the Dark Side all by yourself without any help from me. But remember, you are my Scooby-Jedi Knight and I will never allow you to join the Dark Side because I will kick the ass of anything Dark if it tries to take you away from me...” she was standing on tiptoe, still holding his face with her hands, her face inches from his own and she held his gaze, refusing to let his eyes drift around the room to the where the darkness lingered.

Keeping his focus on her, yet still in contact with the Dark Force, Obi-Wan looked into her eyes and for the first time really saw her. Saw, and realized that the Dark Force was being drawn to the strange inner darkness that swirled deep inside her, contained and held in check by a shimmering wall of white light...  
Chosen, she said she had been chosen on her own world to slay the darkness... and now he'd been chosen in this dimension to help her. He blinked and felt the rush of savage alien emotions leaving him... leaving him exhausted, relieved and yet oddly, in some strange way, stronger than before.

“Hey,” Buffy said softly, her hand on his face, her thumb stroking his cheek and for a moment he leaned into her touch without thinking. “Hey, are you all right now?”

He nodded, very slowly. “I think so. Too many dark emotions hit me as soon as I entered this room. The Dark Force here is extremely concentrated, I have never felt anything like it before and never want to again. Thank you for helping me fight it, Buffy.” He caught the hand that stroked his face in his and squeezed it gently in thanks and reassurance.

“No problem, Jedi-boy.” She smiled and then gestured towards the middle of the room. “See what's over there? That stone tomb with the odd light glow coming from it is the source of the problem or was. The lid is hanging off... are you up to some investigation or do you need to go back outside the room and wait for me there?” Buffy was shining her light onto the carved stone edifice looming ominously at the center of the room, and he could see the lid was askew, either allowing whatever had been buried in there to escape, or to allow someone access to whatever was inside.

“I shall be fine. Let us proceed.” Truthfully he wanted out the room and away from this cursed place but there was no way he was going to leave Buffy alone in here. If she was hit by the torrent of emotions he'd had to face he wanted to be there for her like she'd been there for him.


	36. Tomb of the Sith

They approached the eerily lit tomb of the Sith Lord cautiously. Buffy taking the lead and Obi-Wan in the rear, both alternately raking their lamps across the sides of the room and the stone structure in case something evil lay in wait for them hidden in the shadows.

Buffy was the first to look over the stone lid and down into the tomb below.

“Andrew! Andrew!” she shrieked, causing Obi-Wan to dart to her side and look down at the figure of the still boy lying in the coffin below them. Buffy reached out and prodded her young watcher, who opened both his eyes and looked up at them both.

“Oh, hi. Sorry, I must have fallen asleep. There were some ugly dead things milling about and I managed to give them the slip and came in here...” he looked up at their faces. Both the Slayer and the Jedi were staring at him with a mixture of horror and incredulously. “What's up?”

“You made Obi-Wan pee himself! That's what's up!” snarled Buffy. She'd thought Andrew had really gotten himself killed this time when she'd seen him lying there so still in that Sith coffin.

Obi-Wan gave her an offended look. “Indeed I did not! I may have had a small heart attack but I did not lose control of my bladder at any point!”

Buffy huffed. “Well, I nearly peed myself! Andrew, I thought you were dead! Whatcha doing sleeping in that Sith coffin?”

Andrew sat up and Buffy helped him out the tomb. “It seemed the safest place to be, it being empty and those Sith zombies wouldn't come near here. You took ages, and I fell asleep as I got bored waiting and it was warm and cozy in there... What's that you've found, Obi-Wan?”

Buffy turned to look down to where Ubi-Doo was picking up a metal object from the floor.

“You were correct in your assumptions before, Buffy,” Obi-Wan said. “This has been used to raise the stone lid on the tomb. I believe it to be part of a machine used mainly in excavation work, this part must have broken off yet it still looks clean without signs of great age. The Sith Lord who was buried here was removed from his coffin very recently indeed. I wonder why...” Obi-Wan slipped the part into his pocket. “I shall ask Quinlan to look at it. Perhaps he will find it useful.”

“Quin? Huh?” Buffy asked, looking confused at why Quin would have any interest in a broken part off a machine.

“He has retro-cognition,” explained Obi-Wan.

“Retro? He's into the vintage stuff?” frowned Buffy, still trying to think why Quin would want an old piece of a broken lever. Maybe it was a rare part or something and he wanted it for his collection? She'd thought Andrew was bad with his stupid action figure collection, but at least it wasn't old rusty stuff.

“What? No! Quin has the ability to pick up memories from an object of whoever has handled them. I cannot think of why anyone would wish to steal the body of a Sith but I suspect it was to try to attain some of the power or knowledge the creature may have had during his life and put it to evil use. Although what that could be, I have no way of knowing..”

Andrew, who was dusting himself down, stopped and said. “Bodies are often removed for spells and incantations. Either for harvesting body parts or reanimating the dead person or even creating a zombie from them in an attempt to use them or gain their secrets. Who is this Sith Lord? Can you read the name? I wasn't able to decipher it.”

Obi-Wan walked around the tomb reading the hieroglyphs on all four sides.

“Darth Depressive,” he said, doubtfully.

Buffy giggled, “ Are you sure? I mean, who'd chose a name like Darth Depressive? What did he do? Talk people into committing suicide? Sit in his room listening to bad music? Create a reign of Terror by looking upset?”

Obi-Wan grinned. “ Possibly I have the name wrong. I'm not exactly fluent in thousand year old Sith languages. However, I'm sure we have an expert at the Temple who is able to shed more light on who this Sith lord is. Whoever he was he must have been very powerful to have been buried here for his influence is still being felt throughout the force today. Even though his body has been removed, look at how this room affected me when I first entered. The Council must be informed of this as it could have dire consequences for the Temple otherwise.”

“Ugh, the Council. Councils everywhere are the bane of my existence.” Buffy looked down at the empty tomb. “Let's hope your council has answers for us. And I still want to know why a cross was carved on the entrance to this place....

“My guess is it was to alert others in the know. Almost as if it was put there to alert you or another vampire hunter that there was a vamp down here, Buffy,” said Andrew. “I've been thinking about it all while I was waiting and I think it was put there for a purpose. ”

“Well that Sith Lord's vanished. Unless... did someone break in and stake him? How dusty was it in there Andrew?” Buffy asked, shining her torch into the hollow.

“Not enough for a body Buffy.” Andrew said and seeing the Jedi shoot a look of horror, added, “ It would have been of the good if they'd staked him, Obi-Wan. We might be dealing with some type of Vampire Sith here and if someone brings him back to his undead life he could bring chaos to the galaxy.”

“Going to need to keep our ear open for people being sucked dry, unusual bites to the neck, blood drainages, that type of thing.” Buffy was looking thoughtful. “Another visit to Dex's to ask him to keep an ear out for dodgy deaths. Maybe bring Dracula in on this...”

Obi-Wan sighed, he felt a bit lost. “Count Dooku? Why would he know... Andrew, don't touch that!” he shouted as the young watcher caught a hidden lever on the side of the tomb with his foot causing a hidden compartment to roll out. Andrew stopped wide eyed, his hand stretched out in mid reach, to touch whatever was in the hidden drawer.

“Ohhh, SHINY!” said Buffy her eyes glowing with delight as she stared at the hilt of a wicked looking lightsaber that had been placed in the drawer a thousand or more years ago and still looked shiny and new. “I want it.”

Obi-Wan darted forwards and placed himself between the Slayer and the weapon, causing Buffy to narrow her eyes at him. “It could be dangerous, Buffy.”

Buffy rolled her eyes, “It's a weapon Ubi-Doo, that's what weapons are meant to be, Dangerous . You know for being of the stabby, and of the killing, and of the chopping off the heads and stuff...”

“Buffy! It's a Sith weapon and I can feel a powerful Dark Force rolling off it!” Buffy's delight in collecting weapons from dead Siths was completely unnerving to Obi-Wan, he'd always been taught to avoid contact with anything that could be tainted with the dark force for fear it could corrupt the next user. Didn't she realize he was only trying to protect her?

“Don't care, it's shiny and you said the same thing about Mr Sparkly, who says he wants a new Sithy friend.”

“Let me at least translate the wording engraved into the hilt... “ it states the wielder enters a murderous rage... Buffy I can't let you have this..”

“Whoa! Buffy that weapon is made for you!” Andrew crooned, causing Obi-Wan to glare at him. “Well it is! She is the Slayer, she kills things. Nothing wrong with that. No one wants to be over run by demons and stuff. ”

Obi-Wan replied, “ It also states that it turns the wielder into a 'Killing Machine', which sounds very ominous to me. Would Buffy like metal legs and arms? No, I am sure she would not. Better it is destroyed rather than take the risk.”

There was a moment of silence before Buffy said cautiously “I don't want a mechanical breathing mask either or have to wear a phallic style helmet.”

“Indeed you don't want a mechanical breathing mask nor a.... phallic style helmet..” Obi-Wan's voice trailed off wondering why Buffy would even think to include a phallic style helmet in the equation.

The Slayer looked at the lightsaber longingly. “Yeah, suppose you'd best put it back and get someone to destroy it. I'm not happy though,” she said and she sulked as he put lightsaber put back into its secret compartment.

“Might be better if you don't touch it,” said Andrew. “You know what this galaxy is like for giving people replacement metal parts and turning them all snorty. I'll build you another lightsaber, Buffy. I found a manual lying around the other day and can always grab you the parts needed to make one. I could make you some in different lengths and styles and even colors...”

Obi-Wan inwardly groaned at the casual way Andrew mentioned stealing parts and the manual to enable him to make lightsabers. It was all supposed to be a closely guarded secret of the Jedi temple. If the Council found out what he was planning he'd get into trouble.

“Oh, thanks, Andrew. That would be Ace! Could you do them in colors to coordinate with my shoes and clothes do you think? Cos that would be so cool. Hey, why are there round plastic lids in there with the lightsaber,” said Buffy, looking at the plastic disks which had caught her eyes as they came in pretty pastel colors.

“Holocrons.” replied Obi-Wan. “Possibly explaining this Sith Lord in more detail. Those we shall take with us and present to the Council... Buffy!” He exclaimed, shocked as Buffy grabbed the three holocrons and gave them to Andrew, who quickly pocketed them, grinning at Obi-Wan as he did so.

“Me and Andrew are watching these,” she said. “ Dratted council gets hold of them and we'll never get to see them. There might be something about crosses here and a clue why the body's been snatched.”

The Jedi gave a groan, aloud this time, but decided that was one battle that Yoda and Nick could fight out with Buffy, he wasn't going to get involved. Pushing back the secret compartment into the Sith tomb so it was out of sight, he said, “ Can we please leave this room, quickly now we have found Andrew. I really don't feel comfortable in here, there is still a malignant dark force lingering.” Which caused Buffy to look at him sharply and the three of them quickly hurried from the room.

As they made their way back through the temple Buffy tapped Obi-Wan's arm to get his attention and he flinched at her touch.

“Ooops Ubi-Doo, I keep forgetting you are a monk and not allowed to be touched. Was only going to ask if you were feeling okay after the Dark side tried to get you?” she asked him with a quick smile.

“I didn't flinch because you are not allowed to touch me. I caught a glancing blow from a zombie lightsaber and you accidentally put pressure on that exact spot. I am feeling fine though, thank you for asking and for helping me, when I needed it the most.” He replied, pleased at her concern for his welfare.

“Why didn't you say anything?” She took hold of his arm and could see the hole in his tunic but due to the light couldn't make out how deep the injury was. “You know, if you are going to be one of the gang and come out with us on future adventures you need to tell me straight away if you become injured. That's if you still want to be a Scooby?”

Obi-Wan gave her a smile that lit up his face and said, in his precise accent. “I am more than happy to act as one of your Scoobies and go on future adventures. In fact, I won't change my door code so that you will be able to break into my bedroom any time you need of me.” He paused, remembering how Buffy had stroked his back when they were hiding from the fireball and how much he'd enjoyed the sensation. “Also, I have no problem with being touched. I didn't mind you doing that either, and if you should have the urge to repeat the process again sometime, I won't mind.” He gave her a shy smile before darting forwards and taking the lead through the Temple feeling both equally embarrassed and pleased at his bravery.

Andrew, who'd been following directly behind them and listening to their conversation, hissed in Buffy's ear. “Buffy! What have you been doing to him? This is Obi-Wan Kenobi, he is supposed to be like..totally incorruptible.. and now he's just told you you're welcome to break into his bedroom - again! ”

“It's not what it sounds like!” she whispered back, looking over at the young Jedi with a mixture of shock, and burgeoning interest. “Honestly, I've not done anything!”

Andrew sulked. “Yeah, it sounds like it. You are doing this on purpose. You are ruining Star Wars for me in revenge for me making that wish.”

….............


	37. Confessions of The Tomb Raiders

The morning after the Sith Temple adventure Obi-Wan, Buffy and Andrew stood in front of the council explaining their previous nights adventure. Actually, they'd both decided to allow Obi-Wan do most of the explaining. As he seemed to be the best with wordage and friendly with the council. Buffy and Andrew were standing beside him, yawning a lot. Andrew was so tired he linked Buffy's arm and leaned on her and Buffy, knowing he'd probably end up curled up on the floor if she didn't prop him up, let him.

On arriving back at the Room of a Thousand Fountains, Obi-Wan had insisted they go straight to the council and make a full confession as to their exploration of the Sith Temple. Buffy and Andrew had both argued they needed a few hours sleep first due to exhaustion (mainly Andrew) and something to eat due to hunger (that was Buffy, and Obi-Wan had to admit she kept staring at him hungrily), before doing the splainy, but Obi-Wan hadn't budged.  
Finally, they gave up arguing, agreeing that the quicker it was over with the sooner they could shower, eat and grab a few hours sleep. So now they were in the aircraft control tower otherwise known as the council chamber listening to Obi-Wan do his thing.

“And so Masters, after Buffy saw the cross carved into the rock face the three of us went down into what turned out to be the Sith Temple.” Obi-Wan knowing the council's distrust of Buffy and Andrew, and had suggested it sounded better if they said the three of them had gone to investigate the hole which led to the Sith temple rather than only the two of them.  
“...There were many dark force traps down there, including huge pits, giant rolling balls of fire, zombie warriors, and finally the tomb room at the very heart of the Sith temple which contained such a malignant dark force that it nearly overcame me with it's power. If it weren't for Buffy helping me to fight it I would have succumbed to the Dark Side...” his voice trailed away as he remembered the horrors of that room.

“You'd have been fine, Ubi,” Buffy said softly, and he gave her a quick smile.

Gathering his thoughts together, Obi-Wan plowed on, “Finally, we found the actual Sith Lord's burial site to be empty.”  
He decided it was best not to mention Andrew had been asleep in there, the council were sure to find it worrying Buffy's apprentice had climbed inside a Sith tomb and considered it so cosy that he fell asleep. “We believe the body of the Sith to have been stolen sometime quite recently. Andrew has several theories regarding as for what purpose and he seems very knowledgeable about the use of body parts in Dark Magic.”

The entire council stared at Andrew suspiciously and Andrew, realizing something was needed from him opened one eye, waved half heartedly and shut his eye again. This did nothing to alleviate the council's suspicions.

Obi-Wan explained further, “The lightsaber I deemed to be too dangerous to bring with us and we left it there. We did however procure a number of holocrons which Andrew has in his possession, he believes that they might contain information which is pertinent to why the body has been stolen.”

Yodel was so horrified by what he was hearing that he was on the edge of his seat and having to prop himself up on his gimmer stick. However, something else was bothering him about Knight Kenobi's report. “Your description short it is. As usually detailed, it is not. Leaving out sections, you are, hmm?”

Obi-Wan shot a glance at Buffy and Andrew from the corner of his eye. On the way up to the chamber in the elevator, they'd both threatened him with never ending violence if he, 'over did the wordage'. “I thought I'd give you the.. er cliff notes version, um.. an overview so to speak. It seemed imperative that we informed you the Sith tomb had been raided at the earliest opportunity although we are all very exhausted.”

“Buffy, can you tell me why you thought the symbol needed investigating.” Nick Fury asked, sitting in his usual pose, with his fingers steepled in front of him and looking at her thoughtfully.

Buffy yawned, and tried to cover it with her hand, “Scuse me. Yeah sure, huh, crosses and crucifix... They can offer protection against vampires and I see them in graveyards a lot, but you are big on the cremating here and no graveyards for me to patrol so I thought it of the weird when I saw one in an out of the way spot near the fishpond...”

“And why did you notice it, if it was in an out of the way place?” questioned Nick.

“I sort of took a dive into the fish pond by accident when Ubi-Doo was teaching me to meditate.” She stole a quick look at Obi-Wan who was staring straight ahead of him with his face carefully neutral. Warming up to the story she continued,, “Guess I must have lost my balance or something. I've always thought meditating was a bit dangerous but Giles didn't believe me. Now I know it is, could have drowned, not that it would have been the first time I've drowned but you know what they say about lightning not striking in the same place twice. Cept it always does especially if you mention it, cos of like... Murphy. Anyhow, came up out the water and saw the cross, knew it needed investigating, so told Andrew and we headed out - with Ubi-Doo of course.”

Buffy's explanation was met by silence, as all twelve council members tried to translate what she'd told them into a language where it might make sense.

“What is this about zombies and having to fight them? What exactly is your definition of a zombie?” asked Nick, frowning and leaning forward in his chair. He hoped, this time, her answer would be easier to understand than the last.

“A zombie is someone who is dead but is brought back to life. Hollywood reckons it can be caused by virus's and creates brain-eating cravings but I usually find someone's done the black mojo or maybe it's a cursed tribal mask or something.  
Zombies often have parts dropping off them- skin peelage, eyeballs dangling out their sockets, maybe their ears and stuff hanging off - but it doesn't seem to bother them. The ones we fought still had their eyeballs, but had the peelage and they smelt bad. They also had light sabers which made it more fun with the slaying but I thought they were all a bit slow.. Ubi-Doo and I both enjoyed killing them,” she said brightly, as she thought about how they'd fought together cutting the zombie heads off.

The Council now turned to look at Obi-Wan in the hope of a translation.

“Masters, if I may explain further. Although Buffy thought they were rather slow, I must say, for something that had been dead a very long time, they did move at speed and were still able to put up a good fight. Even after I'd thrust my lightsaber through their bodies a number of times they didn't stop moving, which I found very unsettling. Buffy's previous encounters with this type of creature meant she had the knowledge to behead them, and once we did this they stopped fighting completely.  
Furthermore, following their head removal, Buffy went around kicking their undead, dead bodies and they then shattered into dust which I thought strange, but Buffy said was normal for a lot of dark creatures. She said this type are better than the squishy ones as the body disposal on those is more difficult, and there is a tendency to find they've leaked fluids onto your clothing which can be very hard to remove.” Obi-Wan explained, wanting to pack in as much helpful information for the Masters as possible, but not infuriate Buffy too much by over doing the explaining.

Buffy nodded. “Yeah, that's right. Oh, and their zombie red lightsabers dusted too, otherwise I'd have picked them up for my weapon collection. That Sith Lord had a fancy one which was hidden in a drawer but neither Ubi nor Andrew wanted me to take it, in case I ended up with the 'Metal Legs'.”  
Thinking about how she'd missed out on a brand new evil lightsaber Buffy pouted at Nick Fury, who gazed at her pout, and completely lost his train of thought.

“Masters, the concern for Buffy's legs came about as when I translated the engraving on the hilt it stated that the wielder became a killing machine as they would go into a murderous rage. I suspect it should be deactivated and the crystal destroyed for the safety of the entire galaxy.” Obi-Wan said primly, before looking sharply at Nick, who he'd caught staring at Buffy's mouth.

“Correct thing, you did, Knight Kenobi.” Yoda nodded sagely, his eyes on Buffy's lightsaber that he could see peeking out from under her coat and he added, “Destroyed, Sith lightsabers should be, safer for all it is.”

Buffy glared at Yodel; pulling her coat further around her in an effort to hide Mr Sparkly from the mutant frog's view.

Yodel smirked smugly at her. “Holocrons of the Sith, you will give us. Watch we will. If decide safe then you see.”

Buffy raised her eyebrow and replied, “ Oh no, you don't! We are going to watch these first. If we decide it's safe to let YOU look, then you may watch them but not before us, as you and your NoNo librarian have a tendency to deny us access to all the good stuff.”

Yodel's mouth turned down. “Looked we did. Nothing about demons, there was. Only about turning to Dark side and Sith, not safe for you to see. Good stuff, there was not.”

“Yeah well, still not letting you take these from us. We can view these together, after Andrew has had some sleep. He's studied Giles's magic books and YouTube fanboy videos on Siths so he's like my expert, and probably knows more about Dark Magic than the rest of you Jedi put together.” Buffy gave Andrew a prod, who opened his eye, gave a small wave and shut his eye again.

“Masters, if I may,” began Obi-Wan again. “I collected from the chamber part of a lever used in lifting the lid to the tomb. I was hoping that Quinlan Vos with his skills might pick something up from it. I believe he is back in the Temple. If we reconvene later, say this evening, we can watch the holocrons and find out what Quinlan has seen. Once all the evidence is gathered perhaps we can then find out who stole the Sith Lord's body.”

Buffy watched as the Masters all looked at each other doing their mind bendy trick and came to a decision.

Nick Fury announced, “ Agreed. The council will again meet this evening. For now please keep this discovery between yourselves. You are free to leave.”

Buffy felt intensely relieved. Andrew's head was leaning on her now and she was concerned if she'd been stood there any longer he'd have fallen asleep and started to dribble all over her shoulder. Also even Slayers needed sleep and after a few hours she'd be better able to face not only whatever those dark holocrons contained but the Jedi council again.

….............................


	38. Sith Too, should not be wanting Fun

Quinlan Vos had joined the three tomb raiders in the Council chamber to put in his interpretation of the memories on the metal part that had been found in the Sith Temple. Alongside him stood Buffy, who'd appeared in a pretty cream, off the shoulder dress with a rainbow colored floaty hem, worn with extremely tall heels and her Sith lightsaber hanging from her belt. Around her neck was an unusual necklace in the shape of a cross.

Buffy had announced, on prancing into the Council chamber of stunned masters, that they had all 'best make it quick,' as she was going out later patrolling bars and clubs looking for demons, and that she didn't have all night while they over did, 'the talky stuff.'.

Yoda hadn't looked happy at her announcement or her demands that they hurry up so that she could out to the clubs. In fact, the entire council appeared lost for words. Quin had to stop himself from grinning in their faces. He would put credits on this being the first time in Jedi history that the Council had been told to 'make it quick', as one of those present wanted to go for a night out demon hunting.

It had surprised the Kiffar even more when, after a long moment of silence, Nick Fury began to make suggestions of different bars and clubs that might be worth investigating. He even offered Buffy his services as a guide. His offer was immediately followed by Obi-Wan's. Who stated that it was part of his mission to aid them in this galaxy, and then everyone was even more surprised when Master Ki-Adi-Mundi volunteered his services, saying he'd also be interested in a night out in the local bars looking for demons.

Feeling a bit left out at this point, Quinlan offered to accompany them. It sounded quite a promising adventure, after all, alcohol, hunting demons (whatever they might be), and possible fighting and danger. He thought it might make up for having to touch that vile piece of metal Obi-Wan had brought him to read after saying he'd got it from a Sith tomb. Luckily nothing much had come off it, only one very dark emotion and the word 'resurrection'. He'd in fact picked up far more memories that Obi-Wan had left behind and was looking forward to dropping hints to his friend at later date. He was sure they were the type to embarrass his stick-in-the-mud straight-laced friend.

“I'm sorry, but it's kind of a non-Jedi event only,” said Buffy, surprised at there being so much interest in a night out demon hunting and feeling a bit cornered.

She'd mainly suggested it as a way of getting out the council meeting early and thought Andrew might appreciate a change of scene. He'd been sulking after last night, saying she was trying to corrupt Obi-Wan and it was bad enough that Count Dooku had taken her on as his apprentice, young Darth Vader wanted to marry her and Sid was sending her flowers without her actively going after the good guys. Not that she'd done anything to encourage any of them.

And now most of the Jedi in the room were looking upset that they hadn't been invited on her night out demon hunting in the bars and clubs of Coruscant. She looked round and seeing the disappointment in their faces, continued, “Me and Andrew are used to hunting demons in bars. Plus I don't want to be worrying about you monks getting upset if you see us behaving in non-monk ways, or having to save you if say a demon decides it wants to eat you.”

Andrew - known as the Dark Apprentice amongst the council members- had appeared at the meeting wearing a swirly multi-colored shirt (which would be offensive to most species) and far too much hair gel. He grinned broadly as Buffy spoke about behaving in 'non-monk ways', which the council thought to be highly ominous and wondered what they were missing out on.

Yoda, watching his fellow council members put his hand to his forehead in exasperation, telepathically he was now hearing several of the Masters talking about organizing a 'good night out at the local clubs and bars of Coruscant in search of the demons'. He was starting to feel as if he was losing control of the council meeting and didn't like the feeling.

Shooting Mace Windu, who he considered to be the ringleader of the mutiny, a warning look he said, “Watch the holocrons of the Sith we should. The culprit stole the corpse we may discover. Dancing, alcohol and frivolity, not the Jedi way.”  
Looking in Buffy's direction, he gave her a dirty look and added, “ Sith too, should not be wanting fun.”

“Good job I'm a Slayer,” said Buffy cheerfully. “I'd never cope with all your rules. I've only got one – Don't Die - and even that one I've broken a few times.”

Yoda decided to ignore her. She was obviously trying to be awkward. “ Vos and Kenobi need to leave the room. Dark Sith Holocrons dangerous they are, only Masters may watch. Buffy and Andrew can leave too...if they wish.”

“I'm not wishing anything,” chanted Buffy and Andrew in unison.

“Obi-Wan can stay with us if he wants to,” Buffy added firmly as the young Jedi knight prepared to bow and leave the chamber. “He's quite capable of watching dark stuff without going all evil and snorty. I'm sure Quin is strong enough as well given the chance, but Ubi-Doo was with me when we found the tomb. He might pick up on something Andrew and I don't.”

Yoda shot Buffy a glare for taking over the council meeting -, that was his job he'd been there the longest - but decided to allow Kenobi to stay. It would be interesting to use the opportunity to watch all their reactions to the Sith holocrons, with any luck Buffy would reveal herself to be an evil Sith Lord as everyone knew they couldn't help cackling manically at scenes of death and violence. Taking the first colored disk from the repulsive-shirt wearing Andrew he popped it on the holocron display column.

The image that appeared was of a very tall, hooded male figure dressed all in black. He was gaunt, with heavily lined gray skin, deep set black eyes with reddened skin around his eye sockets and sharp, long yellow teeth that converged towards the front of his mouth.

“Eww, look at his horrible teeth and his wrinkly skin! What is it about this dimension with the Big Bads and the skin and dental problems?” exclaimed Buffy in distaste. “No wonder you don't want people to see these holocrons those teeth could give you a lifetime of nightmares.”

“Buffy,” hissed Obi-Wan, who'd come over to stand next to her. “He is a Pau'an from Utapau. That's his species, they all look like that. Usually, they are very peaceful people who keep themselves to themselves.”

“Oopsie!” she grinned, not looking the slightest bit contrite or keeping her voice down, “Easy mistake to make. No doubt peaceful because they don't get many visitors. No wonder he was called Dark Depressive.”

“He is Darth Desolate not Depressive.” corrected Nick Fury. “I have heard of him before, he killed many Jedi in cruel and vile ways. He was even supposed to have a chamber especially built for slaughtering them in.”

“Did he collect their blood?” asked Andrew perking up with interest at the word 'slaughter'. “Any bites to the neck? Drainage of any type in any way? Hung up by their feet with their throats slit and so forth? What about odd rituals? Pentagrams to the floor etc? Could he have removed certain internal organs and started eating them raw, at inappropriate times and so forth?”

“I'm not sure. Maybe the holocrons will tell us more,” replied Nick evenly, fighting the urge to be sick at the images Andrew's suggestions conjured up.

The second holocron seemed to be filled with battle scenes, people being cut down and killed, screams of pain, scenes of torture...it seemed to go on a for a while with no variation in the theme.  
“Can you fast forward this one or eject it and go for the third one. I want to find out why he was body snatched before this time tomorrow,” asked Buffy. The holocron wasn't nice to watch and she'd no idea why Yodel was so keen on seeing it all.

Yoda, however, was feeling disappointed that Buffy hadn't got caught up with the scenes of violence and hadn't started cackling, so proving his theory that she was a Sith Lord. She must be good at hiding it, he decided, as he stopped the holocron and moved on to the last one.

The third one was the sound of the Pau'an voice which Buffy and Andrew noted had a lispy quality to it. No doubt due to the teeth.  
The Basic translator kicked in and they heard the Pau'an bragging he was the most powerful Sith to ever exist, the fiercest warrior with a lightsaber imbued with blood madness and how he'd discovered eternal life by stealing 'life's essence itself', there was mad cackling laughter and then the holocron cut off abruptly.

“Well that wasn't very helpful,” said Andrew, trying to sound like Giles. “I was hoping to hear the intricate details of rituals, the blood sacrifices, incantations to various gods and demons, potents of doom etcetera. It looks very like he took his secret to the grave.” He paused then added in his own voice. “And now someone wants to resurrect him and find out his secret. Which probably was a crappy secret in the first place due to it not working and him dying.”

“And we got treated to the cackling laughter. I really hate the Cacklers, it sort of grates on the Slayer's ears,” Buffy grimaced.

Nick Fury was looking thoughtful, he glanced at Master Ki-Adi-Mundi who was sitting next to him and then on to Yoda.  
“There has been Force Vampires before. Those that prey mainly on the Force Users and drain them in order to increase their power or life span. Perhaps that was Darth Desolate's secret 'life essence'?”

“I had part of my soul sucked out through my throat once, by my college room mate who turned out to be an inter-dimensional demon in disguise,” Buffy remarked, remembering the incident. “ I knew there was something evil about her as she ironed her jeans and had a dodgy taste in music but no one would believe me until it was nearly too late.”

She looked over at Master Plo Keen for sympathy and pouted, he made an odd rattling noise behind his mask and his breathing rate noticeably increased.

“Anyhow,” she continued, “There's a number of demons who do the whole sucky out thing but mainly it's the Vamps you gotta watch out for, so I'm putting my money on that one. Cos blood is like your life's essence, you are dead without any and also the crosses thing.”

She looked around at the council members who were all confused and decided to make a quick getaway while they all looked busy.

“Anyway, me and Andrew are gonna leave you to to do your brainy stuff while we hit the bars, for hunting and informative purposes and definitely not alcohol and frivolity. We can always have another meeting tomorrow, or maybe you can send a message, but not too early as I don't plan on getting up until at least noon.”

With that, she grabbed Andrew's arm and dragged him off before anyone could stop her.  
…....................


	39. Lessons With Dooku

The training room was packed, all the seats were taken by padawans, younglings (including Anakin), knights and even a couple of the masters were stood against the wall watching the latest lightsaber training session going on between Count Dooku and his new apprentice Buffy.

Count Dooku had insisted that Buffy started training in the basics of each lightsaber form since she was so unfamiliar with lightsabers. Buffy, however, had other ideas since her mastery of the weapon and techniques were coming incredibly fast to her and hadn't been able to stop herself adding a bit of what she called 'slayer style-age' to the lessons.  
Their training lessons were proving popular as not only was it educational, but they were also very entertaining to watch. Not just because a highly skilled Master was training a gifted pupil but also because the pupil liked to use the opportunity to make a lot of inappropriately timed conversation.

“Do try to restrain yourself from frivolity, chatter and excessive acrobatics, Miss Summers. This is not a game nor a chance to show off your hybrid Slayer talents to the watching audience. To excel in anything, one must put in the time to obtain complete mastery of all the basic moves before proceeding onwards.” Count Dooku was complaining loudly to his pupil, gazing at her with his usual fierce and intimidating expression.

Despite his complaints, it was obvious to all that he was proud of the way his new student had picked up the first form of lightsaber combat form one, Shii-Cho. He'd already decided that particular fighting style was not suited to her, she needed a far more aggressive form, possibly Vaapad since she seemed to instinctively veer towards the Darker Side (and he thought the least said about that the better) but he was determined she should learn all the forms before choosing the one for her.

Buffy twirled Mr Sparkly with a showy flourish and gave him a full blast cheerleader smile. “Oh but Count, I was only asking what sort of bird do you think my whistling sonic shower sounds like when it's switched on. I was thinking some type of robin with a sore throat but you said it sounded more like a Serenno Night Warbler during their breeding season so you really can't complain when you join in the banter.”

She brought her lightsaber up to a classic position and suddenly exploded, striking fast and accurately at the Count who blocked her and started to make high-energy impact thrusts of his own.

“It's very odd how that lightsaber has bonded to her being a Sith weapon,” remarked Quinlan. He was sat next to Obi-Wan and Andrew in the front row, his long legs stretched out in front of him watching the Slayer and the Count sparring. “You'd think it would only respond to another Dark Sorce user but this Slayer affinity to weapons Andrew mentioned must be the factor. ”

Obi-Wan gave him a long side look but said nothing. Privately he thought the Sith weapon had bonded with Buffy's inner Slayer darkness rather than it being her general affinity with weapons. Something he had every intention of keeping to himself. Master Yoda had asked him to look out for any signs of being Sith and personally, he didn't think inner Shadow Demon came under that heading.

Quin stopped talking for a moment, as he watched the Count narrowly miss being hit across the back of the head and counter with a very aggressive attack to Buffy's left side which she'd foolishly left open, or perhaps not, as she blocked his attack easily enough and got in her own hit to the Count's leg.  
“... I must say after the way she kicked his legs out from under him and then kicked him in the side of the head after he did that Force Throw on her, I'm surprised Dooku agreed to continue training her. I really thought that move might have sent him over the edge.”

Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. “Well, we both know what happens if you try to sneak in the direct use of the Force against her during a fight. I'd say you know better than anyone,” he said with a faint smirk, looking at his friend's still bruised eye.

Across from them, Anakin Skywalker was also watching the spar with several younglings from his classes, was talking very loudly and excitedly as he watched the lightsaber bout. “That's my girlfriend Buffy, we met at the battle of Naboo... ..I've already told my Master that I want to be a Slayer with a red lightsaber just like hers...”

Andrew's head spun around and he looked uneasily in the direction of the young boy. “He's still really intent on Buffy isn't he?” he whispered to Quin.

Quin shrugged. “ It seems that after seeing Buffy emerging from the pool in the Room of a Thousand Fountains he wants to marry her. Master Qui-Gon wasn't as concerned about his obsession with Padme - it wasn't likely to go anywhere with her being a Queen-but this fixation with Buffy is far more worrying for him. Master Yoda is not pleased and has already pulled Qui-Gon to one side to express his displeasure.” They were all silent for a while imagining that interview. Yoda hadn't wanted Qui-Gon to train the boy in the first place, he'd complained that he was too old and full of fear and that his future was clouded.

“Well, all I can say is, thank the Force I'm not his new master,” said Obi-Wan shooting Anakin a quick disapproving look as the young boy continued to talk loudly about his 'girlfriend'. “That wouldn't have ended well...”

“Have you chosen a padawan to train yet?” Quin asked, taking his eyes off the fight for a moment to look at Obi-Wan. He was curious about who he'd choose. Training a young Padawan took a lot of time in the early stages, and as he knew the Masters wouldn't allow a youngling to go off looking for demons in bars, so if Buffy got in the habit of visiting the entertainment district she'd need a new Jedi knight to show her around.

“No, I don't think the timing is right,” Obi-Wan replied, not taking his eyes off the fight. “How about you?”

“Aayla Secura, we have that force bond but...” Quin paused, watching Buffy nearly being struck by a fast sideways blow from the Count, which she avoided narrowly and then kicked the Count in the face ( which he wouldn't be pleased about) as she flipped over backward out of his reach. “..later. I want to be free in case I'm needed... for any unusual missions.”

Obi-Wan took his eyes off the fight and gave his friend a quick assessing look before turning back and inadvertently catching Andrew's eye, who for some reason was looking very disgruntled with both the Jedi and Buffy.

>>>>>>>>


	40. Shoes!

The Jedi Temple, an ancient building, had seen many things during its span of a thousand years with the thousands of knights, padawans, and younglings that had walked its halls over that time. However, since it had become home to the inter-dimensional travelers Miss Buffy Summers, and Mr Andrew Wells it was now seeing a spate of more unusual activity.

Like today for example, when a trio of service retail droids carrying ornately wrapped boxes, all topped with colorful and eye-catching (if gaudy) bows, arrived asking to see Miss Buffy Summers. One of the Jedi at the reception pointed towards the training room and off the service droids minced looking for the human woman who was their new best customer.

“We have a shoe delivery for Miss Summers, Shoe delivery for Miss Summers!” called one of the droids very loudly on entering the room, completely unaware there was a lightsaber training session going on between Buffy and Count Dooku.

Buffy was just in an intense part of the spar, her red blade coming up to meet each blow from Count Dracula's green blade with a speed and ferocity that rivaled a force users when she heard the droid's call. Using an intense Slayer push on the last blow she shoved Dracula backward and, switching off Mr Sparkly, she flew up the steps to where the droids were stood.

“Shoes? Shoes for me?” she asked, excitedly, taking in the mysterious large parcels with a wide smile.

The first droid nodded. “ If you are Miss Buffy Summers? We have shoes, clothes and other items of apparel from this season's range for a Miss Summers to enable her to attend the ambassador's ball tomorrow, all items have been paid for in full in advance.”  
It and the two other service droids placed the boxes down on the tables which were located next to the wall of the training room and stood back, waiting for the young human to dismiss them.

Buffy immediately pulled out a wicked looking sharp dagger from the inside of her boot and was in the process of ripping open the seal on the lid on the first box when she was interrupted...

“Miss Summers, it is considered extremely rude to run off during a spar leaving your tutor waiting for you in the middle of the training arena,” admonished the Count. He'd followed her to see what emergency had caused his apprentice to dart off during a training session and was disappointed to find that it was merely boxes that had caused her to run away.

“Shoes,” said Buffy, pulling off the box lid and staring at the row of high heels in a range of sparkly color and styles glinting back at her enticingly, and every pair in her size.

“Is that supposed to be an apology?” scolded Count Dooku, his voice low and growling he glared at her with his dark hypnotic eyes. It was a look and tone that had caused many a young (and old) Jedi over the years to crumble into a gibbering idiot before him. The effect, however, was sadly lost on the blonde girl who was gazing at the contents of the box in front of her in complete rapture and shoe adoration.

“Shoes,” replied Buffy, her eyes glowing with delight as she pulled out a pair of silver strappy sandals. “Sparkly shoes. I love shoes.”

Even the Count was forced to admit defeat in the face of the shoes.

Seeing that the lightsaber show had come to a sudden and unexpected end, the gathered audience started to leave the training room. As they left the room they couldn't help casting curious glances over to where Count Dooku's young non-Jedi apprentice could be seen excitedly waving a pair of sparkly shoes around in the face of a surprised Count.

Obi-Wan, Quinlan, and Andrew, who'd also been sat watching the lesson, quickly made their way over to the table to check out the cause of the excitement.

Buffy looked at them, her face beaming with happiness. “Shoes,” she said, and waved a red sparkly pair at them. “Shoes, shoes and more shoes!”

“I don't get it?” Quinlan frowned. “Have you lost the power of coherent speech?” Obi-Wan, standing next to him, winced for his friend and waited for retribution to strike.

Buffy held up the hilt of Mr Sparkly and pointed him at Quinlan. “SHOES!” she wagged the lightsaber hilt threateningly, before diving into another box.

Obi-Wan thought that really wasn't fair, he'd have been kicked in the shin and walking awkwardly for the rest of the day for saying what Quinlan had said. He tried to console himself with the thought that Quin still had a slight limp from Buffy's last attack on him and Buffy was probably being kind.

“Oh, pretty!” she started pulling out a selection of ball dresses in a rainbow of colors and several black ones stacked at the bottom. “Dresses to wear the shoes to.”

“What's in the third box?” asked Andrew, seeing as how Buffy's attention was drifting back once more to the box filled with shoes.

“Shoes?” asked Buffy to the droid who'd brought the box in.

The droid shook its head. “No Miss, we don't sell shoes at the shop I work at.”

Without waiting further, Buffy ripped off the lid of the third box to find...underwear in all different colors and styles.

“Pretty,” said Buffy, holding up a black lace set to eye level and twirling them around, and around. “Bras, panties, and stockings to wear shoes to.”

Obi-Wan flushing bright red at the thought of Buffy wearing nothing but her underwear and shoes closed his eyes and then opened them again quickly to see what Quin's reaction was. Quinlan merely grinned, both at the contents of the box and at his friend's embarrassment. Which caused Obi-Wan to scowl at him, fold his arms and keep his eyes firmly open even though Buffy was perusing through the contents of the underwear box.

The Count, however, surprised both of them with a completely off the wall comment. “An under-wired bra worn under diaphanous, low cut negligee will always look good on a beautiful woman.” This statement coming from the stern and a rather pedantic Count caused both younger knights to gape at him and Count Dooku to look smug and condescending.

Andrew ignored the Jedi and the underwear. Instead, he spotted a handwritten card which he picked up and read out, wincing as he did so at the badly composed verse.

“Roses are Red, Violence is too.  
My dark cookies don't tempt you,  
So sending you shoes and apparel instead,

To my delightful inVader from another dimension  
yours hopefully, Sid.”

Andrew looked at the card and the boxes of clothes dubiously. “Buffy, you do know these are from Chancellor Palpatine. Should you be even accepting them? It might send him the wrong message.”

“Shoes,” replied Buffy, and grabbed the shoe box. “My shoes, he's not having them back.”

Andrew shook his head in disapproval. “Accepting gifts from men like Palpatine isn't wise. He will be expecting something more than friendship in return. Maybe even something of the dark and snorty variety.”

The Count nodded in agreement. “Your apprentice is correct Miss Summers. I fear the Chancellor might want you for a less than respectable purpose. I have not said anything before but there is something about the man that suggests to me that all is not what he seems... However, I shall also be attending the ball tomorrow, so with two Jedi knights and your apprentice in attendance you will not lack protection if he dares to insult you with a disagreeable offer.”

Buffy beamed at him, “Thank you. He's not having his shoes back. Now I need to go back to the apartment and try my new shoes on with all my new outfits,” she said, hugging the shoe box against her chest possessively.

“In that case, let me help you carry these boxes up,” quickly offered Quinlan. He made a grab for the underwear box but found he'd been beaten to it by Obi-Wan, who grinned at him in triumph.

Sighing, Quin picked up the other box and the two of them trailed after Buffy, with a short scuffle in the doorway as both tried to trip up the other one, resulting in a bout of pushing and shoving until they got out in the more populated main corridor, where both walked sedately alongside each other with all the serenity of Jedi knights.

Count Dooku rolled his eyes at their antics. “It seems Miss Summers is the catalyst for chaos in this dimension, Mr Wells. Was it the same in the last one?”

Andrew nodded. “Buffy's always had a certain talent for it, but I think this galaxy is getting special attention.”

…..


	41. Iron-O Spray

Obi-Wan was carefully ironing his best Jedi tunic for the ball that night when the buzzer went on his door. He was unable to sense the caller through the normal Force but was fairly certain it would be Buffy due to a slight Dark Force that seemed to follow her around. Opening the door he let her in, (without a verbal invite as she'd taught him) he then went back to his ironing.

“Whatcha doing?” she asked brightly, walking across to perch on the arm of his couch. He'd no idea why she always enjoyed perching on the arm of the couch when there were seats available, not that he really minded, he found he rather liked watching her sitting there, swinging her legs.

Obi-Wan started ironing his pleats again. “Ironing Buffy.” Surely it was obvious? He had no idea why she was asking a question she could see the answer to.

She frowned, watching him carefully pressing a seam. “ I thought that with the no water 'fresher thing, the fancy clothes fabric and the finishing process it meant you didn't need to do any ironing?”

“Well, I prefer the pleats and the creases on my clothes to be extra crispy.” And feeling very self-conscious under her gaze he squirted his tunic pleats with Iron-O spray and started ironing again.

Buffy sat watching him from her perch, her legs swinging but not saying anything. Obi-Wan knew she was probably thinking he was a Nerd for ironing his clothes. He was often mocked for his fastidiousness off the other Jedi but wasn't like he was issued with that many clothes and he just liked everything to be clean and freshly pressed.

Buffy frowned suddenly, and nodded towards where his best trousers lay at one side “Are you going to press a crease down the front of your trousers?”

Obi-Wan went still and held his breath, he'd a feeling that how he answered now was going to be very important. He stared down at his tunic in front of him, hoping the correct answer would come to him through the Force (it didn't), finally he went for. “No.”

“Ah, that's good, cos only a Nerd of NerdsVille would press a front crease in that kind of trousers.”

She looked happier now he'd given the right answer and he breathed a sigh of relief. He needed to remember not to do that in the future.

“Obi-Wan, would you mind ironing my blouse, while you have your iron out? The collar doesn't lie right since I put it in the 'fresher and I think if it was ironed it would look much better. There's nothing worse than going out with creased clothing and looking a rumpled mess. Slaying with Style is kinda my thing and I've felt sort of let down sometimes by the general lack of crispiness n this dimension.” She gave him a huge smile and he found himself smiling back at her, happy that she understood the importance of clothes being crease free.

“I don't mind ironing your blouse, bring it over.” He paused, knowing she might take advantage of his offer and warned her, “As long as it's only your blouse. I don't want you bringing a huge pile of ironing for me to do.”

Buffy jumped off the arm of his couch, “Cool, I'll go and get it.”

She stopped on her way to the door and tapped herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand. “Oh! I nearly forgot! I came to ask you what kind of dancing do they do at balls in this dimension? Andrew is not being very helpful. I think he's still sulking cos I ripped his doll's head off after he tried blackmailing me with it. Anyway, I've got my own back for what he wrote on my mug, I fixed his real good.” She gave a sly grin, and Obi-Wan wondered what she'd done. “Uh, what was I asking? Oh yeah, I don't know how to do any of the dances and was hoping you might know some and have time to show me this afternoon. I'm not doing lightsaber class as Count Dracula has gone off picking up his new cloak and says he's got to go over some paperwork for that castle he's inherited on Serenno with his lawyer.”

Obi-Wan, iron in hand, stood gazing at Buffy, pleased she'd come to ask him to show her how to dance. “Of course, I do know a couple of the dances and I will be happy to come over once I've finished my ironing. If you drop off your blouse, I'll bring it back once it's done and we can start to practice for the ball.”

“Cool, it's a dance-date then.” And with that she was out the door before he could make a fool of himself with the automatic reply, 'Jedi are not allowed to have dates'.

….....

Obi-Wan heard music coming from Buffy's apartment as he stood waiting in the corridor for the door to be answered. To his surprise, it was Andrew who opened the door and when the blonde boy stepped back. The sight of Buffy dancing in Quinlan Vos's arms met his eyes.

He stood stunned and rooted to the spot. Quinlan spotted him and grinned arrogantly at him from over the top of Buffy's head. At that moment Obi-Wan felt an ugly emotion building up inside him against his childhood friend, an emotion that he'd only ever felt once before in the Sith Tomb when under attack from the Dark Side of the Force and now found himself unexpectedly having to deal with once again.

“IDIOT BOY!” hissed Count Dooku's voice from behind him. It made him jump as he'd been so wrapped up in his emotion that not sensed the older Jedi behind him. The stern faced Count pushed past Obi-Wan giving him a dark and disapproving look as he did so.

Feeling ashamed of himself, Obi-Wan followed the disparaging Count inside, and Buffy immediately left Quinlan to come over to them both.

“Oh wowsies! That blouse looks so much better, Ubi! Thank you,” she said. Taking the blouse from him she unexpectedly gave him a quick kiss on his cheek as she thanked him.

Without waiting for him to say anything in reply (and missing his heightened color), she turned to the Count and wrinkled her nose in confusion. “I thought you were off collecting your new cloak and sorting the castle paperwork out? Have I got the day wrong? Was I supposed to be having a lightsaber practice after all Count?”

“Indeed not Miss Summers. I simply found the legal documentation to my castle has been delayed so I thought I'd take the opportunity to provide you with dancing lessons. I know how much you'd value expert tuition, rather than attempting to learn from the younger Jedi who often lack the elegant footwork associated with the more formal dances.” With that comment Count Dooku shot both Obi-Wan and Quinlan a dark and disapproving glare, with the hope of driving them out the apartment.

Buffy laughed, “Yeah, I know what you mean by lacking elegant footwork. Quin's stood on my foot three times already and he's only been trying to teach me for a couple of minutes.”

Quin had the grace blush, “It's not my fault! It's my leg. It's still stiff and sore from where you kicked it.”

Obi-Wan waited until his friend looked over at him and then mouthed 'You NERD' at him. Then smirked as Quin scowled back at him.

“That's kind of you Count, but I thought you were busy and I asked Ubi if he'd teach me to dance. That's why he called round, to bring me my blouse back and for our dance-date,” Buffy was saying dubiously, looking from the Count to Obi-Wan, not wanting to offend either of them.

Obi-Wan, now feeling a lot better than he'd done on entering the apartment, decided to put his famed negotiator skills to good use. “Perhaps if I teach you the basic steps to a dance that I know and Count Dooku teaches you another? I'm sure as one of the senior Jedi he has far more experience than I do, but this way you can have the benefit of two tutors... a young one and an older one,” he said with a smile.

He then took a quick look at Quin, who was looking disgruntled at being left out. “I think Quinlan should, however, avoid dancing or any similar activity around you. In case he should find his injury accidentally worsening.” And he gave his friend a not so friendly smirk.


	42. The Ball

Palpatine was already stood at the bottom of the grand staircase, talking with a group of Senators when Buffy and her party were announced at the Grand Ball.

With Count Dooku taking Buffy's arm they group sedately made their way down the immense staircase that led down to the reception area following the other guests who were arriving at the same time as them. Andrew and Obi-Wan trailing just a few steps behind them, Obi-Wan with his usual calm and sedate manner while Andrew bounced from foot to foot, attempting to gawk over the banisters every few steps, and testing his knowledge on alien species. Every so often he would dart forward and prod Buffy's bare shoulder, so as to draw her attention to some especially rare or peculiar species that he'd spotted. Which was beginning to annoy her. She was a Slayer and no stranger to pain or bruises but the way Andrew was getting excited with the prodding she was going to have a permanent red mark on her left shoulder.

Buffy herself was busily taking in all the alien and human fashions. She winced at the awful make-up and the exceptionally ugly, towering hairstyles that many wore. Thinking that they all seemed over the top compared to her own classically styled up-do.  
Before setting off, she'd had a flutter of nerves, this being her first formal ball in a new dimension. She'd asked the guys their opinion of her appearance.

The Count had taken a long look at her and pronounced her to be 'exceptional', and lent her one of his best cloaks to wear in the speeder over so that she wouldn't get cold. Andrew, being Andrew muttered she looked like a 'Bond Girl' (or maybe it was a blonde girl), whilst Obi-Wan looked at the low neckline on her strapless dress, blushed, and then, staring at her hair, told her that it 'looks very lovely pushed up like that, as long as she was sure it wouldn't fall out if she leaned over of bounced about too much'. Which she took as a compliment. Even if it was a bit Xander-ish.

Now, looking around her at the weird and wonderful, she felt totally vindicated spending four hours getting ready. Plus she'd also looked and couldn't see anyone wearing nicer shoes than her own and certainly no one else's waist was adorned with a stolen Sith lightsaber dangling from a decorative chain belt.

“Ahhh Buffy, it is truly a delight to see you once more!” Chancellor Palpatine, dressed in a formal maroon robe, pounced on the blonde slayer the very moment her foot touched the bottom of the steps. “And I see you have brought quite an impressive escort with you.” Looking at her party and taking an especially long, considering look at Count Dooku, before smiling at the man with his lips if not his eyes.

“Chancellor Palatine, I am.. glad to see you again,” Dooku said, in his rich deep voice, and Buffy got the impression that the Count was neither impressed with Sid nor glad to see him. “Miss Summers comes here under my protection as she has kindly agreed to become my new Apprentice...”

Palpatine visibly paled and shot a startled look at Buffy. Narrowing his eyes at the Count, Palpatine began slowly circling the man, who in return started to circle him. After watching them circle around each other a few times at the bottom of the stairs Buffy began to feel dizzy.

“I'm choking on the testosterone poisoning here,” she said cheerfully, putting her hand on the Count's arm to stop the circling. “The Count has kindly agreed to be my lightsaber tutor, as he's like the best in the galaxy.” She gave Dracula a light up the room smile, and he responded with a small, tight smile in return at her praise.

Sid, cast a dark look at Count Dooku, before turning to Buffy, “Might I have a quick word, Buffy? In a private place where we...”

Count Dooku quickly interrupted him, “ As well as being my apprentice, Miss Summers is a young unmarried lady, and has an excellent reputation. Any private speech you wish to have with her shall be conducted with the door open - in case of impropriety,” he glared at Palpatine, daring the man to oppose him or try any inappropriate behavior with his apprentice. “In fact, I, and my fellow Jedi Knight Kenobi who has been assigned by the Jedi High Council to protect her will remain close by... watching.”

“Yes, well. Do excuse us, Count.” Sid rolled his eyes and grimaced at Buffy, before gesturing towards a nearby doorway and began walking beside her with his quick, short, strides.

“I must say you look absolutely divine in shimmering gold,” he said, smiling benignly as they entered the room, and waving his hand at the floor length gold gown Buffy wore with a thigh length split (giving manoeuvrer room in case she'd the urge to kick anyone in the face). “But I was so hoping you'd wear something black and lacy as it's a color that you suit so well.” With those words he pouted which was a strange look on the Supreme Chancellor.

“Oh, but I am, Sid,” smirked Buffy. “I'm just not wearing them on the outside!”

Palpatine stared at her, stunned for a long moment at her disclosure, before clapping his hands together in glee and giving an odd sounding cackling laugh. “Oh, fantastic!”

He motioned to her to sit beside him on a two seater sofa before leaning in and growling at her in low confidential tones, “You are correct my inVader, we must keep our darker side hidden mustn't we, and not let the casual onlooker see the whole game. It's the way of the Si... it's the best way to be.”

Buffy's smile widened, “Oh yes, we all have our little secrets, don't we? And some people have bigger secrets than others.”

“Of course! So tell me, did you like my gifts?” he beamed at her, before making an obvious attempt to peer down her dress to see if she really was wearing something dark and lacy underneath.

“Yeah, thanks Sid. I especially liked the shoes.” She leaned away from him and instead showed him her sparkly shoes, which had the unfortunate effect of showing him far too much leg along with the stake strapped to her garter. For a moment there, before she quickly pulled her skirt split closed she thought his eyes flashed yellow, although it could have been the reflection from her dress.

“Oh, I am so... pleased,” he growled at her in a weird, low voice. He cleared his throat, continuing in more normal tones. “When I was a small boy my mother remarked on my exquisite taste and started asking me to choose her clothes. I chose everything for her, from her hats down to her underwear. I was a bit of a mummies boy back then but I really loved her, very much.” He gave a dramatic sad sigh.

“What happened to her, Sid? Is she still alive? ” Buffy asked curiously. Wondering what sort of relationship Sid had with his mother as it sounded a bit odd.

“Oh, she died, it was tragic.” Sid was pulling one of his tragedy faces, which made Buffy suspicious.

“I'm sorry to hear that. Was it sudden?”

Palpatine nodded and wiped an invisible tear from his eye. “Choked. It was very fast, she didn't suffer – for very long. ”

“What about your father?” Buffy asked she had a bad feeling about how he was going to answer.

The Chancellor sneered and snarled, “He was not a nice man. I was never good enough for him and he was always jealous of how close Mother and I were. His was a long, and lingering death, which truly was what he deserved after the abuse he put me through.”

“Oh, that's... a shame. What did he die of?”

“There was a terrible storm on Naboo that went on for days. He was struck by lightning while out... gardening,” Sid said with a smirk, almost swaying with pleasure at the dark memory. “Multiple times and what was left of him wasn't very pretty. What about you Buffy? Are your parents still alive?”

“My father mysteriously disappeared not long after I came out of the hospital. He put me in there. He said I was insane as I started with the slaying and burning school buildings down,” Buffy gave him a calculating smile, and didn't mention how he'd disappeared with his secretary. Best to keep Sid on his toes.

“The Rotter!” exclaimed the Chancellor, quite annoyed for her. “Parents sometimes fail to understand their children. Mysterious disappearances often work out quite well though... And your mother?”

Buffy sighed and decided to tell him the bare minimum. He could make of it what he wanted. “I lost her to a brain aneurysm.”

Sid frowned. “I don't think I know that one.” He sat silent for a few moments seemingly lost in thought.

Then he looked off towards the open doorway, to where Count Dooku lingered with Obi-Wan, and his lip curled at the two Jedi.  
“I must say I am surprised at you taking an apprenticeship with Count Dooku, Buffy. I do understand your passion for slaying but you'll soon find the Count's knowledge on other darker matters is limited compared to my own. I've had some very.. 'wise'.. tutors and could teach you so many interesting things that others can not...” he let the sentence trail away, gazing into her eyes, his own darkening with lust at the dark force potential he saw lurking inside Buffy. “Can you guess my most secret and yet deepest ambition, Buffy?”

“To create a reign of terror and tyranny across the galaxy?” The words came out of Buffy's mouth before she could stop them and she grinned at him, hoping he'd take it as a joke rather than a suggestion.`

He chuckled darkly, “Oh my dear, you are awful, but I like the way you think. No, I would like to have a large family with the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I don't want to put it off any longer, my sweetest inVader.” He made a grab for her hand, missed and hit her thigh instead, which he seemed pleased about as he gripped very hard with his fingers. “Just think we could be married within a month and be holding our first child before the year is out.”

Buffy's green eyes widened and mentally did a Willow 'eeep'. “Oh that's a.. nice ambition but Sid I've only just come out of a relationship and I'm not ready for another...”

“You think I am too old for you, don't you Buffy?” Palpatine pouted at her, so she pouted back in self defence.

“No, that's not it Sid. My last boyfriend was like, well over a hundred years older than me and my first one was over two hundred years older... So the age thing is not the deal breaker. But no, sorry, it's too soon. It wouldn't be fair making you wait, not with you being so keen on starting with the babies and stuff.”  
She prised his hand off her thigh and stood up. “You're a... powerful man, I'm sure you'll find a woman who'll make all your dreams come true, so don't wait around for me. I'll probably end up on my own or living with a lot of cats...” She was beginning to feel like Willow with the babbling so shot a final pout at him before making a dash for the door, leaving Sid sitting behind on the sofa, looking lost and confused.

Andrew grabbed her as soon as she exited the door and they all tried to put as much distance between themselves and Slimy Sid as possible.

“What did he want Buffy?” Andrew asked as they dived through the crowds of alien VIP's trying to get to the other side of the ballroom. “ Was he trying to lure you to the...”

“He wanted me to have his babies,” said Buffy, and shuddered visibly. She still felt a bit shocked at that. It wasn't the sort of thing she normally got asked to do back home, then again the Big Bads there didn't go for the shoe deliveries either.

“The Scoundrel! To think he even suggested such a thing of a respectable lady. He should be ashamed!” exclaimed Count Dooku, who was following closely behind them with an equally shocked Obi-Wan on his heels.

“He said we'd be married first but it seems odd to me. Sends me a bunch of flowers, then some shoes, I don't even get a proper date, the next thing he says is that he wants to get married this month and have a baby within a year. I've heard of a fast worker but that's ridiculous, you'd think he'd be a bit more... insidious with it all.”

“A respectable marriage proposal! Well, Well, that puts a different complexion on things... I shall not be able to ask him to fight a duel for insulting you.” The Count was glaring at her now. The thought that his new apprentice was going to go off to become Mrs Sheev Palpatine he found to be incredibly displeasing.

“I didn't accept!” said Buffy, feeling insulted that anyone would think she'd marry Palpatine, that was just Ewww and she needed a large bottle of brain bleach to remove the image it accidentally created in her head.

“I am extremely glad to hear it,” said the Count, relaxing his darkened visage. “I have recently been hearing about some aspects of the man that I find less than palatable, my sources suggest that he represents the darker side of politics.

“Indeed he does Count, indeed he does,” replied Buffy, trying to avoid looking at Andrew who was doing the facepalm thing. She didn't say anything but wondered if she should start putting spokes in the wheel of Dark Sid's machinations in a totally sneaky, underhand and 'insidious' manner that would match his own.

…..............


	43. Sand & Smoochies

Buffy leaned against the ornate banister, looking across at the lights of the passing sky traffic and on towards the Jedi Temple and the weird UFO-shaped Senate building that was lit up in the distance.

She could hear the music from the ballroom, sounds of laughter and chatter drifting through the doors behind her and wondered if Sid had gone home or if he was still out there... lingering around, waiting for her. No doubt trying to lure her to the dark side of his bed with his Vader comments and promises of shoes.

She'd come out here not only to escape him, but because she realized she needed some fresh air. She'd felt a bit odd, then started seeing auras around people, and even rivers of energy which she knew was the Force that Obi-Wan was always going on about. It wasn't something she normally saw, she'd not noticed it before this evening, and it was a bit worrying. This was more of a Willow thing, not a Slayer thing. If it continued happening she'd need to ask Ubi if there was any way she could stop seeing it, even if it meant meditating with him again. In a pool-less environment preferably.

Buffy heard the sound of the doors behind her softly whooshing open, for a second she tensed, thinking it was Sid who'd hunted her down. She then realized without even turning that it was Obi-Wan. She'd noticed the way all the Jedi made a blip on her spider senses, although not in a nasty creeper slay-it-now way, and guessed it was something to do with them having the strong 'Force Signature' that they were always bragging about.

“I wondered where you'd disappeared to,” Obi-Wan said breaking through her thoughts. He walked out onto the balcony and came to stand beside her, looking all shiny with a fancy sparkly aura which made pretty patterns in the Force. It made her feel almost dizzy looking at him.

“I've just taking a breather. It was too much for me inside,” she replied, trying to avoid looking at the pink sparkles pouring off Obi-Wan. They were floating towards her through the Force and giving the warm fuzzies to her inner Slayer. Striving for a normal conversation she continued, “Formal balls are not my thing and neither is having to be nice to some of those ambassadors from different planets. I wasn't sure how to dance with that four foot tall guy with the six arms, and the nine eyes on stalks.” She frowned, and complained, “His hands and eyes were everywhere, and he kept following me around wanting to dance again... his translating device said he lived in a sandcastle on some desert planet and didn't get out much.”

She looked up to find Obi-Wan gazing down at her, a smoldering look in his blue eyes that she'd never seen before. Her mouth made an 'O' of surprise, and she was hit by a huge surge of passion and longing that it filled her entire being with the desperate need to be in his arms.

She looked back at him. Knowing her own inner heat was written on her own face and uncaring. She just wanted, no needed him.

“I don't like sand,” Obi-Wan's voice was thick with emotion. “It's rough and coarse, and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like you, you are all that is soft and smooth...” He reached, out thrilling her, as he trailed his fingertips tantalisingly along her bare arm and shoulder, tracing her collarbone and gently stroking the nape of her neck. His light touch sending tiny shivers of electricity throughout her body, and he gazed down at her, a faint smirk springing to his lips, as he saw how she trembled at his touch.

“...there's trees in the desert since you moved out, and I don't sleep on a bed of bones...” replied Buffy softly, and leaned in to Obi-Wan as he bent his head to kiss her.

Their lips locked in an intense and passionate kiss. Buffy lost inside Obi-Wan's brown bathrobe clad arms that he'd possessively wrapped around her, while her hands tangled in the back of his pajamas and utility belt, the sound of an orchestra playing in their ears until Buffy suddenly pulled away. The music and kiss seemingly to stop simultaneously – which, when Buffy thought about it all later, decided was a bit weird.

“I wear the cheese, it does not wear me!” hissed Buffy at random, trying to get a grip on her scattered thoughts. Something wasn't right here. Was magic going on? It felt almost like it did that time when she was arranging her wedding with Spike. That same swept off her feet heady feeling...

She jumped away from Obi-Wan, who also darted away. The Jedi grabbed hold of the balcony in front of him, staring out at the skyline, refusing to look at the girl whom he'd just passionately kissed, and wanted so much to hold again in his arms and kiss once more. The girl who'd rejected him. The girl who had to push him away as he'd forced himself on her.

Buffy also found herself not daring to look at the Jedi who stood, within easy taking down distance for a Slayer who was burning up with...er, frustration. Mentally she chided herself. She'd not only enjoyed sizzling smoochies with a monk who smelt clean, and wholesome with a faint tang of ironing spray, but she desperately wanted to drag him off somewhere private and repeat the experience with him again, over and over and very soon. It was all so wrong and yet, even if you took away the pink sparkles, it had also felt very right.

A minute or two ticked by before she sneaked a glance at Obi-Wan who was stood stoically staring out at the sky, arms now folded inside his over-sized bathrobe - possibly trying to meditate- and wondered what their sand conversation had been about. If she'd been back in her own dimension she'd have thought a magic spell was at work.

“Did you have too much wine?” she asked him. She'd only had two glasses.

He shook his head, and another thought occurred to her. “Did you eat any of those cookies again?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, then slanted a slightly embarrassed, but still heated glance at her that made her melt all over again, in places an off-limits monk should not be making her melt.

“Did you have a slice of Alderaan Berry Surprise cake?” he asked, his voice thick and husky with lust.

His voice, and the look in his eyes, almost sent her over the edge and she had to use her iron will to stop herself from diving in for another round of smoochies, and whatever else that led to, instead she forced herself to focus on their conversation.  
“Was that like the sponge cake with the red goey sweet stuff inside? Last table in the row, next to the ugly statue of an alien with a large head? If it was, I went back for seconds,” she replied thoughtfully if a little raggedly. It really was one extra tasty cake.

Obi-Wan nodded, realization starting to dawn,“ I had four pieces.” He caught Buffy's shocked look, and added defensively, “It's one of my favorites and I rarely get to eat it. ”

“Ah! That explains it. Looks like there was an extra surprise in the Berry Surprise cake. Someone thought they'd make this party extra fun to be at,” Buffy replied. That would explain why she'd been seeing auras and stuff earlier.

Obi-Wan felt a wave of relief at the realization that his behavior was the effect of drugs rather than a lack of self control on his part. If he wasn't able to control himself around her, he'dneed to go straight to Master Yoda and confess he'd become emotionally involved, but if the kissing was the result of drugged food he didn't need to say anything. They'd both been drugged by person or person's unknown so even a Jedi knight could not be held responsible for his actions at that time. He'd heard of things like this happening at formal occasions before, politicians using the opportunity to bring disrespect to another's name by adding anti-inhibitor drugs to the wine or certain foods. He remembered Qui-Gon saying something about one occasion where...

“You gotta hold of yourself now?”

“No, it's just the way I'm stood,” he replied without thinking what he was saying. He heard Buffy snort with laughter, and he frowned, puzzled at her laughter before his eyes widened realizing what he'd just said and how she'd taken his remark.

Obi-Wan gritted his teeth, looking ahead at the familiar lights of the cityscape before him and refused to look over to Buffy. Why was he able to go into battle with droids and Sith Lords, negotiate peace treaties between warring planets but had all the finesse of Jar Jar Binks in her company?

He felt like crawling off with embarrassment. He was undoubtedly what she called a Nerd from NerdsVille, and it was no wonder she'd jumped away when he'd kissed her. He probably kissed like a Nerd too... Mortified that he'd not only let himself down as a Jedi, but he'd completely failed as a man he stared off at the lights in the distance. While the girl he'd made a fool of himself over laughed at him.

“You think we're safe to venture back into the ballroom?” asked Buffy, when she could finally control her giggling. “Or do you think some poor, unsuspecting passerby might enjoy the sudden company of our lips?”

“I don't believe I have the urge to kiss anyone else,” replied Obi-Wan truthfully. “However, it might be better if we leave sooner rather than later, as this party could well descend into an orgy.” He inwardly cringed at using the word 'orgy' in a sentence to Buffy so soon after kissing her, it brought up some very vivid images that should not even have been in his head being a Jedi, but he soldiered on determinedly. “I suggest we alert Count Dooku and Andrew to the likely-hood of drugged food – no need to mention what happened between us, of course. Then, since he is our host, we should make our farewells to the Chancellor, if he is still around, and depart.”

“Yeah, that sounds for the best. Can you make sure you stand next to me when we see the Chancellor? Don't want to get lip locked by Sid,” she shuddered with revulsion at the thought and wondered if he'd been the one behind adding the anti-inhibitor drugs at a high society buffet and ball.  
If so it would explain the popularity of his gatherings and his rise to power.


	44. Palpatine contemplates

Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine stood in his private quarters holding a cup of tea in his hand, sipping it slowly, while looking out of his window at the early morning cityscape before him.

Playing on the holodisk next to him, was a number of recordings taken from the ball the previous night. The majority of the 'security' recordings were of no consequence although he did make notes of who certain senators, ambassadors and elite spent most of their time with and he'd paid particular attention to whom his favorite inVader from another dimension - Buffy Summers- danced with. The ambassador from the dreadful desert outer rim planet Abr mo'th had been chasing her around at one point which was quite amusing to watch, that strange fellow been very insistent she danced with him a number of times.

There was also Count Dooku, Palpatine's lip curled as he thought of the man, he'd danced with 'his' apprentice twice. It had come as a nasty shock to see Buffy descend the stairs in that man's company and especially to hear that she'd become his apprentice. For a moment, when he and Dooku had been circling one another his passions had risen so much that he'd been very tempted to pull his lightsaber out of his sleeve and release 'The Red Death' upon the Count. His little inVader certainly brought out the darker side of him and he'd become rather impulsive in her presence. It was very lucky Vader intervened before he'd exposed himself and explained she was the man's lightsaber apprentice. Still, it did leave a nasty taste in his mouth to think of her being Dooku's apprentice in any form and maybe even calling him Master. Just the thought of it brought on a tidal wave of rage. That title should be for him and him alone.

A vision rose before his eyes of Buffy on her knees in front of him, her eyes all green, wide and eager, calling him Master and saying she'd be willing to do anything he asked. The very idea sent him all of a quiver and Palpatine found he needed a sip of tea to stop his knees from trembling at the thought. It was better to think of something else and not give way to his dark impulses...

He'd been watching the Count himself for some time, for manipulation purposes, as it had been obvious he no longer held firm with the Jedi ideals but had been searching for something 'else'. That something else was obviously something only the Dark Force and attempting to become a Sith Lord could provide. The Count would be a useful man to have around, he already had a certain darker power about him that was quite interesting and, of course, once he'd been fully exploited, he could be disposed of.  
There was time yet to bend the man to his will. Buffy was bound to find Dooku boring once she'd learned all she needed to know from him, and as long as she didn't slay him at that point all was not lost.

He much preferred the Count to that vile little boy who that pompous Jedi long-haired Qui-Gon Jinn claimed was the Chosen One. The boy had come into his office, dropped a well sucked piece of candy onto the floor and then instead of picking it up, had rubbed it into what had been a nice red carpet with his foot. That one was very badly brought up and needed some harsh discipline. Several months of hard labor in an underground prison would no doubt improve his manners. It certainly hadn't done Darth Maul any harm.  
Then, if that candy incident wasn't bad enough from the little horror, he'd spoken to him a few days ago and asked him what his ambition was when he was grown up? He'd been fully expecting him to say something along the lines of power and position but the horrible child had replied, 'married to Buffy Summers'.

Palpatine gave a little sigh and took another sip of tea.

It seemed every Sith or Sith potential in the galaxy was gravitating towards her. It was no wonder. She had the interesting core of alien dark power waiting to be explored and exploited by the strongest Sith in the galaxy. The one to do that would be him, of course. Ah, yes that core of Dark Force passion could be used in all sorts of interesting ways.

Palpatine took a quick sip of his tea at that thought and then a second longer drink, as he remembered something else that made him feel giddy. When she'd shown him her new shoes, the long split in her skirts had come open, revealing a black lacy garter with a wooden stake attached to it. He tried not to think about how his eyes had accidentally flashed yellow and how excited he'd got at that thrill inducing sight.

Forcing his mind away from the incident he thought back once more to Buffy's dance partners.

Buffy had danced once with that irritating, stick-in-the-mud Jedi Kenobi, who'd Palpatine privately named Mr Squeaky Clean. She'd also danced with her own stupid apprentice. The boy's taste in clothing was truly offensive it made him shudder. Buffy was certainly at loggerheads with him, he'd stood on her dress and nearly ripped a section off the skirt and a huge argument had erupted.  
Palpatine had no idea why she'd chose him as an apprentice. Unless it was for his Vengeance Demon summoning ability which would come in useful for a Sith Lord, although his ability seemed to be erratic according to Palpatine's 'friends' on the Jedi Council. Of course, he would have to go, there could only be two at any one time, it was the most important rule of being a Sith. Well, two and a few hundred thousand minions. You couldn't do all the work yourself, after all, that would be no fun.

He had to admit he'd been rather disappointed in Buffy last night. He'd thought she'd have jumped at the chance of marrying him, it was a quick step up the ladder for any aspiring Sith and being a Sith was all about the power... and the passion. He took another sip of tea at that thought. Maybe it was the babies comment. Sith children always had a tendency to grow up and kill their parents. It could have put her off. Perhaps, he should have mentioned owning a shoe factory or a weapons factory instead? Maybe she needed more wooing?

Wooing was quite a fun idea. He could start calling at her apartment for intimate chats. You never knew where or even what position an 'intimate chat' might lead to...

Feeling a cackle coming on he quickly took another sip of tea and stared off in the direction of the Jedi Temple. A smirk came to his face at how she'd craftily inveigled her way in there – what a truly audacious move for a Sith to make – to march up to the front door of the Jedi and ask for 'help'. Then, to claim she'd been hunting for 'vampires' when actually she'd been exploring the Sith Tomb for hidden holocrons to expand her knowledge of the Dark Side. His inVader was so very naughty!  
Still, she might find those pesky Jedi could get in the way of her plans, as he'd found out to his own cost a number of times.

Last night he'd watched her as she ate two slices of Berry Surprise cake and, filled with dark anticipation, chuckled to himself at the thought of what was to come. It hadn't been too difficult to linger around - innocently - in her vicinity, ready to be on hand to whisk her off to one of the private rooms when her emotions began to get the better of her. Unfortunately, he'd been momentarily distracted by a falling Jar Jar Binks who'd crashed into a service droid and made a terrible mess, and then when he looked back around, found she'd disappeared. Palpatine's face soured.  
Security tape, later viewed, showed her out on the balcony in a disgusting clinch with Kenobi of all people! It was truly nauseating seeing a Jedi polluting her with his lips! Squeaky Clean had apparently polished off all four remaining slices of cake. Then he'd somehow managed to keep himself under control long enough to avoid all others, hunt down, find, and corner Buffy as she took a breath of fresh air out on the balcony.

The only joy Palpatine found in watching that fiasco was seeing how she'd quickly fought against the effects of the drug and pulled herself free of the Jedi. Oh, she was a feisty one was his little Vader and he could just imagine her as his dark apprentice causing all sorts of mayhem for him throughout the galaxy, not to mention in his bed.

He chuckled, and drank more tea to calm his rising 'passions'. His first meeting of the day was with Master Yoda and Mace Windu and no doubt they would complain of her to him, he didn't want to start cackling excitedly in front of them. That would never do...


	45. Sith Queen & Darth Andrew

The following morning after the ball Buffy was lazing round in her apartment, still in her Jedi sleep suit, and reading an article on Coruscant's rich and famous on her datapad, when the buzzer went on the door.

“It's only Obi-Wan,” she called to Andrew, who was still in the shower, as she got up to answer the door. She'd beaten him to the 'fresher that morning, literally, as in they'd raced for it and she'd grabbed his pajama collar and chucked him out the door. You've got to have some perks being a Slayer and not waiting for the bathroom should always be one of them.

The door slid open to reveal... Zorro waiting in the corridor.

Or rather Obi-Wan dressed as Zorro. Black tunic, black trousers, black boots, black bandanna, and a very long black cape, that swept the floor behind him. The only thing he was missing was the mask and perhaps his sword unless you counted his lightsaber that was attached to his utility belt as always.

“Hi Ubi, are you going to a fancy dress today?” she asked, stepping back to allow him in and noting he wasn't looking as sparkly as he had the previous evening.

Obi-Wan stopped, and gave her an offended look, saying in his clipped accent. “No, indeed I am not. I collected this from the Jedi store earlier and intended it to be my new Scooby outfit as you suggested that I needed to wear darker colors. Are you saying this is not suitable for that purpose?”

“I think it's the cape,” replied Buffy cheerfully. “It sort of threw me. Anyway, can you and your Flash-ing blade walk over there and give us a twirl, so I can get like the full Zorro effect .”

Obi-Wan obliged, saying as he did so, “ I chose the cloak as you seemed so very keen on Count Dooku's, even remarking on his unique sense of styling for a Jedi. If I'd known you would have an aversion of it...”

“Whoa, it's Westley!” Andrew who'd come out the shower and stood gaping at Obi-Wan. Seeing Buffy's confused look he explained. “Not 'Wesley' but that Wes-T-ley from The Princess Bride.”

Buffy looked again at Obi-Wan and laughed, “Oh yeah, as long as he doesn't start prancing about saying, 'as you wish'!”

Seeing the guy looked really offended by their laughter she took pity on him and explained, “Zorro and Westley are fantasy heroes in our dimension. And they are both completely drool-worthy and definitely worthy of the kissage.” She paused, flicking him a quick look from under her lashes before adding quickly, “The outfit makes a nice change from the Jedi issue pajamas you normally wear. Now sit down and relax, Andrew's got some kinda computer game he's dying to play with you. He asked me to play but those things stress me out. I prefer more contact during my slayage.”

The three of them lounged in the apartment. Obi-Wan and Andrew sitting on the floor playing a 3D game on the holocron and their datapads that involved a lot of shooting, running and blowing spacecraft up. She'd no idea where Andrew had got it from, it looked something like what he played back in their own dimension with Xander. From what Buffy could see, Andrew wasn't doing too badly against Obi-Wan, his years of Geek online combat experience paying off, even against superior Jedi reflexes by the look of it.

Buffy lay curled up on her side on the couch behind them, winding a section of her hair around her finger and reading an article she'd found on the ball the previous night. She was in the middle of scouring it to see if any orgies or if any unusual lip locking events were mentioned when Obi-Wan suddenly said, “Master Windu and Master Yoda are coming down the corridor.”

He halted his game, jumped up, and darted to a chair where he sat, with one leg crossed over the other, trying to look busy perusing his datapad for current affairs and republic news holonet sites. Buffy had no idea why he was so worried the Masters might see him relaxing. Surely even Jedi got time off? She purposely ignored his antics and continued reading the article, there was no mention of it descending into an orgy - like Ubi had said it might- which was a shame. She could have teased him about it by suggesting they'd stayed a bit longer and seeing how badly she could get him to blush.

The door buzzer went and Andrew, still involved with his game ignored it. Buffy ignored it too, it was only Yodel and Nick, she'd no doubt Ubi would leap up any moment now and rush over to answer it, probably bowing while he did so.

...and yes that's exactly what happened.

“Miss Summers, Mr Wells, we are here to ask for your help,” said Nick Fury, entering the apartment after Obi-Wan waved him in.

Nick Fury took a long look at Buffy who was lying on the couch in her sleep suit, her long blonde hair flowing down her back and thought to himself how young and innocent she looked today, nothing like the undercover evil Sith Lord, Master Yoda kept insisting she was. Of course, you never could tell by simply looking at someone, even for a Jedi and Buffy was a Force Void as well but he'd never seen anything dark or twisted in her behavior.

Yodel, meanwhile, looked as if simply being in the same room as Buffy was causing him great pain. His mouth tilted downwards and his ears hung off the sides of his head like an angry chihuahua's. “Need help with Sith Temple, we do. Jedi we sent missing, dark forces taken it has. Odd Jedi disappear yet 'slayers' enter and safely reappear, hmm.”

“We'd be really grateful for your help, Buffy” added Nick giving her a smile and trying to mentally apologize for Master Yoda's attitude, he hadn't been very keen on asking for the Slayer's help but they were getting desperate after losing two teams of Jedi.

“Sure, it's no big, tell me the sitch,” replied Buffy, and moved her feet so Nick could sit on the couch next to her. She ignored Yodel. He didn't need a seat, he'd come in on his hovering lid. She added, “Andrew can make us all a caff, cos he's lost his last life in his game, anyway.”

Across from her she saw Obi-Wan's eyes widen and he gave a slight shake of his head but she had no idea what he was trying to say so ignored him.

“Sitch? No big?” asked Nick, sitting beside her, looking a little confused but still smiling at her. She'd noticed some of the Jedi council members were being a lot nicer to her recently. Mainly Nick, Ki Longhead and that Co Platoon guy who wore a breathing mask and she'd thought might have been a demon at first. Co Platoon had even offered her flying lessons when he came back from his next mission, which she was looking forward to. It was bound to blow those stupid flight simulation games Xander and Andrew liked playing out the water.

“Master Windu, Buffy says it is not a big deal for her to help, and she is asking for you to explain what the situation is,” translated Obi-Wan, automatically. He continued, “ Perhaps you don't have time to spend drinking caff? I am sure Buffy won't be offended if you say no... Plus, I think they've run out of milk and I know you both like milk in your caff.”

Buffy looked over surprised, she was getting the vibes Obi-Wan was becoming really stressed over something..she could almost feel him pecking at her brain with his anxiety. Still, she wasn't a Mind-Bendy so she hadn't a clue what he was trying to tell her. She tried to think what he could be worried about and the only thing she could come up with was what they'd done under the influence of Berry Surprise cake. Maybe he felt a relapse coming on? Of course, that would be worrying for him being a monk... she found herself licking her lips in anticipation and eyeing him speculatively to see if any pink sparkles appeared or if that was just the effect of the drugs.

“We've got plenty of milk,” replied Andrew from the kitchen area. “It's sweeteners we've run out of.”

“Yes, well I am sure Master Windu and Master Yoda would like sweeteners...”

Ubi sure was acting weird, thought Buffy, not taking her eyes off him. His warm blue eyes stared into her own and she could see a warning in them but the rest of the message was lost, although the brain pecking sensation continued.

“That's perfectly fine, Obi-Wan. Neither of us take sweeteners, “ replied Nick, giving Obi-Wan a dismissive look before turning back to look at Buffy.

Andrew passed Nick, Yodel, and Ubi a caff mug each and then brought out his and Buffy's special coffee mugs.

“So what's been happening? “ asked the young watcher, with keen interest. “People mysteriously disappearing whilst exploring? A possible Vampyr episode?”

No one answered him. There was a long silence as Buffy took a drink of her caff and put the cup down on the table in front of her. The two masters staring first at her mug which was emblazoned with the title 'SITH-Queen' and then both turning to look at Andrew's – 'DARTH-Andrew'.

Obi-Wan tried to keep his emotions under control but inwardly groaned as he watched the two Jedi Masters eyes bugging out as they read the names on the side of the mugs - he'd known this would happen – and tried to warn Buffy. They would not take this as a joke. At best suspicions would be raised even further and at worst... there would be a big altercation. The only thing he found thankful for was that Buffy had left Mr Sparkly in her bedroom.

“Er, that's correct Andrew...” Mace replied, his expression glazed. He was finding it hard not to keep looking at Buffy's caff mug and with difficulty pulled his eyes away and looked at Darth Andrew. “We have sent down two teams into the Sith Temple site and only one Jedi has returned out of the ten. He is currently being treated but so far unable to speak..”

“Bites to his neck? Any blood in his mouth?” Buffy asked, and took another sip of caff as she asked about blood in his mouth which even Obi-Wan found a little disturbing.

“No injuries whatsoever and no blood. It seems his injuries were to the mind and not the body.” Mace paused and watched as Buffy warmed her fingers on the sides of her Sith-Queen mug. “The first team was given the mission to track the route used by the bodysnatchers but when the first team failed to return a second team was sent, and they are now very overdue. We were hoping that since Buffy has previous experience with the exploration of tombs and graveyards she'd be willing to lead the next expedition for us.”

Buffy wondered what had happened to the missing Jedi. They could have met up some zombie Sith types or activated Temple booby traps in which case they'd probably be dead. Or perhaps they'd all simply got sick of being brainwashed by the Jedi Order and taken the opportunity to desert on mass. “Yeah, that's no problem, Nick. I'm looking forward to it. I might get lucky and find something that needs slaying with Mr Sparkly.”

With an agreement that they would be in touch shortly Nick Fury and Yodel made a sharp exit from the apartment. Neither master said anything until they'd gotten in the elevator and were several floors down.

“See words on mug, hmm? And apprentice's?” said Yoda, hovering on his trash can lid, and giving a long look at Mace as if to say, 'I told you so'.

“Indeed I did. Although I do find it odd that both would flaunt their status before us like that. Surely the way of the Sith is one of secrecy and subterfuge? The words had been painted on so possibly a joke between the pair, Master Yoda?” questioned Mace Windu, who still felt rather thrown by what he'd seen.

“Create chaos in the Force, Sith Queens do. Her apprentice 'Darth Andrew', hmmm? Send them to investigate temple yes, tell Knight Kenobi continue to watch, very closely he must.”

Back in the apartment Knight Kenobi was having a minor break-down at the fact that both Jedi Masters had seen the Buffy and Andrew mugs.

“Oh, is that what you were trying to tell me,” said Buffy, perplexed. She'd no idea why he was getting so upset, they were mugs with names painted on. “I felt you pecking away at my brain all the time they were in there. I don't see the problem, it's not like I really am a Sith Queen, and surely they took one look at Andrew's mug and realized it MUST be a joke? The Jedi High Council is not that stupid, right?”

Obi-Wan looked at Buffy and Andrew, opened and closed his mouth a few times but found that, once again, he didn't know how to defend the Jedi Council.

….................


	46. The Missing Jedi

The lowest level of the verdant oasis inside the Room of a Thousand Fountains had been closed off to all occupants of the Jedi Temple as well as the service workers. Curiosity and resulting rumors abounded as to why, but such was the strict discipline in the Temple none had broken the cordon and ventured down to explore and find answers for themselves.

However, that didn't stop the curious eyes of the Jedi, who were making use of the higher levels, turning to watch the small group as they made their way along the pathways down towards the restricted area. All were dressed in black; two wearing ninja suits, one dressed as Zorro, Quin wearing his usual sleeveless tunic and finally, the tall and imposing figure of the Count taking up the rear, his cape floating out behind him as he strode along behind the others.

They were met by Master Mace Windu who allowed them through the cordon, and once more Buffy, Obi-Wan, and Andrew found themselves looking at the hole in the wall above the (now drained) pool which led to the Sith Tomb. This time, with the Council's encouragement, they had brought along Count Dooku and Quinlan as reinforcements.

Mace Windu took Buffy and Andrew to one side. “It is not my intention to place you or your apprentice in danger, Buffy. If you feel at any point you should not continue as the threat is too great please do so. Neither of you are Jedi and as such are at a disadvantage compared to even those with the weakest of our Force abilities...”

“Nick, I've had a lot of experience with the Forces of Darkness.” Buffy tried to reassure him, although her choice of words seemed to make him even more uneasy. “It's gonna be more likely your knights who get into difficulty rather than me and Andrew, as the Sithy stuff doesn't affect us like it does you Jedi.”

“Very well,” He gave her a quick nod to show he understood her. “Let us hope you do have protection against the.. Sithy stuff. In any case, I will have a final word with the Jedi regarding this mission,” and he walked off to where the dark clad Jedi stood nearby.

“Was it wise bringing Dracula and Quin with us, Buffy?” asked Andrew, shooting a worried look at the Jedi who were stood with Nick Fury listening to what he had to say. “ I'm sure you remember Dracula going all Dark Sith Lord in the Star Wars movies and Quin also turns to the dark side in some accounts I've seen. What happens if they freak out down there like Obi-Wan did, but this time go all dark and snorty on us? We might end up being choked and electrocuted at the same time...”

Buffy huffed, “ Huh, you know I don't really remember the movies, with them being so boring and me having more important things to think about, like what color to paint my nails. But does any of that stuff matter any more? They'll be fine. They've got me this time around.”

Andrew, screwed his face up for a moment before his face lightened as he came to a conclusion, “Yeah, you're right. Maybe this is like.. a parallel galaxy or something to the Star Wars one we know! It could be one small thing changes, and then the entire future of the galaxy takes a different course... Cos of me and my wish! Everything is different here! That is so cool!” He grinned, almost vibrating with geeky excitement and looking far happier than he had for a long while. “Think of all the YouTube videos I could do of this new Star Wars world. I'd totally be an over night success, and become a celebrity vlogger, and invited to give speeches at conventions all over the world, and be sent all kinds of...”

“Yeah well, got to find a way back home first, Andy-boy,” she interrupted quickly before he went all Sci-Fi Geek on her. “And it's not looking promising...”  
She'd been trying not to think of Dawn and her friends, no longer close but she missed knowing they were only a phone call away. Although a part of Buffy had always felt alone, even when in a crowd of other people, and she wondered if she'd always feel like that. Then, because she was not only Buffy Summers but the Slayer, she gave herself a mental shake. “No point hanging around here, Nick has finished lecturing the Jedi about how we might be dangerous so let's head down and hunt demons.”

The five traveled down the twisting passageways and came eventually to where the fireball lay and the hole in the ground which led to the Sith Temple below. Buffy insisted on dropping through the hole first, followed by Andrew. As Buffy stood with her watcher, waiting for the last of the Jedi knights to drop to the ground safely, she scanned the darkness with her torch. The area felt different to how it had been previously, darker and with a more suffocating quality making her wonder if this feeling was pressure from the Dark Force the Jedi were always talking about.

There was also a faint metallic taint to the air and she breathed in, soon identifying an all too familiar smell. It was a smell that brought out goosebumps on her arms as she associated it with graveyards and finding unknown victims, or worse, people she knew well. It was the smell of Blood. Blood had been spilled here recently and a lot of it. Most likely Jedi blood since they were the last down here and missing.  
Feeling a bit like a vampire herself she set off following a faint trail through the temple, away from the area she and Obi-Wan had explored, to another section and in a long passageway came across a recent roof fall and lying beneath the stones and dirt, she sensed bodies.

“Miss Summers, how did you know where to find them?” asked the Count, puzzled how his apprentice had located the missing party so quickly.

“I got a faint whiff of spilled blood, Count,” she explained. “Over time a Slayer associates the smell with vamp attacks but here it led me to this roof fall.”

“This does not look like a natural occurrence.” The Count was investigating the remaining roof of the passageway and the fallen rocks. “This section of the passage looks as if it was deliberately weakened and made to collapse, crushing all those below it. It is possibly one of the Dark Force traps you told us about.”

Buffy looked at Quin and then back to the Count. “Keep watching where you step, check the walls and floor for traps. Andrew fell into a pit after setting a trap off, Obi-Wan set off a fireball, then the zombies appeared and now we have a roof collapsing. It makes me wonder what happened to the latest group sent down here.”

She looked across to where Obi-Wan was stood slightly to one side of the others and wondered if he was feeling any pressure from the Dark Force. Yet he seemed to be the most relaxed of the three Jedi, merely watching her with curiosity, and she gave him a quick smile before turning back to look at the pile of stones and rocks that partly blocked the passageway.

“At least we know what happened to some of the missing party.” She closed her eyes for a moment and felt through the darkness using her dimensionally enhanced spidey senses. “There must be four bodies under there, the guy who made it back makes five so that accounts for all of the first group. So we've still got to find group two.” She began to make her way carefully across to the opposite side of the roof fall, looking around intently as she did.

Quinlan leaned in to Obi-Wan and whispered, “How does she know how many dead are under the fall? I can hardly sense anything in here. It all feel murky and indistinct, can you sense anything?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, “Its the same for me and I suspect it is the effect of the Dark Force which becomes even stronger in certain parts of the Temple. However, Buffy doesn't use the Force as we do, her Slayer powers work differently, although on occasion I've noticed the Dark Force does empower her...”

“Like a Sith does?” Quin stared after the small blonde with interest.

“I've battled a Sith Lord and no, I don't believe the use is anything similar to a Sith's. Darth Maul resonated pure evil, and as you know Buffy does not. I believe she is balanced differently in the Force as a Slayer than a Jedi or a Sith is.” Obi-Wan explained in a low voice.

“Miss Summers has the capacity to be many things,” broke in Count Dooku who'd been listening to their conversation. “I sensed a Darkness in her since the moment I met her yet there is much Light in her too. I too believe she is balanced in the Force very differently as you state, Obi-Wan. Perhaps she is more like the Force Users of old before their views and allegiances split into the Sith and Jedi as we know them today...”

Buffy meanwhile, was ignoring the whispers of the Jedi, and crouched down eyeing the blood that had seeped from under the rockfall, noticing how it pooled before draining into a crack in the floor. Something about that wigged her spidey senses, and she bent down to look more closely – this was wrong. She didn't have another word to describe the feeling, but it set her on edge and the only thing to put her mind at rest would be to investigate further.

“I'm going to check something out,” she said, standing and looking over to where the Jedi and her watcher waited for her. “Andrew, can you go with the others and check that corridor behind you to see if there are any exits the body snatchers might have used. I'll meet you shortly.”

“You cannot mean to go alone? One of us should go with you Buffy,” Obi-Wan called across to her, concerned how she intended to go off into dangerous Sith territory without taking one of them as a back-up. “If you meet a room full of zombies again...”

“I'll deal with them,” replied Buffy firmly, looking off back down the passageway, her mind clearly focusing on something none of the others could discern. “There's something I need to see, it won't take me long. I'll find you but try not to get lost.” She shot them all a look and set off before anyone could stop her.

Andrew, used to following Slayer orders, shrugged, “What the Slayer says, goes. Let's go and see where this corridor leads to, I can see an opening ahead along there too so that might be worth looking into.”  
Oddly enough the Jedi didn't argue and simply followed him. Which was not always the best decision to make where Andrew was concerned.

…........................................................................


	47. Room of The Green Idol

Andrew stopped in the doorway and stared across the odd-shaped room to where an eerily lit statue of a grotesque alien sat inside an alcove. The room appeared to be quite empty apart from the little green idol which had the effect of making it look even more sinister.

“There is a very malignant power coming from that object,” said the Count, who'd come up the corridor behind him and was peering in over the watcher's shoulder. He gave the boy a little push and strode past, walking over to stand in front of the small statue, and examining it more closely. It seemed that, despite claiming it was emitting a dangerous power, the man was transfixed by the softly glowing green figure.

Andrew found himself pushed further into the room as Quinlan walked past, nudging him out the way, and went over to stand next to the Count. “ It's odd but the more I stare at it the more I wish to touch it. What would I see if I did? Nothing good I suspect, yet I am drawn to hold it in my hands and see the memories of all those who have held it before,” he said in an almost reverent tone. He too became enthralled as he examined the green statue.

Obi-Wan, now the last to enter, frowned at the idol and his friend. “I have no idea why you would even wish to touch that, Quin. I really don't like it. What do you make of it Andrew?”

Andrew, who'd been holding his breath unconsciously, exhaled noisily through his mouth. “In my opinion as a Watcher, it is of the evil variety. You are right Count Dooku, malignant is a good word to describe it, it's definitely emitting some kind of a magical vibration possibly created by one of your Dark Force users if not a Demon. As for touching it, I recommend none of you do so...”

Despite his words of warning and no sooner had the words left his lips then he leaned forward and, reaching out with a single forefinger, touched the icon.

The entire room juddered, shook from side to side, dust fell from the roof and a loud rumbling came from the walls almost as if an earthquake hit it. Simultaneously the lights from their torches blinked out leaving only intense impenetrable darkness and then the floor beneath their feet tilted, causing them all to lose their balance and fall to the ground. A few moments later the room lit up, and the three Jedi and the Watcher now found themselves in what appeared to be completely different room - and not alone.

The first thought which occurred to Obi-Wan was that this room rivaled the tomb of the Sith Lord for the Dark Force, and his second thought was that whatever else was in there with them was very, very evil. Reeling under the surge of dark emotions, he and his fellow Jedi climbed unsteadily to their feet and turned quickly to face three masked and hooded humanoid figures.

“Sith Mages, the darkest and the very worst of the Sith!” hissed Count Dooku in a warning.

All three Jedi instantly drew their lightsabers. And found to their horror they no longer worked.

“JEDI!” the first hooded figure growled, and the mages lifted their hands, muttered an incantation then beckoned to the four watching men.

Obi-Wan's mind, already under attack from the Dark Force, was now hit by the malignant mind power of the Sith Mages and found his will being bent to their warped designs. Unable to resist the combined power of three, the Jedi shuffled forward as if in a trance whilst behind them Andrew made a high pitched squeaking noise.  
Despite his shaking hands he managed to draw the magical sword and shouted at the top of his voice, “SLAYER!! WE GOT TROUBLE! SLAY...”

One of the hooded figures quickly threw up his other hand, muttered another spell and drawing on the power of the Dark Force, twisted his hand to one side causing Andrew to fall to the ground unconscious.

“A Force Void. The worst creature in the galaxy,” hissed the Mage with obvious distaste.

“His blood can sustain us, Force Void or not,” rumbled a second. “Don't waste him.” All three stared over at Andrew, almost salivating at the thought of all the fresh blood that could be drained from the young plump watcher.

“But a Force Users blood strengthens us for far longer,” the first replied with a cackle of sneering laughter. “Three more pathetic victims after the last who came and fell so easily. It seems the Jedi have still yet to learn that the Sith are more powerful in the Force than they are.”

“The Dark Force is stronger than the light. It sends victims to resurrect us and now sends us more to strengthen us. Once again we will dominate the Galaxy bringing death and...”

Obi-Wan listened with horror to the Sith Mages plans as he tried to draw on every atom of strength to break the dark mind control. His access to use the Force had been completely cut off and despite his internal struggle, he was still unable to move.  
This must be a Dark Force Net he was being held under. He'd heard of how Dark Force users knew techniques to invade the mind of the victim, taking away their ability to move, and sometimes even going as far as possessing their bodies - forcing them to carry out atrocities against their will. He hoped his own fate wouldn't be killing or torturing those he knew.

He was glad Buffy wasn't there and hoped she didn't come looking for them and wander into the room unaware. If she knew they'd been taken prisoner she could go back to the Council and they'd send more Jedi to help them.  
The Dark Force was inside his head once more whispering to him about the power that could be his, but he did his best to focus, calling to mind an image of the blonde Slayer and trying to send out a mental warning to her. Buffy claimed she wasn't able to understand his messages but she'd complained enough times about him 'pecking at her brain', so he knew she did have some type of Force bond with him even if she was unknowingly shielding from him.

“Leave! Trap! Sith Mages,” he tried to think at her, and hoped if she did hear it she'd take it as a warning and not a challenge.

And then, he found he was being forced to move once more against his will, shuffling forward to the center of the room where he, Quin and Dooku were made to kneel before an ominous stone altar or table. He swallowed, refusing to allow himself to lose himself to fear, as he took in the channels cut into the stone where the blood ran run down to be collected in containers below and when he realized the table was already stained with Jedi blood.

Could he close his eyes? Obi-Wan didn't want the torture and deaths of his friends to be the last things he saw in this life but the most he could do was rapidly blink. The Sith Mages intended their victims to be fully aware, drawing out and feeding upon every last drop of mental and physical energy during the torture of their victims, as well as drinking their blood.

The tallest of the robed figures now stood over the kneeling Count Dooku with his arm raised over him, swaying slightly from side to side as he sifted through the older Jedi's mind. “Discontented with the Jedi Order the seed of darkness had taken root but.... it has been denied further growth. Odd. No matter, we shall drink the dark along with the light.”

The Mage moved on to Quinlan and stood there swaying slightly again as he assessed the young tattooed knight before him. “A true Jedi, with the all weakness the Jedi philosophy brings with it. For him we will offer the pleasure of hours and hours of extreme torture, watching the pain eat away at his convictions until he begs us to bring the darkness to him.” And he cackled evilly before moving on to where Obi-Wan knelt.

Obi-Wan could see the yellow eyes of the Sith glowing behind his mask and he felt the prickling of a thousand needles as something vile and evil began to seep into and pick through his mind. The Sorcerer paused, its eyes glowing yellow, orange, and finally red, before announcing with disgust, “This one was given the choice of becoming Sith and refused...” The mage rocked on his heels and Obi-Wan felt the creature's evil mind pull sharply away from his own. “It is also tainted with a ..”

The Sith broke off as a rumbling came from directly above him, causing him to look sharply upwards. There came a series of loud thuds, and then a trickle of dust and small stones fell down into the room.

….............................................


	48. Sith Queen v Sith Wizards

The three Sith Sorcerers looked upwards as more small stones fell, followed by a larger rock, which bounced off the sacrificial table and landed at the feet of one Mage who studied it, puzzlement evident in the angling of his shoulder, the tilt of his head and the way he stared at the rock before yanking his head away to look back up at the ceiling.

There were more thuds and more rocks fell, followed by another heavy thud, followed by the figure of a small blonde girl, who dropped from the ceiling to land directly on the altar in a low fighting crouch. She wore a cheeky grin on her face and held in her hand a sparkly red lightsaber.

“Hi,” she said, “sorry I'm late but I couldn't find the door handle to let myself in.”

Buffy took a quick look around her, at her Watcher lying unconscious at the back of the room, at the three Jedi on their knees, at the sacrificial altar she stood on and finally, turned her attention back to the three black robed Sith Mages their faces hidden by white masks.

Raising a querying eyebrow at their masked robed outfits, she jumped off the altar, and asked chirpily, “Did I make a wrong turn up there and end up on the set of Scary Movie?”

Her question was answered with... deafening silence.

“Whoops, and none of you get that reference, because of, like, the boring un-dead lives you lead in this tomb.” She closed the distance between herself and the trio of Mages who were staring at her in stunned silence.

She pointed Mr Sparkly at the first Sith who waved his hand, causing the power cell to drain and Mr Sparkly's red beam went out.

“That's... so cheating!” She pouted, before swiftly swapping Mr Sparkly for Mr Pointy. “And totally not nice on Mr Sparkly, who is going to be very cross about missing out on all the fun. But did you really think a girl like me would come here with only one weapon? Still got Mr Pointy... so are you gonna release my boys? Or do you want to do this the hard way?”

The tall masked figure took a step towards her and head tilted to one side as he considered her. He could tell this small creature was different from the others. This one was neither light nor dark nor a void, and as such was either repugnant or fascinating to the Sith. He still hadn't decided which one she was.

“What are you?” asked the Sith Mage.

“Just a girl,” said Buffy with a smile.

“No, WHAT are you?” he asked again.

“Human,” said Buffy smirking, cos honestly, vampires in every dimension were so stupid.

“You have access to the Dark Force, a Jedi would not dare to use it … Are you a Sith? There is a strange darkness buried deep inside you....”

“Look, I'm The Slayer,” she rolled her eyes and waved Mr Pointy up and down for added emphasis at the word Slayer. “I am totally different to a Sith and I am really sick of people in this dimension confusing the two. Surely the sparkling green eyes, nice white teeth, and the well moisturized skin are a bit of a giveaway?”

She gazed at the tallest Sith Mage in earnest and let a look of horror come over her face, “ My face... is it... wrinkly? Do you think I should change my moisturizer to something extra creamy for older skin types? Don't say I've developed a wrinkle? I'm so gonna freak out if I've got a wrinkle!”

She turned her attention to the other two Sith hooded figures. “Has anyone got one of those little hand-held mirrors, so I can check for wrinkles? Possibly the one that lights up as it's a bit dark in here? Might be in your dress pocket?” she asked, before sighing dramatically. “ Oh, yeah, sorry forgot, vampires so you've got no use for a mirror. Which must be a great comfort for you. You know with being so ugly you need to wear a Scare mask and a crappy, out of fashion, frayed dress.”

From where he knelt Obi-Wan watched Buffy use her Dark Force mind power to distract the Sith Mages with her quips. All the while assessing her enemies, her surroundings, positions, capabilities of those around her and no doubt plotting her next move. He hoped to the Force she could defeat them, and somehow he'd be able to free himself and help her. For now, all he could do was watch while struggling constantly against the strands of the mind control net that held him virtually paralyzed.

Buffy, meanwhile, was still harassing the Sith hooded figures. She pouted at the tallest Sith Mage who was feeling mentally stunned as he tried to follow her speech. “Anyway, what was I saying before we started on the skin care con? Oh yeah, I'm not a Darth whatsit, no matter what Yodel's been telling everyone. I might have a red lightsaber and a mug with Sith Queen written on it but that was so Andrew's fault...”

“Ahh, The Sith Queen!” The Sorcerer came to life, grasping at the few words he understood and cackled maniacally as if he'd found out her secret. Which Buffy found irritating. “No matter, Sith Queen, you will die and we shall feast on...”

“...my blood. That's so not original. Honestly, you vamps are so clicheé. How about getting some new dialogue.” She used her enhanced slayer speed to dive, tuck and roll away from the Mages to where Andrew lay unconscious on the floor, grabbed her magical sword from the ground and sprang back up onto her feet, ready to do battle.

As one, the three mages lifted their hands up to use the Dark Force against her and she dived again to avoid being hit by the spell before seeming to fade into... nothingness. Even as the yellow eyes of the Sith Mages blinked in surprise at her manoeuvrer, she reappeared beside them, her sword up and slashing through the neck of one of the Sith, and smirked as he dissolved into a cloud of dust.

The tallest Sorcerer muttered a quick incantation and throwing a protective web around himself and his remaining companion, snarled, “You used the Dark Force to hide yourself, Sith Queen!”

“I didn't, and I'm not!” huffed Buffy annoyed. “That was totally a Slayer thing, for blending into my environment, confusing demons, and other dark whatsits.” She leaped forward with her sword to slice through another Sith neck but her sword met an invisible shield of resistance and reverberated in her hands.

“Oh, a magical shield. I reckon Willow could have sorted that one out for me. But my bet is... magic force shield, can't get in, but can't get out,” and she grinned insolently at the tallest Sith before strutting over to where her Jedi Knights knelt.

Buffy stopped beside Obi-Wan, unlike the others his eyes gleamed with an alert watchfulness that showed he was not completely under the Dark Mages control. He'd beaten the Dark Side before and she was sure with a little push he could defeat whatever dark spell the mages had him under.  
“Obi-Wan,” she whispered to him. “You've beaten the Dark Side before and you'll do it again. Look at the state of their bathrobes and those silly Scare masks that don't scare anyone. That NuNu woman you've got working in the Jedi library is far more terrifying and she doesn't....”

As she spoke she sensed, rather than saw, the lowering of the Sith shield. With a fast spin, she threw Mr Pointy with a deadly accuracy born from long experience, straight through the non-beating heart of the once human Sith.  
Who looked down in disbelief at the wooden stick protruding from his chest, and muttered the time honored classic of 'Oh no i didn't expect that', before exploding into a column of sparkly dust.

However, the second she'd taken to throw the stake meant she'd no chance to dodge and the Mage's outgoing spell caught her square on. Buffy fell to the floor writhing in agony as the sensation of a thousand poisonous snakes simultaneously bit into her body and began tearing at her mind. Fighting hard against the pain and the effects of the spell, while the world around her seemed to flicker, shift, and her remaining strength ebbed away she felt rather than saw the figure of the remaining Mage approaching her.

Despite her best struggles to throw off the spell, her senses fogged, and finally, the darkness pulled her down until she lay unconsciousness at the mercy of the Sith Vampire.


	49. 50 Shades Of Gray

In the room of the Sacrificial altar, Obi-Wan knelt on the floor. His mind writhing under the control of the mind net as he'd watched Buffy burst through the roof and land on the very spot the Dark Force was at it's most potent - the Sith's bloodstained sacrificial altar.

Internally he groaned, she was reckless, brash and she had no idea what she was dealing with in this chamber with the Sith Mages. Why had she needlessly put herself in danger instead of going to the council for help? Although really he knew why, it was for the same reason he'd become a Jedi Knight- to fight and make a difference - but he didn't wish to see anyone else taking the same risks that he did.

He watched Buffy quip, he watched her fight, he even saw her folding herself inside the Dark Force to go invisible and he also felt the bounds of the Sith Mages Mind Net ease as she spoke to him. It was just as he felt the bounds across his mind begin to loosen that the Mages dropped their shield and Buffy spun, throwing her stake through the heart of a Sith Mage who exploded into a cloud of dust.

Forced to look on and still unable to move he'd watched as the girl fell to the ground in front of him, writhing in agony from the dark spell they'd thrown at her. Then he was hit by his own roiling Dark emotions, emotions that started off in his heart and slowly spread, taking over his entire body and mind.

First of all, came the Fear. Fear for Buffy, that the Sith mage would kill her or turn her into something vile and evil thing like it was, and that as a Jedi he lacked the power to stop it. Then came the Rage. Rage at his own paralysis and rage at the Jedi Order for not teaching their students how to deal with Sith magic and for not allowing them access to the Dark Holocrons to aid their training. And then came the emotion of pure Hate for the Sith Mages. Jedi weren't supposed to feel Hate but he did, he hated the Sith Vampire Mages and what they'd done and intended to do to him and Buffy. These three emotions ripped through Obi-Wan and he swayed as the Dark Force sensing his turmoil flowed towards him offering access to all of its addictive dark power.

As a Jedi, he'd been taught the sensible course of action was to allow negative emotions to disperse and to avoid the Dark Force at all cost. Recently, however, he'd had another teacher, one who'd taught him valuable lessons about his own emotions and personal limits, although he hadn't even realized they'd been lessons at the time. This teacher, Buffy, used her own emotions to aid her fight against the forces of evil and now he intended to do the same.  
So, instead of fighting those negative emotions and seeking peace in the Force as Master Yoda taught, he held onto not only all his rage but also the hatred for the Dark Creature before him. He acknowledged his anger and used it to focus, the same way Buffy told him she did. To allow the strength to empower, not to overpower him. Holding on to those emotions he drew upon them to sever the remaining cords of the Sith Sorcerers mind net - and then he waited.

Obi-Wan watched, biding his time, as the Sith Mage moved swiftly and eagerly towards Buffy, its intention to take her from some dark purpose. He watched, without moving, as the dark swathed creature came to kneel at the blonde slayer's side. He watched, and once he knew the gloating vampire's attention was fully on the downed slayer he moved with a blur of Dark Force empowered action, sweeping up Buffy's sword in both hands and bringing it down across the back of the Sith Mage's neck, tearing through the skin, muscles and spine, beheading him in one sharp blow. And then Obi-Wan watched, with grim satisfaction, as the Vampire Mage turned into a twisting column of dust and light.

Before the dust even settled, he was down on his knees at Buffy's side checking her breathing and looking for a pulse, finding his own heart rate calmed once he found one. Around him, all released from the dark Spell, the other Jedi and Andrew began to stir. Yet Buffy showed no sign of regaining consciousness, so Obi-Wan gathered her up and holding her protectively against himself stood, facing the other Jedi with a bleak look on his face.

“Miss Summers needs to be taken her to the medical wing of the Temple immediately,” said Count Dooku, after taking one look at Buffy's limp unconscious form. He moved forward to take his apprentice from the younger knight's arms and came to a sudden halt as Obi-Wan shot him a glare filled with such icy darkness that it almost made him step backward.

“The Jedi High Council charged me to protect her and she stays with me until the medical droids see her,” Obi-Wan replied, his cold eyes daring the Count to argue.

Count Dooku gave a slow nod, to acknowledge the younger knights prerogative, and went to check on Andrew who was now standing but holding onto the wall for support as waves of dizziness hit him. With the young watcher supported between the Count and Quin, the party slowly made their way out the sacrificial chamber and began making their way through the labyrinth of corridors inside the Sith tomb.


	50. The Awakening

Buffy became aware of movement, of being carried, the steady jolt of steps, the sensation of fabric rubbing against her cheek, and the smell of clean linen and ironing spray which could only be Obi-Wan Kenobi. She opened her eyes to see pink sparkles blurring her vision before she focused on the fabric of his dark tunic and when she looked up she met Obi-Wan's eyes which were filled with an odd combination of relief, anxiety and a hint of something darker which vanished as she focused on them.

“Hello there,” he said softly.

“Hi,” she replied, and then uncertainly, as it was starting to get embarrassing, “Was I dead again?”

For a moment Obi-Wan found he was speechless and, although this was not an uncommon occurrence around Buffy, her words made his face blanch and a jolt of shock run through him. How many times had she died in her dimension for this to be her first question on waking? Unknowingly he clutched her against him even more closely and sent out feelings of reassurance and protection to her through the Force, which caused Count Dooku - who'd insisted on walking beside him once Andrew felt stronger- to look sharply over at him.

Obi-Wan frowned, she was lucky to still be alive after those spells hit her but if she hadn't risked herself by coming in to rescue them they might have all been dead by now. Without her help in loosening the mind net and giving him the incentive to fight so hard against the mages, he might not have been able to break their hold over him. Seeing her fall down beside him brought on the same feeling as seeing Qui-Gon Jinn being pierced by Darth Maul's lightsaber all over again.

He managed to answer her question, “No, you weren't dead.”

“Ah that's good,” she replied. Then with a sly smile. “I was thinking you might have given me the kiss of life and I missed out on it.”

Her words made the corners of his mouth pull upwards and his heart lightened. Even though he knew Count Dooku was listening to every word of their conversation, he couldn't resist saying, “Then I shall endeavor to always wake you first before I give you the kiss of life.”

“Yeah, that sounds nice. I'll hold you to it, no point missing out on your smoochies.” She was smiling up at him with a warmth in her eyes that made him, despite knowing the Count was regarding him suspiciously, want to do something un-Jedi like. Resisting the temptation he managed to just smirk at her instead.

Buffy looked across at Count and then behind Obi-Wan to where Quin and Andrew followed. “Is everyone okay?”

“Everyone but you has made a full recovery, Miss Summers,” replied the Count, pulling his narrowed eyes away from Obi-Wan, and giving her a tight smile. “Although, I believe it would have been a very different tale for us all if you had not made such a dramatic entrance through the roof, and took on the Sith Mages as you did. Your lone rescue was both foolhardy and yet exceedingly courageous and I am privileged to have you as my apprentice.” He glanced again at Obi-Wan, deciding to put his concerns to one side in regard to the younger knight's affection for his apprentice, and give the man the praise he was due.  
“Obi-Wan also did very well, he managed to release himself from the Sith Spell and killed the remaining Sorcerer with your sword, which was very quick thinking. Qui-Gon Jinn will be very proud of you Obi-Wan when he hears of the inner strength and resolve that allowed you to do that. I shall make a point to speak to him personally and compliment him on your training.”

“You took the last one out, Ubi?” Buffy asked, intrigued as to how the last Sith died. He nodded and told her quickly what had happened but omitted the part where he'd used his darker emotions and possibly the Dark Force to do so. Not that he wouldn't tell Buffy but he really didn't want the Count to know and tell the Council who'd only start asking questions he'd feel uncomfortable answering truthfully.

“That's good you were able to fight it, else we'd all been dead. Ugh, and I nearly forgo,t What about Mr Sparkly? Those Sith wizards blanked him out.” She was very annoyed about that. It wasn't as if she had a spare or that she could make another out of a stick.

“The Sith Mages spell affected all our lightsabers. They did it by draining their power cells,” stated Count Dooku. “An unusual spell and one that I have never heard of and hope never to see again or else we shall all be resorting to sharpened stakes and magical swords in the future. But do not fret Miss Summers, I shall undertake the repair of your lightsaber.” Part of becoming a Jedi Knight was learning to build a lightsaber but as Buffy was neither a Knight nor a Jedi and had 'found' her lightsaber the Count was doubtful if she'd be able to make the repair herself.

“Thanks Count, was a bit worried there about Mr Sparkly. I lost a Mr Pointy but always carry a spare in case that happens. And it might be as well making sure you are all carrying a stake next time we go hunting vamps. I'll ask the gardeners to save me some branches,” she said thoughtfully. Then looked back up at Obi-Wan with a small smile and said, “ Now while being carried has its advantages... Don't you think it is time for me to walk? You're gonna have real trouble soon as this is where the roof starts to lower.”

Obi-Wan carefully released her. Once on her feet Buffy felt the lingering effects of the dark spell on her system and swaying in a moment of dizziness. Obi-Wan immediately fussed over her, telling her they would take a rest and she should take her time, but she waved away his concerns.

“I'll be fine. Slayer healing. Anyway, it isn't as if I died or had to dig myself out my grave this time which is of the good.” She ran her eyes over them all, checking them herself for injuries and finding that all the Jedi were looking at her askance and none appreciated her death joke.

Only Andrew gave her a goofy smile in return.

….........…


	51. The Fearless Vampire Killers

After a short detour to the medical wing, which resulted in a scuffle between Buffy and a hovering over-enthusiastic medical droid regarding extracting blood samples, inserting probes and doing a full-body scan, Obi-Wan and Buffy joined the other Tomb Raiders in the Council Chamber.

Buffy noticed as she entered that several of the council members were there in holographic form only and wondered how they managed to sit in their chair. Were they perhaps sitting in one wherever they where or were they simply pretending? She frowned, there was some really weird stuff in this dimension and that's even before she looked at Yodel, who was sat there wearing a brown nightie.

Next to her, Obi-Wan was bowing to his masters and showing off his fancy manners. Deciding to also be polite she gave everyone a little wave. Sadly only Nick Fury bothered to wave back and that was done a bit sheepishly, he also stopped after Yodel gave him a nasty look.

“Join us finally, you decided to, hmm?” Yodel folded his arms across his chest, looking put out that he'd been forced to wait.

Buffy made a show of looking behind her before turning back to look at the small alien. “Oh, you talking to me? Kinda wasn't sure, you know, with you being so polite and all.” And she gave him a megawatt smile to show him she wasn't bothered by his censure.

“Master Yoda, I am so sorry. We are both very late as I took Buffy to the Halls of Healing, she was hit by two dark Sith spells and collapsed.” Obi-Wan quickly came to her defense. Knowing as he did so he'd need to tread carefully where the Grand Master was concerned. “Our entire team was concerned about her health and we all agreed that it would be prudent she underwent at least basic checks before coming to see you. In fact, we still don't yet have the results, as Buffy insisted it was far more important to speak to you personally Master Yoda rather than wait for the medical droids to finish processing the results.” Obi-Wan knew he was pushing the truth with that last sentence. Buffy's actual words were, 'I'd rather face that mutant frog on the council than be in the hospital a moment longer and that's saying something'.

“Indeed, we were concerned about Miss Summer's health, and still are!” chimed in Count Dooku, giving Yoda one of his most venomous looks. “My apprentice should be resting in the medical wing and not facing an 'interrogation' by hostile members of the Jedi Council.”

Although he didn't point any fingers at anyone on the council, in particular, everyone in the room knew who he was referring to and gave Yoda a sidelong look.

The Count stepped across to where Buffy stood, and putting a hand on her shoulder, continued, “Miss Summers may have been chosen in her dimension to fight against the Forces of Darkness but in this one, she has no requirement to do so. Despite this, she put her own life at risk and used her abilities to save others in the same way a Jedi is supposed to do. I owe her my life and I will not see her subjected to intolerance and prejudice just because she is a Slayer and not of the Jedi Order.”

There was a long pause during which the Jedi Council, both the attending and the non-attending blue see-through ones shifted and looked uncomfortable in their seats. While they were squirming, Yoda and Dooku stared at each other for a long time. Buffy, watching them, wondered if they were trying to stare each other out or doing some kind of mind bendy thing with each other. It was a pity she didn't have her telepathic abilities again, that would have been one conversation fun to eavesdrop on.

Finally, Yoda relented and nodding to Dooku asked him to explain what happened in the Sith Tomb. Count Dooku explained quickly how Buffy had found the bodies of the Jedi under the rockfall and at this point, Nick Fury asked what they'd all been wondering.

“You split up from the others at this point, Buffy. What made you do that?” Nick's tone was polite and he smiled encouragingly at her.

“It was the way the blood from the bodies had dripped down the crack in the floor, Nick. It gave me the wiggins, so I set off and found the room where it had been dripping to, and I knew I was right as soon as I saw it,” replied Buffy, thinking about how the bloodstains had formed a trail to a crevice in the ground.  
“I thought it was all down to Murphy at first, but now I believe it must have been set up like that by the Sith Temple builders. The blood sorta dripped into another tomb below the passageway and straight into a coffin down there. Must have woken one of those Sithy Wizard Vamp types up, and then he reanimated his two friends when he'd enough blood.”

Buffy looked around at the Council a bit worriedly, “I think that's where your other Jedi team went. I'll feel better if we find their bodies, although it's unlikely they'd create more vamps until they were back in full health. Most vampires don't like sharing a food supply when they first wake up, they go a bit frenzied with the feeding and are usually easier to kill. Of course, I might be wrong, as they weren't newborns but sleeping masters and the masters are the types you've got to be most wary of. I should know, I've dated ..dealt with a few.”

“Convenient that is, into Sith coffin blood from dead Jedi drips.” Yoda raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

Buffy shrugged. “I've seen some weird things, and its like toast with butter on. If you drop a slice it'll always fall sticky side down simply because it's more awkward for you to clean up and just because it can. The Sith know that even if the Jedi don't.”

There was a long pause, while everyone tried to get their heads around her statement. There followed a short telepathic discussion amongst the council members and all agreed that none of them understood it, but rather than let the Siths get one over on them, it was better to pretend they did.

Count Dooku decided that was a good moment to continue his report, explaining how they found the green statue, and how Andrew had touched it causing the room to shift into a Jedi sacrifice chamber. (Yoda, stared at Andrew hard at that point but seeing Buffy eyes fixed on him wisely didn't say anything derogatory about Darth Andrew.)

The Count went on to tell the council how the Sith Mage Vampires had been lying in wait for them and, draining the batteries in all their lightsabers, placed them under Dark Force mind control with the intention of torturing and sacrificing them in a brutal way.  
“That's when my new young apprentice, Miss Summers, kicked her way through the roof and landed on the Sith altar,” he said proudly and ended his report.

Once more the Council looked to Buffy for an explanation.

“After finding the three empty coffins I was on my way back to find everyone when I heard Andrew screaming, and then Obi-Wan started doing his brain pecking thing in my head,” she explained and rolled her eyes at Obi-Wan. He'd really been doing a Woody Wood Pecker on her head with his warning. It was a good job she wasn't prone to headaches.  
“I could hear them talking in the next room to the one with that ugly green statue but couldn't find a way in, so I climbed into a hole in the ceiling, and I crawled along until I could kick my way through. I think I landed on their dinner table.”  
She frowned thinking about how they'd broken her lightsaber. “They knocked out Mr Sparkly so I annoyed them with a bit of quippage. I was trying to work out if any had been human so I could introduce his heart to Mr Pointy but I couldn't get close enough to stake at that point. I wasn't sure what the other two were, guess I need to go research-girl on alien heart positions so I know where to stick my stick in the future.  
Then I grabbed my sword off Andrew, did the Slayer slide into the background thing, popped up behind them, cut off a head and he dusted. The two who were left put up a force shield and while I was trying to bring Ubi out of the mind-bendy thing I felt them lowering the shield. Staked one but they must have zapped me with two unforgivable spells and I wasn't quick enough. Which I'm not happy about, seeing as I blacked out and lying vulnerable on the ground is not a good look for a Slayer. I came round later to find Obi-Wan had dusted the last mage.” She shot Obi-Wan a warm smile and watched as he tried to stop himself from beaming back at her and ended up smirking instead.

Aware of all the masters looking at him Obi-Wan quickly wiped the smirk from his face and assumed a neutral expression more befitting to a member of the Jedi Order. “Masters, I managed to use the Force..” He'd already decided not to mention it was probably the Dark Force he used along with forbidden emotions, “.. to focus and destroy the Sith Mages mind control net they'd placed upon me, took up Buffy's sword and sliced off the head of the Mage as soon as he came close enough. After that my fellow Jedi, and Andrew, recovered fully from the effects of the Dark spells and since Buffy was still unconscious I carried her. Buffy came round not long after and we naturally came to speak to you as quickly as we could.”

“You have all done well on this mission.” Nick Fury looked seriously impressed. “Buffy, you have my personal thanks for everything you've accomplished. I hope your health is soon fully restored, please go to the medical wing for your results and further treatment. I don't think we have any more questions,” he looked around at the other council members and then over at the scowling Yoda who shook his head. “The Council will expect the usual written report from the Jedi on this, the same as any other mission. You are all dismissed.”

The Jedi bowed and made a sedate retreat from the chamber. Buffy waved, and Andrew decided to treat the council to the Vulcan 'live long and prosper gesture' with his fingers, (which caused Yoda's eyebrows to shoot up and his ears to droop as he took to be something rude) before they scurried away as fast as possible.

*******


	52. Equilibrium

Obi-Wan left the elevator following his meeting with the Jedi High Council. He was wearing a spotless Jedi tunic and trousers, well-pressed Jedi robe and wearing a serene expression as usual, but internally feeling distinctly unbalanced, and at odds with himself and the Jedi Order as a whole.

Nick Fury... Obi-Wan supposed he shouldn't be calling his Master that, but for some reason, the name had stuck and not only had it stuck but he'd started answering to it when Buffy or Andrew called out to him. In fact, most of the Temple Jedi were referring to him as Nick Fury, either behind his back or even to his face, so Obi-Wan didn't feel too bad about doing it himself.  
Nick Fury had asked him to attend extra meetings to appraise him of the slow cleansing of the Sith Temple which due to its scale would be a huge task indeed.

Almost immediately after Buffy and her team had returned they'd sent down a team who'd found and recovered the missing Jedi bodies which, when he'd passed on the news to Buffy and Andrew both pronounced to be 'of the good'. They'd said super-enhanced in the Force Vampires were not good news, and it would mean the entire Temple could breathe a bit easier knowing one of their own wasn't going to come pressing the buzzer on their doors asking to be invited in for something to drink.

At today's meeting, Master Yoda upset Obi-Wan. After the discussion of the Sith tomb, the Grand Master wanted an update on Buffy and Andrew's movements since they'd last ventured down into the Sith Tomb. He seemed convinced Buffy should've been in contact with either Voldemort or another Sith Lord by now and that she was plotting something detrimental to the galaxy which only Obi-Wan had the ability to stop.

This put Obi-Wan in an awkward position, as most of the time Buffy spent weapon training with him or Count Dooku, researching myths and legends in the archives with Nick Fury (and arguing with Master Nu about accessing the forbidden files) or patrolling the lower levels of the Temple in the hope that 'a creeper shows up to slay'.  
It really didn't make for a very exciting report and the little Jedi master had at first seemed put out, until he looked at Obi-Wan, gave a lop-sided grin, said 'keep getting close to Siths you must', and dropped an eyelid. Which unnerved Obi-Wan. He wasn't entirely sure what message Master Yoda was trying to convey and part of him had no wish to find out.

Coming to a halt in the corridor outside the training rooms Obi-Wan's thoughts were disturbed by a jarring sensation in the Force. There was some kind of disturbance going on nearby. He looked up to see three younglings talking excitedly as they exited one of the rooms. When they saw him they paused and shot him guilty looks, before scurrying off down the corridor. One of them glancing back nervously at him as they turned the corner.

They'd been talking about Buffy.

Not that it was unusual for Obi-Wan to overhear other Jedi talking about Buffy, or even Andrew for that matter, many seem to find them the pair fascinating in some way. Most younglings rarely left the Temple until assigned to a Master so a non Jedi living amongst them was bound to be a source of considerable interest but something about this trio made him decide to check the training room.

He walked inside to see the tiny Slayer battling a number of full sized battle droids and she fought completely weaponless. Or maybe not, since she using her own body and abilities as a weapon really well. Obi-Wan watched her playing dodge-droid using her slayer speed and reflexes, even executing a series of somersaults across the room at one point to avoid catching the blasts, before grabbing the leg from a fallen droid and throwing it with such force at one of the blaster droids that the impact made the machine fly backward where it crashed into the wall, body sections and components spraying across the room.

He stood watching her, his head tilted slightly thinking he'd never seen anyone like her before. She fought with both grace and ferocity, she was like the Dark Force unleashed, she was also completely crazy and, (looking at the blood on her hands and the red marks on her face from droid stings) she was going to get hurt.  
Obi-Wan grimaced but slipping off his hooded robe, he joined her in playing the game of dodge and dismantling droids, determined to show the Slayer how good a young Jedi knight in his prime could be.

After the last droid was demolished he sat down against the wall of the training room looking at the cuts on his hands from grabbing sharp pieces of broken metal, and then over to where Buffy was stood, surveying the tangle of droids littered all over the floor.

“Care to tell me what that was about?”

She shrugged, “It wasn't as bad as the dodgeball at my old school. Some of the kids there were real animals.”

“Why did you decide to play dodge droid, Buffy?” he patted the floor next to him. “Come and sit beside me, explain what troubles you so much that you wish to hurt yourself needlessly.”

“No wishes,” huffed Buffy but slipped down onto the floor beside him.

When he shuffled across the gap she'd carefully left between them she slanted him a glance, wondering what he was up to. Apart from that one drug induced kiss on the balcony, he was fanatically skittish about keeping his monkish virtue intact, and the only other time he'd willingly gotten close to her was when he'd carried her out the Sith Tomb. Yet here they were pressed up close, hip against hip, thigh against thigh, their legs pressed together all the way to their ankles and all at his instigation.

If another guy was doing this she'd have thought he was coming on to her but this was Obi-Wan the monk-boy, so he probably wasn't even registering she was a girl which meant he was either trying to mind bendy her or up to something with the Force thing.

“What you up to, Ubi-Doo?” she asked suspiciously.

Obi-Wan smiled at her but didn't reply. He held his focus on the Force, letting it flow through both of them healing the small wounds and bruises they'd both acquired during their training session. Not that he was a Force healer by nature but most force users had some ability and having her touching him while he was doing it made it so much easier. Maybe he could calm her too, although Buffy's emotions were a law unto themselves, and if she got a hint of what he was doing she'd as likely attack him as thank him.

He watched her fiddle with the hem of her loose training top and frowned as she left a smear of blood across the fabric from a slice on her thumb. After a moment or so she began to speak, so either his projected Force calm worked or else she'd simply decided to confide in him.

“I was trying to sharpen up my reflexes. Back in the chamber I was too slow with the Sith wizards and got hit by a dark spell. If you'd not managed to break out the mind net and do what I couldn't everyone would be dead. All because I'm too slow to dodge a stupid spell.”

“There is no need for self-recriminations, Buffy,” he sought to assure her. “You are forgetting those Sith Mages overpowered many experienced Jedi Knights, they were not only strong in the Force but had been in training since they were younglings. But as a Slayer, you were stronger than all of us but you aren't invincible Buffy, and I wish you'd remember that.”

“It's my fault. I failed, and you could have all died due to me...” she continued to argue.

He broke in and countered with, “And what if you'd never come to this dimension? Then things would have turned out very differently for us...”

Obi-Wan felt the Force hitch around Buffy and he shot a startled look at her. She was so close to him he felt her breath on his face as she swung her head to look at him. Her green eyes were wide with panic and he even caught a glimpse of her elusive thoughts that seemed in real turmoil. For a moment he thought she was going to say something important to him, but then the shutters came down in her eyes and she swallowed back whatever those words were and resolutely turned her face away.

“Yeah you're right, things would have been different. But are they working out better with me being here? If I hadn't gone into the Sith Tomb in the first place those Jedi who died down there would still be alive wouldn't they? I'm at least responsible for their deaths.” She said, her voice pained and refusing to look at him.

“The Jedi Council is responsible for choosing and sending them into the tomb, Buffy. Not you,” he replied firmly.

He reached out and taking her hand in his, looked at the small cuts and grazes that were healing already, due to Force or Slayer healing or maybe both. She didn't even look at him as he held her hand, keeping her head turned from him, pretending to examine droid parts, almost as if she was scared to meet his eyes.  
She must still be feeling guilty for those that had gone down before them and hadn't been saved but it really wasn't her fault..

With one hand still holding hers, he leaned across and gently put his hand on her cheek pulling her face towards his so that he could look into her eyes and say, “Buffy, the tomb had been disturbed before you found it. If you hadn't gone to investigate who knows what damage it could've caused to the future of the Jedi. Not only does it pollute the Force but it can affect Force Users and may cause them to turn them to the Dark Side at the slightest provocation.”

Obi-Wan maintained eye contact and, although her thoughts remained her own, he could tell she was thinking about what he was saying. “And don't forget if you hadn't landed on Naboo and helped my Master fight Darth Maul the outcome of that fight could have been far worse. You protected him when he was injured and perhaps if you hadn't been there both he and I might have died on the Sith's blade.”

He'd thought about that a lot since she'd arrived in this dimension. How Qui-Gon had nearly died that day and how differently his life would have been without her intervention.

“You'd have been fine Obi-Wan. You'd have kicked his red ass around that energy drain and slain him. Hey, just think, if I wasn't here you could've had Anakin as a pod person.. would you prefer his company to mine?” Buffy nudged him with her shoulder and gave a tentative smile.

Obi-Wan knew the Force around her was much lighter as she teased, and he found himself breathing easier. “Absolutely not. I am very happy he is Qui-Gon's problem and not mine.” Obi-Wan gave a theatrical shudder, which made her smile again.

“I'm going to get Andrew playing sabacc again cos he's really good at it and we're gonna save the money and bring Anakin's mother out here. Qui-Gon said he would see to it as long as we can sort the money out, so that's of the good. Anakin is really attached to her and if anything bad should happen to her on Tattoo it might send him down the path of being dark and snorty. Also, I told him to keep Anakin away from Sid as... well he's not a good influence.” She looked at him and hoped he'd take her warning seriously, she could hardly tell him the entire plot of Star Wars, especially as she wasn't certain if they were in a parallel universe like Andrew seemed to think they could be.

Obi-Wan thought at first she was joking but when he looked at her he could see she was very serious. “You really think Anakin could fall to the Dark Side?” At her nod, he continued, “I admit the fixation he has for you is .. very odd and it's made me feel uncomfortable at times. However, I've spoken to Qui-Gon and he assures me it's just a childhood crush, that he'll grow out of it and it's nothing to worry about. Anakin is supposed to be the Chosen One and will bring balance to the Force, although I've wondered about that prophecy. The Council have always thought he may be a danger, and if he did go to the Dark Side with his Force ability he'd become something very dangerous indeed.”

Buffy looked down to where her hand was being held very loosely in his larger one and bit her bottom lip as she considered what to tell him. Obi-Wan could be annoying at times but he'd proven himself a good friend time and time again, it wasn't fair not to warn him.  
“I hate to agree with your Council but I think they might be right. Plus all that about balance is ominous, especially as I've met Balance Demons and, well let's say I don't like meeting them. But I'll do what I can to stop him from falling and try to make sure he, or anyone else for that matter, doesn't start a Jedi apocalypse or something.”

“If I can help in any way I shall do so,” replied Obi-Wan quietly, his mind reeling at what she'd just told him and he wondered how long she'd been carrying these worries. Without thinking his fingers closed around her hand, he sought calm in the Force and sent it her way.

They sat together in close companionable silence, looking at the room. The floor was strewn with the bodies of slain droids and they both wondered what the future held for themselves and the Jedi.


	53. Plan-age of Fun

It was lunchtime and Obi-Wan entered the main cafeteria at the Jedi Temple looking for Buffy and Andrew. He spotted them in the far corner, sitting side by side giggling together and acting suspiciously, which was always a sign of something bad about to happen.

Obi-Wan paused, wondering what they were laughing at? Was it him? His clothes? Was it his new hair style? He'd ditched the small pony tail at the back of his head which was commonly worn by padawans and newly made knights (Buffy had taken one look at it back on Naboo when they'd first met and muttered Freakin' Nerd under her breath but he'd heard her), and was trying to grow his hair. Which oddly seemed to be turning strawberry blond rather than the reddish brown color that it had been for most of his life. Several people had even asked him if he'd started having highlights, and didn't seem to believe him when he said he hadn't.

His clothing couldn't be causing them to giggle either. He was only wearing his usual Jedi clothes. Buffy and Andrew had laughed when he appeared wearing his long cloak that the droids had assured him matched his Ninja outfit and he'd ended up taking that back to the store.

He'd been very disappointed with their reaction to his cape. Buffy had seemed so impressed with Count Dooku's cloak saying it gave the man a sophisticated and mysterious air, and as Obi-Wan rather enjoyed swishing the cloak about, he'd hoped she'd have said it made him look sophisticated too. Instead, she'd called him Zorro and kept asking him to prance about, jump up on tables and make flashing 'Z' signs with his lightsaber. Even though Buffy claimed Zorro was a hero in her dimension and completely 'droolworthy', it still made him feel like a Nerd jumping onto furniture and twirling his lightsaber like that. Afterward, he'd gone back down to the Store and gotten himself a long black duster coat like theirs although he still preferred to wear his brown Jedi robe.

They were both watching him intently as he approached their table. Andrew looked shifty, while Buffy giggled loudly, causing most of the other occupants of the cafeteria to look at her and then take a long critical look at him wondering what he'd done. It was not a good sign and also slightly embarrassing.

“Hello, Obi-Wan,” said Andrew, and looked down guiltily at whatever he was holding on his knee.

Buffy glanced down at whatever it was and then gave him a huge smile. “Hey Ubi-Doo, want to be in on some fun?”

So, his heart skipped a beat at her comment. It was, of course, because her idea of 'fun' was probably going to mean trouble for him and not be fun at all. It was nothing to do with the fact when she looked at him and smiled the entire world lit up, nothing at all.

“Umm, what sort of 'fun', Buffy?” And his mouth was tugging up at the corners, and now he was smiling back at her when he was supposed to look disapproving, which she took as a yes he did want to be a conspirator in whatever 'fun' she was planning. He really should go to the council and let them know he'd been compromised, that he was now one of Buffy's most devout minions.

“Show him, Andrew.”

Andrew looked around, supposedly to make sure no one was watching, Obi-Wan suspected it was more for show than anything else, as most Jedi in the cafeteria sat openly watching them, trying to see what they were up to and Andrew couldn't have failed to notice that.  
With a dramatic flourish, Andrew uncovered three Caff mugs which they must have purchased in the Retail district and had individualized. One was emblazoned with the words 'Darth Dracula', while the other two both declared that 'Sith Boys Have More Fun'. Obi-Wan stared at them for a long moment in shock and trepidation of what was to come.

“Please tell me you are not going to present the Darth Dracula one to Count Dooku?” he whispered, staring into Buffy's intense green eyes and willing her to say no.

Did she have a death wish or was she insane? Count Dooku wasn't the type who'd bend to her will and accept the cup as a joke. He knew the Count liked Buffy and was very protective of her as his apprentice but this would push the man too far and the fall out would be catastrophic. Obi-Wan briefly wondered if he could pull a mind trick on her but discarded that idea instantly. Not only was she like a Bantha Tick in her stubbornness but she'd just pick up on his attempt and either kick him in the shin or take it as a challenge and do something worse - possibly to him.

She gave him a big smile. “Oh yes, the Darth Dracula one is for the Count but that isn't the joke. The Count asked me to pick him one up after seeing my Sith-Queen and Andrew's Darth one. He laughed and said he'd like something similar. He's got a fun side has the Count, you've just got to dig deep down to find it.”

Obi-Wan now felt as if all the air had left his body. Count Dooku had a fun side? His Master, Qui-Gon had always told him otherwise, stating that when he was Dooku's padawan the man had been extremely strict and they'd often been at loggerheads. In fact, the entire Temple including Yoda walked on tiptoes around the Count. The only person able to rival the man's formidable Death Glare, which was backed with a full hit of Force Intimidation, was Buffy... And now Buffy was telling him Dooku wanted a caff mug announcing he was a Sith Lord?

“You both know that a thousand years ago the Sith and Jedi fought a bloody Civil war that left scars for generations on both people and places in the entire fabric of the galaxy? Even after Darth Bane brought out the Sith Rule of Two, the Sith have evidently been around to plague the galaxy, and of course, we should not forget how Darth Maul tried to assassinate...” he began, warming up to a long lecture on Sith and Jedi history and was cut short by Buffy, who sensed he was reverting back to Oh-Be-Boring.

“You are such a worrier, Ubi! They're only freakin mugs.”

“It's like the Klingons, “ said Andrew, unexpectedly jumping into the conversation. “ They were the scourge of Star Fleet yet, later on, they joined their ranks serving as officers and then they were all fighting on the same side together, humans, Klingons, and the Romulans. Captain Picard had Worf as his Chief of Security, something that would never have happened during the original series with James T Kirk. Most likely the Borg will be either exterminated or they too will join forces with Starfleet at some point in the future. We have already seen that possibility with Seven of Nine, although I do admit she is an anomaly.  
Personally, I think 'Q' could be a far worse enemy than the Borg, should he decide to be, even though they do have those cool cube ships that interlock to become bigger. Q's doesn't need a ship he can do inter-dimensional time travel and appear wherever he wants, a bit like the PTBs as he....”

He broke off as he looked over at Buffy and saw she was carefully examining her fingernails and pretending she wasn't in any way associated with him. Obi-Wan, meanwhile, was leaning back in his chair, staring at him with one eyebrow raised questioningly, but not daring to ask.

Andrew rolled his eyes at the lack of deference to his Sci-Fi knowledge and changed the subject. “Soooo...Yoda and Windu looked down their noses at us because we'd messed with each other's caff mugs and we thought the next time they called round they can have their own special mugs.”

“Yeah,” said Buffy, coming back to life now Andrew had released his Geek and gone back to his kinda normal. “ Yodel is always making out I'm a Sith and not a Slayer, and insulting Mr Sparkly saying he needs dismantling. I helped him out by finding that Sith Vampire Tomb and he didn't even thank me for it. Looked at me as if it was my fault it was there. Over 800 hundred years he's been living here and never once went down into the basement, just kept complaining the Force cloudy it is. I bet if the Temple was a raging inferno, he'd sit there in the Council Chamber going on about smelling smoke but not bother going to look for the fire.. He needs to get off his lily pad more, start looking for the evil creepies and stop contemplating his swamp.”

Obi-Wan sighed, he really couldn't think of anything to say in Yoda's defense. Buffy did have a point, why hadn't the Jedi gone down and neutralized the Sith Tomb long ago? It wasn't as if they didn't know it was there. It could have caused all sorts of problems in the future for the Jedi Order if she hadn't gone investigating.

His eyes drifted over to the trio of mugs in Andrew's lap, his eye being drawn to the one stating, 'Sith Boys Have More Fun,' and wondered if it was true...

…........................…


	54. Ruckus in The Jedi Library

Obi-Wan paused at the entrance to the Jedi Archives. From where he stood he could see the Head Librarian Master Jocasta Nu was pacing about in front of the lines of the Lost Jedi Statues and her face looked... angry. He looked behind him and wondered if he should make a tactical retreat and come back later when the coast was clear. It wasn't as if he was researching anything important, just an item on the Republic news report had caught his interest and he'd been intending to do a little research on it to see if it could have any bearing on the missing Sith corpse Darth Desolate.

He was also trying to justify to himself that his visit to the Archives had having nothing to do with the fact Buffy had taken Andrew into there again this morning to go 'research-girl' on demons and alien heart positions so would be studying in there. Although really it was something to do with them being in there. He was curious, the last few times they'd come back from a study session they were both in a good mood and he wondered why that was. Normally being cooped up the Archive seemed to depress Buffy, as she claimed that she'd a lot of good memories of 'goofing around with friends' in libraries, the Jedi one 'didn't cut it', as it lacked the fun ancient demon texts and that NuNu annoyed her.

Maybe, he'd find out another day though. Jocasta Nu certainly didn't look in a good mood, her severe hairstyle with the sticks holding the bun back, did nothing to soften the woman's appearance. But.... it looked like he'd hesitated for a trifle too long as now the librarian had spotted him and was making beckoning motions to go over to her.

Oh and wasn't that just great, that's all what was needed to brighten this day.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” she said his name in a cold manner, as if she was calculating how many times in his life he'd removed a holcocron from her precious archive without permission, and how often borrowed items were taken back late.

She smiled a frostily welcome as he walked into the huge room, unconsciously straightening his robe and adjusting it to make sure it sat high up on his shoulders. Jocasta Nu always appeared immaculately put together. He'd often thought she must spend more time ironing her clothes than he did his, and wondered if she'd an iron and a supply of Iron-O spray stashed away in her desk for use during the day in case she got crumpled.

Master Nu continued, “It is good to see you in here. Very fortuitous in fact, for I was hoping you might make an appearance and then I could take the opportunity to speak to you regarding a matter that has come to my attention.”

“Master Nu,” he gave her a small formal bow along with a warm smile and wondered what she wanted him for. From her face it wasn't a pleasant subject.

She motioned him to follow her, led him past the statues of the Lost Ones, and over to where her large desk was situated in one corner of the huge room and then motioned for him to take a seat.

“Thank you but I shall stand as I only came in to quickly research a Republic News item, and then I'm meeting Buffy and Andrew in the cafeteria for a quick lunch as we need to go over some reports sent in from the Coruscant Security Force...” He began and was cut off by the woman's frown and her hand put up to stop him

“There is no need to worry, Obi-Wan. You shall not miss them for they are both here in the Archives at this very moment.”

Almost on cue he heard the sound of Buffy's laughter coming from somewhere above them. And then more laughter, Andrew's and someone else's.

“As you can hear for yourself.” The Librarian's mouth turned downwards in distaste.  
“Miss Summers tells me she has spent a lot of her youth, and I quote 'cooped up with Giles in the library'. She also states she knows the value of them, yet comes in here, bringing in all manner of food and cups of fizzy drinks, laughing and causing chaos up there. I've also had to chase about, tidying up constantly behind her,” she paused, a sour look on her face and stroked an imaginary hair back into place on her head.  
“That in itself I can deal with. I understand research makes many Jedi excitable, and that they may on occasion leave items out which should have been refiled back into the system, however, the disruption she is causing is quite ridiculous. It's been a positive rabble up there the past couple of days and it isn't the kind of behaviour I expect to see or hear in my library! Obi-Wan, the Council and Master Yoda put her and her apprentice under your care, surely you can do something?”

“Umm, I'm sorry to hear that. I will explain that if she continues the Council will be personally be reprimanding her for that kind of behaviour,” he replied smoothly.

Jocasta tapped her finger on her desk in the manner she was prone to do when a group of younglings were trying her patience and she was about to administer a blistering tongue lashing. It was a dangerous sign and one that had many padawans fleeing once they saw it. He reminded himself that he was a Jedi Knight these days, that librarians drumming their finger against their desk top should not worry him and none of the holocrons he'd booked out were over-due.

“But that is precisely the problem Obi-Wan! It is no use applying to the Council! Two of the Jedi High Council Members are up there with her at his very moment! When I mentioned my concerns to Master Windu and Master Ki Adi Mundi they both agreed Miss Summers is rather excitable where demon hunting is concerned but saw nothing wrong in her behaviour, stating that Buffy is studying alien heart positions for the good of the galaxy!” The gray haired woman took a deep breath visibly trying to calm herself.  
“I asked Miss Summers why she didn't she at least take her study sessions into the private rooms? But oh no, she likes a good view of the main corridors, I quote, 'in case the vamps come in causing trouble, it being a public space'. I told her, I've never had problems with vampires before using this facility and the only one causing trouble is her!”  
The older woman sat plucking at a thread of embroidery on her sash as she spoke now. Obi-Wan had never seen her become so upset that she'd started to destroy her clothes.  
“Obi-Wan, she makes very unreasonable and aggressive demands to see demon texts, and even attempts to go into the Forbidden Holocron Vault when I turn my back. It's very hard keeping her out as I can't sense where she is being a Force Void, and also I'm sure she somehow manages to use the Force to hide herself... That apprentice of hers is just as bad! Only the other day I caught him trying to pick the lock to a Vault only the Master Yoda and myself have access to. Claimed he'd accidentally leaned against the door and got a bit of wire stuck in it. I mean really, does that sound remotely feasible to you? Obi-Wan, can you not do anything to stop this ruckus in my library?”

“Well if you've asked two Masters I'm not sure what I can do...” It must have been the wrong answer, the Head Librarian glared at him making him feel once again as if he was a youngling being scolded for talking too loudly.

“Umm, I suppose I could have a private word...” he replied carefully.

Obi-Wan knew Buffy didn't like the librarian. She'd told him that if Jocasta Nu proved to be a demon she'd remove her head, put it on a stick and use it as a floor mop. He really wished Buffy would stop making such visual references to acts of violence like she did, it put unsightly images in his head which tended to appear at odd moments (like now) and unbalance him. It was no wonder Master Yoda found her disturbing, he'd probably need to find a deep meditation chamber and spend several hours in there in an attempt to remove the horrific image of Jocasta's head on a stick from his mind.

“I've heard you've been a good influence on her, Obi-Wan. You always were a very well behaved polite boy, not like that Quinlan Vos you used to be friends with, he caused a lot of trouble in here. I'm sure you could talk some.. well I won't say sense into her, but suggest that others also need to use the archives as well as her.” she was smiling at him now, looking hopeful.

“I'll try my best” he said, edging towards the stairs that led up to the next level to where Buffy was holding audience.

“I suppose that's all any of us can do..” replied Jocasta Nu resignedly. When she went back to to moving stacks of holocrons around on her desk he made a quick getaway while she was busy.


	55. Scoobies in the Archives

Obi-Wan could feel the eyes of the Head Librarian, Master Jocasta Nu, on him as he darted up the stairs to the upper level, taking two steps at a time and using a bit of Force speed to put as much distance between himself and NuNu as fast as he could. No doubt she would spring out on him when it was time to leave, to reprimand him about his boots making too much noise on the stairs but at the moment he simply didn't care.

Obi-Wan had just reached the very last step to the upper level when a slim arm reached out and grabbed him by the hood of his robe, dragging him backward between two high rows of shelving. Luckily for Buffy, or maybe Obi-Wan, he didn't fight back, realizing instantly that the swirl of darkness in the Force was the blonde Slayer and not an assassin making an attempt on his life.

“Buffy! What are you doing? I could have taken your head off with my lightsaber attacking me like that!” he spluttered, feeling put out that he'd been so intent on escaping the librarian he'd been taken unaware. This was the Jedi Archives, one simply didn't expect to be dragged off behind the shelves in here.

Buffy didn't seem to take the threat of decapitation seriously, she just laughed. “Got you then Ubi! What did that Floor Mop say to you? I saw her make you stand next to her desk while she read you a lecture. Did you do something wrong? Or was she calling me again?”

“Indeed she was calling you,” replied a disgruntled and rumpled Obi-Wan, who was trying to smooth down the hood on his robe where Buffy had grabbed him. “She asked me to have a word with you about the ruckus you've been causing in the library.” He gave her a disapproving look. “You really shouldn't be bringing snacks in here either, Buffy, it isn't hygienic. Is it right you've been studying in here with several of the Masters? Surely they've had a word with you about annoying NuNu?”

“Nick isn't bothered, neither is Ki Longhead, they've both been helping me and Andrew do research on demons in this dimension cos my Basic isn't that great, not with all the unBasically-complicated stuff. Plus Andrew is better on Google, YouTube and those weird chat rooms he goes in, but this is a different dimension and he's yet to find alternative sources of information... So Nick goes off finding all the good stuff and Ki.. well he just turned up one day and hangs out with us now chatting. We had that Yacky Poo here yesterday and he was doing all this cool illusion stuff and making us laugh.”

“I'm sorry Buffy but I haven't got a clue who Yacky Poo is?” Obi-Wan frowned. Who in the Force was Yacky Poo?

“You know that guy off the High Council, the one with a very long neck and a bald head.”

Obi-Wan rubbed at his forehead with exasperation. “That sounds like Yarael Poof. You really do need to start learning the correct names of the Masters, Buffy,” He admonished, and then gave a little smirk as a thought occurred to him. “Master Yarael Poof was playing mind tricks on you then?” The master was very skilled with his Force Illusions and it was nice to know Buffy was not totally immune to Jedi mind tricks.

“Uh, no. He was playing them on NuNu. Me and Andrew could see through them. NuNu was getting really mad and pretending she wasn't. We were all laughing at her and she came up the stairs and caught us.” Buffy giggled, and added, completely unfazed by the idea, “I think she really hates me now.”

“Jedi don't Hate,” replied Obi-Wan automatically.

“Yeah, there is a lot Jedi aren't supposed to do.” Buffy rolled her eyes at him before leaning back and peering over towards the table she'd been sat at, she tugged the sleeve of his Jedi robe moving them both even deeper behind the shelving.

“Listen, I need to ask you something cos it's weird. That's why I dragged you over here although I told the others I wanted to interrogate you over NuNu,” she whispered.

“Umm, of course, Buffy. If I can help you I will. What's bothering you,” Obi-Wan immediately went on to the alert, wondering what secret she'd uncovered during her research sessions. Was there a new demon threat or maybe a Sith vampire attack imminent?

Buffy looked at him intently. “I've been talking to Ki Longhead and he's been telling me about all his wives and saying he's got loads of kids. I thought Jedi weren't supposed to get married and have kids? How come he gets a free pass and went crazy with the wedding ceremonies?” Buffy asked, frowning up at him. “Is it something to do with him having an elongated head and it makes him extra-brainy?”

“Oh... Master Ki Adi Mundi is from a very rare species. He was given special dispensation to marry and have children due to the rarity of males amongst his kind, even though he is a Jedi.” Obi-Wan answered primly, repeating the same answer that was always given out to Jedi younglings who asked this question.

It didn't seem to satisfy Buffy as she wrinkled her nose at his answer, which he knew to mean she was thinking and going to start asking him difficult questions.

“Why didn't he just donate his sperm then?”

Obi-Wan felt himself take a sharp intake of breath, cringed internally, and tried not to get embarrassed that Buffy had just asked him… what she'd asked him.

A GIRL asking him that!

“Umm, I'm not sure...” He closed his eyes for a moment not daring to look at her, saying, “It might be something to do with how they... umm, mate.” And then he quickly reopened his eyes with horror, as another thought hit him. “Please Buffy, please don't go over and ask him. Don't ask him how he.. Or why he didn't... Please, it's embarrassing,” he whispered in a choked voice.

She was looking at him now as if... well, as if he was a complete Nerd.

“Honestly Ubi, you're weird. If I was a Jedi and told I couldn't have a sex life I'd be asking these questions and demanding answers, but then again, I've never been brainwashed by a religious cult since I was a baby so I guess it's different for you.”

She seemed disappointed in him which he didn't like but he wasn't sure what he could do or say to make things better, so he simply shrugged.

“Pfft,” she huffed, “Okay, I won't ask him why being a Jedi, he didn't donate his sperm instead of having sex for years with five different women since it bothers you so much.” And then she changed the subject, probably as she noticed he was getting more and more distressed and his ears had gone very red.

“You might as well come and join us. We've sorted a program out so that we can have holographic images of aliens with their heart positions highlighted so I can practice stabbing them in the right spot with a stake. Nick and Ki said they want me to show some of the other Knights how to slay vampires and maybe put some wooden stakes in the armory so I've got to get whittling...” she tugged him towards the table as she spoke, and Obi-Wan trailed after her as she chatted on excitedly with ideas for introducing the Jedi to the new skill of slaying vampires and demons.

…...


	56. Unwelcome Callers

It was just after lunch and Andrew was fiddling with his stolen lightsaber parts and trying to work out how to make one from the manual he'd found 'lying around,' when the buzzer went on the door.

“It's only Obi-Wan,” said Buffy who was in the middle of putting her hair up into a pony tail. She let him in and turned back to the mirror, smoothing her hair as she did so before tying it up.

Looking at Obi-Wan's reflection in the mirror as she said, “I've got a lightsaber class with Dracula this afternoon some time. He's calling for me as he's got a meeting with some planetary VIP types who want him to represent them in the political field and wasn't sure how long the meeting would run on for. I'm not sure he should be getting involved with politics as it might lead to the Trade Federation stuff and that surely leads to bad things, but Andrew says as long as Slimy Sid isn't behind this, it's probably good to go.”

Obi-Wan watched her finishing putting her hair up before following her into the kitchen area of the apartment saying, “And when does politics not lead to 'bad things'? However, that being said Count Dooku is well known, and his family has a long history of being powerful in the political field so it does not surprise me that he is leaning towards a new career in politics. It will be a shame if he does leave the Jedi as the man is truly a legend and very well respected. I imagine that they will make a bust of him and put him in the archives as one of the Lost.”

“Oh yeah, I spotted that when I was in there arguing with NuNu, kinda like the Wall of Shame huh?” said Buffy, began rummaging through the cupboard, pulling out some cookies and putting them on a plate. “Who wants Caff and homemade cookies? Ubi, Andrew?”

“Yes please,” said Obi-Wan, eyeing the cookies appreciatively and wishing he hadn't such a sweet tooth. He really couldn't say no to Buffy's cookies, they were so much better than Palpatine's and it was just a shame she didn't make them often.  
Pulling his thoughts away from cookies he continued, “ But you have it wrong, Buffy. It isn't a wall of shame. It's dedicated to the knights who've left the Jedi Order, its such a rare thing to happen they make a bust of their faces so they will be remembered..”

“Cos they disagreed with the ultra strict Jedi Code that doesn't even make sense and made a run for it? What was their crime? Visiting their mother? If you leave, let's put your photo.. oh no, make that your statue, in a public place showing everyone what a bad person you are, kinda like Most Wanted? Sounds like a Wall of Shame to me.” Buffy wrinkled her nose, bit into a cookie and eyed Obi-Wan, waiting for his answer.

“Well, yes I suppose you could look at it like that.” That was the problem, thought Obi-Wan as he munched on a cookie, Buffy made you look at things differently and you didn't always like what you saw.  
He glanced across through the open section of the kitchen to the living area where Andrew was bent over something on the table, scratching his head. And speaking of not liking things you see...

“Andrew, are you trying to build a lightsaber?”

Obi-Wan hadn't been aware of what Andrew was trying to build until that moment, obviously, he'd been too busy listening to or maybe simply gazing at Buffy. He really needed to stop being so focused on her. No wonder the Jedi code disagreed with emotional attachments, they clouded your judgment, caused you to make mistakes and he really should know better.

Andrew was intent on following the manual but looked up, “Yeah, trying anyway.”

“That manual is something like Ikea produce, no real use but the diagrams look good,” said Buffy.

“Ikea?” asked Obi-Wan. “ Is that a weapons manufacturer in your dimension?”

Andrew grinned, “Something like that. I got some shelves for my figures off them once. Total nightmare. Obi-Wan, do I put this battery cell thing here or should it go lower? And is this crystal I found okay? Buffy says she doesn't want a blue one as she doesn't want to go matchy with yours. I've told her they seem to start off blue and change according to their owner, is that right? Blue for a protector, green for a duelist and yellow for a guardian? There's no red ones to be had in the Temple, and Quin says Buffy should go to Ilum and find her own, that she'll be drawn to it...”

“ I want that Sith one I saw in the coffin,” said Buffy, who'd followed Obi-Wan out to see what kind of a mess Andrew was making in the living room. “ I was drawn to that but you two put me off it by saying I would get the metal legs. I might nip down later and see if it's still there.”

Obi-Wan was aghast. Why was she drawn to Sith weapons infected with the Dark Force? It was a good job there were no more Sith Lords living in this sector or else she'd be wanting to collect them as well.

“I really do hope you're joking?” he asked, giving her a rebuking look.

Buffy gave him sly smile in return which he took to mean she wasn't joking about going back to the Sith Tomb for the Darth Desolate's lightsaber so he quickly countered with, “Master Yoda went down there himself and destroyed it...”

Buffy opened her mouth to say something, no doubt detrimental about Yoda but Obi-Wan put up his hand to stop her and cocked his head to one side as if listening to something.  
“ The Force tells me Master Windu and Chancellor Palpatine are walking down the corridor with the intention of coming here.”

He looked over to where Andrew was still trying to make sense of the lightsaber manual and surrounded by stolen lightsaber parts. A look of panic came over Obi-Wan's face. Using Force enhanced speed he snatched up all the stolen parts, tore the manual from a shocked Andrew's hands and darted down to Andrew's bedroom where he threw the lot on the Watcher's unmade bed.

Feeling relieved he'd managed to hide the stolen parts before Master Windu saw them, he was surprised as he came back out into the corridor to see Buffy standing outside the 'fresher.

“The Force is telling me I'm going for a shower,” she said, sliding the door open and slipping inside.

“No Buffy! They are on their way to speak to you. Having a shower when you know guests are arriving is very rude, and you simply can't do it!” Obi-Wan was horrified, what the blazes was he expected to say to Master Windu and the Chancellor, for Force sake?

“Can, and will, Ubi!” laughed Buffy, as the door slid to a close on her gleeful face.

A scowling Andrew pushed past Obi-Wan on his way to his room and said angrily on passing, “Yeah, and I will be in my room cleaning up the mess you've just made!”

Obi-Wan stared first at Andrew's closed bedroom door and then at the 'fresher door, his heart sinking as behind him he heard the buzzer going and he knew he needed to answer it. He couldn't believe they'd do this to him!

“Buffy, The Supreme Chancellor is here to talk to you, not me! You need to come out straight away, or I shall use the Force to open the door.” He leaned his forehead against the door, raised his hand and gave the 'fresher door a hard bang for emphasis.

“Ha! No chance Mr Negotiator, you can't make me!” Buffy was stood just the other side of the door he could tell.

“Threatening me with violence, Buffy?” he asked, in a dangerously low voice.

“With words Ubi! I bet I can make you leave me alone with two words.” Buffy laughed from the other side of the door .

Obi-Wan scowled, “ I sincerely doubt it. ”

She was laughing again at him even louder and he heard something rustling, then dropping to the floor on the other side of the door.

“I'm Naked!” she called triumphantly.

Groaning, he tilted his head looking at the closed 'fresher door as he considered his options and then smirked. Well, there was one thing he could do...

He banged hard again on the 'fresher door. “Buffy, if you don't come out shortly I shall send Sid in to get you out!”

“You wouldn't,” shouted Buffy.

“Oh I can, and I certainly will,” he replied, the smirk turning into a beaming smile as he turned her own words back on her. “ And I am quite sure Sid won't mind your nakedness .”

“He can't get in, I locked the door!” She yelled back after a moment, sounding very smug.

“And do you really think that a simple lock would stop me from opening it for him, if I want to?” Leaning on the 'fresher door he made sure he laughed very loudly so she could hear him clearly, and if that threat didn't get her out of there fast, he really would jiggle that lock and send slimy Sid in to get her.

Leaving her with that final comment to mull over, he exchanged the smirk on his face for one of Jedi serenity and went over to the door to let his Master and the Supreme Chancellor in.

…..............


	57. Boys Behaving Badly

Obi-Wan opened the door of Buffy's apartment to Master Windu and Chancellor Palpatine with a serene smile of welcome.

He gave a little formal bow, “Master...Windu,” (he managed to catch himself before he said Fury) “..and Supreme Chancellor, it's a delight as always to see you here at the Temple.”

He gave them both a smooth smile, stepped back and waved them inside, thinking all the while he wished the Chancellor would take an interest in some other woman and leave Buffy alone. Still, she'd accepted the man's gifts, it wasn't fair of her to hide away expecting him to make her excuses and conduct the visit for her, the least she could do was speak to Palpatine. As long as she wasn't agreeing to marry him, or have his babies like the Chancellor had suggested to her at the ball – the thought of Buffy becoming so intimately involved with the man left a foul taste in his mouth.

And as for Andrew.. who was still hiding in his room. If the blonde Watcher didn't make a fast appearance Obi-Wan decided he'd drag him out his bedroom and Force Throw him into the living room. Nick Fury probably wouldn't like to see him misuse the Force in that way but it was alright for him to judge, he didn't have to put up with the pair's constant antics like he did.

“Do take a seat, I am sure that Buffy will soon finish her shower and Andrew will be out of his room very shortly.” Obi-Wan's polite tone betrayed none of his internal annoyance.

Palpatine took the only armchair while Nick sat on the couch, and both stared at him expectantly.

'And isn't this fun', thought Obi-Wan darkly, as he looked at their faces. He needed to think of a neutral topic of conversation they could all talk about safely and quickly. The problem was that if he spoke about the Ambassadors Ball that might cause the Chancellor unpleasant memories of his failed marriage proposal or lead to talking of drugged cake and stolen kisses on the balcony... He was therefore startled out of his thoughts by Palpatine's next comment.

“Is there a bird in here?” Sid asked, cocking his head and listening to the strange whistling/tweeting noise that seemed to be coming from somewhere in the apartment.

“That's Buffy's shower, Chancellor. I tried to repair it, however, it still makes a strange noise whenever anyone uses it.” Obi-Wan gladly jumped on what might be a safe topic of conversation. Of course, he'd not mention Buffy originally broke it by bashing it repeatedly with her sword hilt in an attempt to produce water from a sonic shower. She'd been confused by the inter-dimensional leap at the time and it had been a stressful evening for all of them.

The Chancellor twitched his maroon robe as he crossed his legs and pulled his mouth in distaste at the explanation. “Surely that can't be right Master Windu? Buffy risking her own life fighting against the odds yet forced by the Temple to live in squalor and use a shower that makes a noise like a strange bird? I'm sure I can provide more fitting accommodations for Buffy and her apprentice...”

“There is no need Supreme Chancellor, I agree. I shall send a droid to fix or install a new shower,” replied Nick Fury smoothly. Despite Buffy's help in dispatching the Sith Mages, the Jedi Council (that was Yoda) wanted the pair to remain in the Temple so they could be constantly monitored for Sith-like activity. He was also coming to the conclusion that Count Dooku had been correct to warn him about Palpatine's infatuation with Buffy. The man was trying to manipulate and seduce a young vulnerable girl with promises of power, position, and shoes, and he really thought the Chancellor was too old for her.

After that short conversation there followed a long drawn out silence.

During which Nick came to the conclusion that he didn't like Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, there was something off about the man he'd never noticed until now. Obi-Wan panicked as the silence got longer and longer and he wondered what he could talk about, and Palpatine sat drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair with growing impatience.

“So how long will Buffy be,” asked Sid, taking a long look towards the back of the apartment where the 'fresher was.

He really disliked spending time with the Jedi especially the squeaky clean ones like Windu and Kenobi, they made his skin crawl with their self-righteousness, he kept imagining releasing some Force Lightning and zapping them both through the window. At least that would bring a blast of fresh air in here– and he fought to suppress a cackle at his own little joke.

“Oh, I'm sure she won't be long Chancellor.” Obi-Wan piped up and wasn't Palpatine glad that one hadn't been rattling on like he normally did, perhaps Buffy had taught him to keep his mouth shut. Obi-Wan's announcement was followed by another long and even more uncomfortable silence, during which the Chancellor received vibes through the Force that both Jedi were annoyed at him over his interest in Buffy, and Palpatine fought hard to keep his rising passions in check and not go Sith Lord on the pair of them.

Suddenly Kenobi surprised him, by saying, “ I know Buffy would be extremely devastated to find she was keeping you waiting. Why don't you knock on the fresher door and call out to let her know you're here. I guarantee she'll hurry out to greet you.”  
Obi-Wan gave the Chancellor an encouraging smile. At least he hoped it was an encouraging smile and not a wide beaming one that would raise suspicions he was using the Chancellor to play a joke on Buffy.

Palpatine's face brightened visibly at the suggestion. Quickly he rose from the chair, shot down the corridor to where the bird noise was coming from and rapping his knuckles on the door.

Buffy shouted, “Leave me alone, Obi-Wan. I'm taking a shower.”

Sid sang out to her, “Oh Buffy, it's me, Sid. I've come to visit you.” He smirked to himself as an idea occurred to him. “Would you like any help in there, my love? A hand rubbing your... hard to reach places, perhaps? I can come in and join you. It really is no trouble.” Oh yes, he could easily use a little Dark Force to jiggle that lock, disrobe and surprise his little Vader in the shower with his magnificent 'presence'.

“NO!” screeched Buffy, turning off the whistling shower. “I'll be out in a moment.” There was the sound of frantic rattling and bumping, as she jumped out the cubicle, and grabbed her bathrobe. The fresher door slid open and she appeared in the doorway wearing a form fitting, thigh length, bottle green Jedi robe tied with a belt.

Sid stood at the side of the door and undressed her with his eyes, which made Buffy feel like taking another shower – in concentrated toilet bleach.

“Ah, there you are. I was just about to come in and give you a.. hand,” he purred at her with a pronounced leer.

“Er, told you I was coming out Sid. I'll just go and put some clothes on...”

“Please don't go to any trouble for me, Buffy.” Sid crooned to her and she took a few steps backward towards the living room. He matched her steps wearing a strange expression she didn't like, she was sure his dark eyes were glowing yellower the closer he got to her.

“I must say I've never seen a Jedi robe looking so good... Of course, it would look even better if you shrugged it off and it fell to the floor at your feet, like those Jedi do before a tussle. Are you.. by any chance... naked under there?” he purred again, his eyes raking her bare legs where the hem finished and then peering at the neckline of the robe.

Buffy fought the urge to either go all out Slayer on him or maybe vomit, but managed to cover it by saying perkily, “Er, aren't we all naked under our clothes?”

Grinning, Palpatine replied, “That is very true, Vader. Now take my arm, walk beside me and I'll escort you back to the living room.” He moved with a blur of speed through the Dark Force to be by her side before she could argue and Buffy used Slayer speed to dart backwards and do a side dive into the kitchen area of the apartment.

“Sorry Sid, I've got to be a perfect hostess and make my guests caff. Also I have cookies!” she grinned at him, adding “I made these myself.” Hoping he'd think they were drugged ones and decide to leave. Sadly she was doomed to be disappointed as his face lit up, just like Obi-Wan's did when her cookies were mentioned to him.

“Cookies, are my favorite. I do hope you've plenty as I am rather greedy where 'cookies' are concerned,” and he raised an eyebrow in a suggestive manner.

Buffy starred at his eyebrow blankly for a moment, before shoving a plate of cookies at his chest and asking him to take them through while she sorted out the drinks.

Sighing, but looking down at the cookies with great interest he disappeared into the living area, leaving Buffy muttering darkly to herself about a certain Jedi who was 'so gonna pay for what he'd done'.

…..........


	58. The Queen Holds Court

Buffy's keen hearing heard Andrew open his bedroom door. As he made to walk past the kitchen area in the apartment, she grabbed him and pulled him into the tiny space, making sure they were both shielded from view of those in the living room by the dividing column.

“Arhhh!” he squawked and tried to pull the sleeve of his stripey sweater from out of her grasp.

Buffy shushed him quickly. “Andrew,” she hissed. “Sid is in there with Nick Fury, should I spring the special mugs on them or not?”

She was frowning up at him as she couldn't decide whether it would be a fun thing to do or not. On the one hand, to see Sid drinking out a 'Sith Boy' mug would be a priceless, once in a lifetime opportunity, but on the other hand, he might go all Dark Lord of the Sith, whip out his lightsaber and start electrocuting them all.

Andrew grinned. Widely. “That would be so cool! Do it, Buffy! I wish I had my camera. This would go viral if we could put it on the net! Oh, and you've got to give Obi-Wan his Jedi-Boy mug too. just to mix things up.”

Buffy giggled, “Okay, but you've got to bring them out with me and we'll hand them out together... And don't laugh. We both have to keep the straight faces on this one.”

As Andrew was grabbing the mugs she popped her head around the doorway and called over to where Sid was sitting in the armchair munching happily on one of her cookies. “Sid, do you take milk?”

The Sith Lord waved half a cookie at her. “Just a little milk.”

“What about sweeteners or maybe honey?”

“No, thank you. I'm sweet enough already, Buffy.” He smiled evilly at her, and she grinned even more evilly back, before darting back into the kitchen.

“You ready to..” she began when the buzzer went on the front door interrupting her. Obi-Wan, helpful as ever, rushed to open it and let in Count Dooku. “Quick get the Darth Dracula mug out!” Buffy whispered, and Andrew chuckled, as he took the Count's mug off the shelf and poured out a caff for the man.

Buffy walked into the living room and, with her face kept as straight as possible, handed Nick Fury two cups and asked him if he minded passing one over to Sid. Behind her, Andrew gave the Count his usual mug (Darth Dracula) and Ubi his (Jedi-Boy) before scuttling back into the kitchen and bringing out their own mugs, Sith-Queen, and Darth Andrew.

Perching on the arm of the couch next to the Count (she was fairly certain he could electrocute people back should Sid get all sparky), she took a sip of caff. She watched from over the top of her mug as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine looked at his mug with confusion, before turning it carefully around in his hand so that he could read exactly what was written on the side of it.

Sith Boys Have More Fun

She saw his breathing hitch, his eyes widen, and then narrow. His face darkening with anger he glared at Nick Fury, who'd merely rolled his eyes on seeing what was printed on his mug, and was now sipping caff across from him. Nick swallowed the caff and seeing Sid's angry expression tapped the side of his mug, drawing the Sith Lord's attention to the writing on the mug he was drinking from.

“A little joke from Buffy and Andrew on the Jedi, I believe Chancellor,” said Nick smoothly. He rolled his eyes and gave a little head shake. “An unusual sense of humor the pair of them have.”

Sid stared at Mace Windu's Sith Boy mug before turning to look at everyone else's mugs and after spending several minutes reading them all, sat in shocked, white faced, stony silence.

Buffy held back her laughter and Andrew, who'd always been the one to give the game away with his giggles, was forced to dart back into his bedroom. Sitting on the couch in between Nick and the Count, Obi-Wan was giving her a tiny head shake but she could see a smile playing around his lips, bringing out his dimples, and his eyes sparkled with amusement.  
' Don't make me laugh' she mentally hissed as him and watched him raise an eyebrow at her, making her wonder if he actually heard her.

The Count, who'd also been watching the reception of Buffy and Andrew's mugs on Master Windu and the Supreme Chancellor smirked but broke the slightly awkward silence that had fallen over the company. “Miss Summers, I have something for you.”

He opened his cape and withdrew Darth Maul's lightsaber causing Buffy to exclaim loudly with delight at seeing her beloved weapon back again. She'd been using a training one for her lessons but it really wasn't the same.

“The repair took longer than I thought as it wasn't put together quite like a Jedi's. I've had to make a few necessary alterations and then a further repair to the broken edge. I'd noticed during our training sessions that you gripped the hilt rather higher up the shaft than you did with the training lightsaber. This would be because the weapon was originally intended to be a dual edged light-staff and having had one end broken off would become unbalanced. The repairs and alterations I've made should even the balance and make it much easier to wield with far better precision. In other words Miss Summers, I expect your performance in the training room to show a vast improvement.”

Buffy took the lightsaber from the Count and switched it on. Causing Sid to lean back quickly in his chair in case she accidentally impaled him. She grinned at him and bouncing over to a clear part of the room so she could give her newly mended lightsaber a few trial swipes to test the balance.

With the Jedi and the Sith all watching her, for a variety of reasons, she brought up the blade and ran through a few of her favorite Juyo and Vaapad lightsaber positions. Twirling the blade two handed over her head, her short Jedi robe flapping as she moved, she went through a number of spins and thrusts before throwing the lightsaber hilt from one hand to the other as she tested the balancing of her weapon even further.

“Oh, I like it, Count.” She gave the Count a dazzling smile. “Thank you so much for that, it handles much better now. Those Sithy Wizards did me a favor blanking it out, after all.”

“That color lightsaber really suits you, Buffy,” growled Sid in a low voice. “It matches your eyes.” He'd been watching the way the robe bounced up on Buffy's strong thighs, noting her firm grip on the lightsaber hilt and trying not to cackle as he knew he was getting over-excited as she displayed her Sith femininity in front of him.

Clearing his throat and striving for a more normal voice, he continued, “It also reminds me that the purpose of my visit today was not solely to admire your beauty, as you so delightfully wield a weapon promising pain and death to your enemies... or even to sample your most interesting hospitality.”  
He waved his Sith Boy mug towards her as he used the words 'interesting hospitality' and gave her a quick, sly grin. “But no, I'm here officially. I've spoken to the Senate, and none dared to disagree with me on this, we'd like to give you a reward for your services to the Republic for destroying those vampires.”

“I didn't do it on my own,” said Buffy, switching off her lightsaber. “Obi-Wan helped me. And the Count and Quin were down there as well risking their lives.. not to mention Andrew.” She added quickly, seeing Andrew had emerged from his bedroom now he'd gotten his giggles under control.

“Ah, but Buffy that's Jedi for you, always serving the greater good,” he gave a saccharine coated smile at Master Windu, before his eyes drifted over to her Sith-Queen mug and back to again Buffy.  
“I'm pleased to say as a Si-layer you are something very different to them and as such deserve recognition for your actions. Kicking your way through a cave roof, landing on a sacrificial altar, battling against the odds and dicing with death, the Council has filled me in with all the exciting details. The Hero without Fear, I believe some of the Jedi are calling you these days....”

There was a loud, startled gasp from Andrew who, on seeing Sid frown at him, quickly covered it with a cough.

Ignoring Buffy's bumbling apprentice, Sid smirked a private smile at the devious plans that were developing in his head. “I've arranged a little thank you present to be delivered and you'll also be required to attend a formal ceremony, I'll send over more details as soon as the date is finalized.” He put his caff mug down and stood up, with Mace Windu following him. “I shall be in touch again shortly, my sweet inVader from another dimension.” With those odd words and a quick wave, he and the Master exited the apartment.

“I really don't like that man,” said the Count, after they'd gone. “Miss Summers, that statement he made about your red lightsaber matching your eyes was decidedly odd.”

“I don't like him either,” agreed Obi-Wan. “The way he was watching Buffy's robe riding up her thighs as she went through those lightsaber moves was disgraceful.” Still annoyed by the man's lack of respect, he added with disgust, “And I saw him wiping at his mouth as if he was drooling.”

Noticing the Count giving him a hard-eyed look, and realizing Buffy had become embarrassed by his comments, he tried to soothe her saying. “Although... maybe he was just wiping away cookie crumbs.”

Buffy had gone pink with embarrassment as in her eagerness to try out her newly repaired weapon she'd forgotten she wasn't wearing any underwear.

Was Obi-Wan, in his polite way, telling her she'd accidentally flashed three Jedi monks and a Sith Lord?

She glanced at the Count who was stony faced, and giving nothing away. Then turned her attention back on Ubi, she decided that since he wasn't bright red and he'd not hidden behind the couch, she'd probably not exposed herself after all.

“Er, yeah, Sid's weird. I think I'll go and get dressed so I'm ready for our lightsaber class, Count. I won't be a minute.”

“And now the excitement is over and your guests have departed I shall be leaving too,” said Obi-Wan deciding he didn't want to be left alone with Andrew and his never ending diatribe on how the Star Trek dimension differed from this one, and how they were lucky they weren't facing a Borg attack. There were enough problems for the Jedi in this galaxy he really didn't need to know about being assimilated as well.

Buffy followed him over to the door. “Don't be thinking I've forgotten you set Sid on me when I was taking a shower,” she said quietly, so the Count wouldn't hear. At one point she'd been in a real panic when Sid seemed to be lingering very close to the door. She knew Sid was quite capable of electrocuting the door lock and letting himself in, even if none of the Jedi did.

Obi-Wan face lit up with a blatant grin of delight, which made her all the madder at the Jedi. “Perhaps now you will not feel the urge to abandon your responsibilities to others, Buffy,” he replied smugly, over pronouncing every word in that annoying formal manner he had.

“So gonna get you back for that, Oh-Be-Smug-One,” she countered, stepping out into the corridor to make sure he didn't get the last word in.

Stupid Jedi monk looking so full of it, she bet if he'd been wearing his nerdy bathrobe he'd be doing his swishing thing with it, as it was he sauntered down to his door in his beige Jedi play suit looking very pleased with himself.

Ugh, he got her so mad at times and... then she found herself running her eyes across his back, noting the way his tunic pulled across the muscles in his shoulders, how the fabric of his trousers strained against his thighs and he had a nice butt. Who'd believe that stupid robe and over long tunic of his hid such salty goodness, and he really was much better looking than Ewan McGregor...

When Obi-Wan came to a halt outside his apartment door, he turned and grinned her, making her wonder if he'd caught her checking him out.

“Gonna get my own back, Obi-Wan Kenobi!” she warned again, to cover the fact she'd been checking out a monk in a very bad way, and it wasn't the first time she'd done it.

Stupid Jedi couldn't keep his mouth shut or wipe the lazy grin from his face. “You can attempt it but... you will fail, Buffy Summers!”

Buffy looked at him thoughtfully for a second or so, and surprised herself by saying, “It's Anne.”

Obi-Wan raised a questioning eyebrow but retained the grin. “Anne?”

“Yeah, my full name, it's Buffy Anne Summers,” she said and gave him a dazzling smile before darting back inside and closing the door behind her.

Leaving a Jedi knight standing in the corridor staring at her door with a different kind of smile tugging at his lips.

…..............


	59. A Most Daring Plan

Palpatine stood looking out the window of his office drinking tea and contemplating his latest interaction with the beautiful inVader at the Jedi Temple. The mug incident had been truly shocking. He still felt unsure how to feel about it.

Truth be known when Master Mace Windu had passed him the mug with the words, “Sith Boys Have More Fun,” printed on the side of it he'd thought he'd been set up. That his identity had been discovered by the Jedi High Council and he was fully prepared to whip out his lightsaber - Red Death - and go into instant battle with the Master Windu. He would have also released a little bit of exciting Force Lighting, especially if Buffy was watching so that she'd be impressed with his strong Force Wielding ability.

Luckily for Master Windu, Palpatine spotted that he too was drinking from a “Sith Boys” mug just a moment before the Jedi pointed it out to him. The declaration had rocked him to his core. Master Mace Windu, the Jedi who was expected to take over the Jedi High Council, was announcing his Sith affinity? Then he remembered how his little Vader had renamed the Master 'Nick Fury' on first laying eyes on him. Obviously, she'd recognized him as a potential Sith at that point and chosen his name - Darth Fury. He supposed it had a nice ring to it and it certainly wouldn't take long for the man's purple lightsaber to go red.

And then there was Buffy, sipping her caff delicately out a mug which announced to all who cared to look that she was was the Sith Queen. When she caught him looking at it she'd winked at him! Oh yes, his Vader was truly a little terror. Shocked as he was he'd had to fight to keep the grin off his face at that saucy and knowing wink. The minx!

He'd spent all night meditating, and finally, thought he'd worked out her plans. Oh me, they were they definitely Sith plans! No matter how much she kept insisting she was a Slayer, it was obvious to any with an affinity to the Dark Side exactly what she was. A bringer of Chaos and Disturbance, the antithesis of a Jedi who preferred Peace and Order, a Slayer she might be called in her dimension but in this one, she was pure Sith!

Those plans of hers for dominance and power, for instance, blasted his own right out the water. She really should change her name to Darth Audrey, for she was truly audacious. And quite blatant about it too.....

Palpatine took a long sip of tea, savoring the taste and staring out the window in the direction of the Jedi Temple. He couldn't help wondering if she thought about him as much as he thought about her? Dancing around in her short Jedi robe like that, twirling her pretty red lightsaber at him like a Goddess of Death, he'd hardly slept that night and had to go into a Dark Force Trance to release all his pent up passion.

Oh yes, he and his inVader could rule the entire galaxy together and then go on to rule other dimensions. They had so much power between them. Dark Power.

She was such a naughty Vader though. She was obviously ignoring Darth Bane's Sith Rule of Two and wanted to recreate the Sith Empire with herself at its head as the Sith-Queen. To do that she would need Force Users and that would be a problem as they were always scooped up as children by the pesky Jedi's. Few fell through the net and escaped their clutches. So what had his audacious one done?

Only walked straight into the Jedi Temple, of course, appealing to them for 'help'. When all the time she was really recruiting amongst the Jedi, looking for those who were willing to joining the Dark Side and become her Sith Lords. Then, sitting there having Caff mornings with Darth Andrew, Darth Dracula, Darth Fury and whoever else came in. Passing them a mug with a subliminal message suggesting the Sith were having more fun than they were. Claiming it to be a joke should anyone enquire too closely and no doubt signing them up if they looked interested.

From what Yoda had told him she'd even attempted to sway Squeaky Clean Kenobi to the Dark Side by leading him into a room inhabited by the most potent Dark Force while in the Sith Tomb. Of course Squeaky Clean had fought it off. He was Squeaky Clean, after all. Sitting there with his Jedi-Boy mug amongst them. He was so naïve he didn't know he was in a nest of Sith Lords and the most audacious Sith to have ever lived, Buffy Summers.

She'd be forced to slay Squeaky Clean Kenobi at some point. Palpatine gave a little shudder, dirtying her blade on that one. Maybe he should show her some Force Lightning so she could blast him to death. Although knowing her, she probably already knew it and was hiding her skills.

Then again, with her skills, maybe she could sway Squeaky Clean to the Dark Side? In hindsight, the young knight seemed much darker recently. Perhaps she'd already started to lure him into using the Dark Side of the Force? There had also been a lot of secretive glances cast her way so maybe she'd made him an offer and he was considering it? If he fell, the entire Jedi Temple was hers for the taking for there was no one as Squeaky Clean as Kenobi, apart from the green frog Yoda who was on his last legs and ready to croak at any point.

Palpatine give a little cackle at his own joke, and then realizing what he'd done took a quick sip of tea.

Oh yes, his sweet Vader was a very special Sith. The Sith Queen indeed, and since he was the most powerful Sith Lord in the galaxy he was quite happy for her to carry out her plans of recreating a Sith nation from inside the Jedi Temple. They beat his plans of creating a clone army and defeating the Jedi hands down by their sheer evilness and audacity. Should those plans of hers come to fruition he intended to be the one by her side (and in her bed) reaping in all the benefits of having such an evil wife.

He released a cackle then, long and loud. The Time of the Sith/Slayer Empire was approaching, The Time of the Jedi was almost over and the office of Sheev Palpatine echoed to the sound of manic cackling.

…...............…


	60. Life In The Jedi Temple

The Jedi medical wing was located in one of the lower levels of the Temple and both Obi-Wan and Buffy had been in sitting there for what seemed ages as the med-droids fussed over their injuries. They'd been playing Dodge Droid again and both patients were now 'resting' on adjacent examination tables in the same bay, each with a Bacta-patch over their wound and both loudly blaming one another for their injuries.

“I can't believe I let you talk me into such stupid activities,” Obi-Wan was saying, ignoring the fact she'd never asked him to join her let alone talk him into it, but feeling justified in blaming her as he couldn't leave her alone when she was battling droids weaponless. He pushed the longer lengths of his reddish-blond hair back from his forehead, folded his arms and glared at her, the bandage holding the bacta-pad in place partially obscuring his vision.  
“You really need to be more aware of your surroundings and the locations of your allies before throwing a droid part like that. You know that as a Force Void my reaction times are slower with you than they are with a normal living organism...”

Buffy broke him off. “Oi, for a start off, I never asked you to join me, and if you hadn't screamed like a girl – and I don't mean a slayer I mean a five year old girl - I would've seen that lump of metal coming towards me, you totally distracted me with all that screaming.”

“I did not scream like a girl. I called out a sharp warning to you! The Force told me the metal was ricocheting off the wall, I did not expect you to be so startled that you'd hit me in the face with a dismembered droid arm...”

“You jumped in front of me! I didn't hit you with full slayer strength either as I tried to stop as soon as I spotted you screaming, really I did. ” complained Buffy, cutting him off again. It wasn't as if she set out to bash him round the head with a droid arm, and she'd said sorry to him as soon as she'd first hit him. Well, maybe not sorry but she'd said Oops which was the same thing.

“I only jumped in front of you because I was trying to protect you by Force Pushing the metal away. As it was, having you hit me around the head with a large piece of metal completely distracted me from the task at hand, and now we are both injured due to your lack of care and attention.”

He was really sulking about being accidentally smacked in the face Buffy could tell. His voice went all with the forming-of-the-wordage when he started sulking or got annoyed about stuff. She looked down at her broken fingernail and thought with all the moaning he liked to do it was no wonder he drove Anakin into becoming Darth Vader.

“This would not have happened if you took the time to meditate with me to see if we could open up a proper Master/Padawan line of communication between us, like I've spoken to you about before. I am quite sure it could be done. You know when I'm trying to contact you, and have always sensed when I've tried using my mind power on you,” he continued.

“Yeah, and don't forget it Oh-Be-Nosy,” she raised an eyebrow at him. “Obi-Wan who'd be the Master and who'd be the pod person in this relationship? I know what you're like, you'd be pecking away at my head, day and night with Oh-Be-Boring lectures about my behaviour, and trying to brainwash me into becoming a Jedi clone trooper..”

“Jedi clone trooper? Pod person? I'm simply not going to ask. I shall not fall for your Dark Force mind techniques no matter how hard you try,” he gave her a disparaging look and ignored the confusion in her face when he accused her of using Dark Force mind powers.

“But back to the subject of our proposed Master and Padawan Bond... Obviously I'd have the upper hand in this being the most experienced one of the two.”  
He gave a little smirk from under his bandages, knowing how much she'd hate to think of him as Master let alone call him that. He continued, determined he'd get his own way in this especially after today's incident. “Maybe with my calming influence you'd become less aggressive. Personally, I think it's a good thing I have such strength of character. A lesser Jedi would be at dire risk of falling to the Dark Side with some of the comments you've made.” He noted the slight quirk of a smile on her lips. “It really isn't funny, Buffy. You have a tendency to create vivid, and vicious imagery and implant it in my head which takes weeks to get rid of.”

She rolled her eyes and picked at the top of her Bacta pad. “Phhft, It's not my fault that NuNu woman annoyed you, and then you visualized her head being used as a mop because I'd mentioned it in passing...”

“In passing!” Repeated Obi-Wan, looking at her with a mixture of horror and annoyance. “How can one even mention pulling off someone's head, putting it on a stick and using it as a floor mop in passing! One mentions the weather in passing, not acts of savage violence towards innocent people! That type of thing is a very Dark Mind Power and you should not use it on a Jedi. Don't you realize how difficult it is for Force Users to stay on the light side and not be swayed to the Dark? Master Yoda will tell you this himself.”

Buffy rolled her eyes,”Honestly Ubi, you and your Jedi cult are really weird. I only said I'd do it if she was a demon. She's human or pretending to be so I'm not gonna use her head for a mop. If she or Sid turn into giant snakes or give off demon vibes I'll slay them but Slayers aren't supposed to kill humans, even the obnoxious ones. And as for you falling to the Dark Side you don't need to worry about that, you're too shiny and produce far too many Sparkles.”

He was scowling at her now and looking very silly doing it while wearing a bandage round his head. Obi-Wan claimed he'd no idea why he looked so shiny and sparkly to her, that no one else who was Force Sensitive saw him like that, and he always got a bit cross when she mentioned sparkles to him. She smiled at him happily, because it really was such fun to tease him and push his stupid Jedi non-emotional buttons.

“I really hope that smacking me in the face with a droid arm wasn't done on purpose as revenge for me letting Sid bang on your fresher door,” he said, his face darkening at the thought. She'd promised to have her revenge on him but to purposely hit him in the face was taking things too far.

“No!” Buffy replied, shocked that he'd believe she'd want to hurt him. “That's not a nice thing to be accused of Obi-Wan.”  
He didn't say anything but raised his good eyebrow accusingly, reminding her of the all the times she'd used violence on him. “Okay,” she admitted. “I might have kicked you in the shin when you've gone to mind bendy me or insulted me but I'd never go as far as to hit you in the face with a droid arm. I'm sorry, it was an honest to God accident.”

He looked at her for a long moment and mollified nodded. “Fine. I believe you, but we still need to create a mental link between us so we can communicate during battles.”

“I'm not sure meditating together would be a good idea, look what happened the last time we meditated together, we both ended up in that pond,” she argued back.

“There's another reason why I think we should do this...” he was insisting and began rattling on.

Buffy watched him from under her lashes, the guy was so stubborn and seemed to love hearing his own voice. Obi-Wan was slowly getting less Nerdy under her tutelage although stubbornly clinging to his bathrobe, she'd put her foot down over the Jedi mullet he'd claimed was cool and made the droids cut his hair. Of course he still needed someone to tell him to shut him up when he went Oh-Be-Boring... and talking of which his mouth was moving and sounds were coming out.

“.. when we meditated and directly because of our meditation together you discovered the Sith Tomb had been tampered with. It was the Will of The Force and shows that we work well together. I really do think we need to strengthen our Force Bond, Buffy. I know we'd have one if you'd only..”

“Nope, I don't want you in my head snooping about, Oh-Be-Nosy-One.” Buffy snorted.

“It really doesn't work like that. We can only pick up what's projected along the link. And I certainly wouldn't want you snooping through my thoughts and memories either so I don't see the problem. We're half way there already. You can sense me and track me with your slayer ability and I can sense you via your inner Slayer, I'm the only Jedi who can do that so that shows we potentially have a compatible bond.”  
He was almost vibrating with determination as he looked at her, one eye obscured by the massive amount of bandaging the medical droids had put on his head, the other one staring at her with intensity, as if he was going to mind bendy her into doing the bond thing.

Buffy slanted him a glance. “You really won't give up on this, will you?”

Obi-Wan gave her another intense look. “No. I think it's the right thing to do.”

“I'll think about it.” she replied non-noncommittally. Mainly to shut him up but also she did feel sorry about whacking him in the face with a droid arm and him having a bandage on his head. Maybe they could do some brain talking to avoid that type of thing in future, plus it might be all kinds of fun sending weird messages to him down a mental link, she bet he'd block her after a day.

He blinked, surprised,” Really?”

“I said I'll think about it,” she said as she slid off the examination table. “And I've had enough of this hospital. I'm leaving.”

After a short, loud discussion, in which Buffy happened to mention 'in passing' that ripping droids to bits with her bare hands was one of her favourite hobbies, the med-droid agreed that the pair could leave as long as they kept the bacta-patches in place and returned to have their injuries checked the following day.

…........


	61. Surprise Gifts!

It was as Buffy and Obi-Wan emerged from the elevator on their apartment level that they were surprised by a very excited Andrew, who rushed over to them, his face falling when he spotted the bandages the pair were wearing.

“What's happened to you two? I've been looking for you both all over the Temple!” He stared first at Buffy's heavily bandaged arm and then with more horror at the bandage that had slipped down and was now covering both of Obi-Wan's eyes.

Obi-Wan, pushed it back up. “Caught a droid arm across my head on the right side. Cut into my eyebrow and cheekbone. It's nothing major but I need to keep this bandage holding the bacta pad in place until tomorrow. Buffy took a slice to her arm as well off a piece of metal.”

Andrew nodded slowly, but kept looking at the bandage covering Obi-Wan's right eye. He knew Anakin Skywalker became scarred over his right eye but he couldn't remember Obi-Wan being similarly scarred which was a bit worrying, in case it meant he'd go down the metal legs route.

Andrew found himself asking, “Will it scar?”

“I sincerely hope not.” replied Obi-Wan with a grimace. “ Do you need us for something?”

“Er, yeah.” Andrew pulled his eyes away from the bandage. “Rayne told me that they've took a delivery for you Buffy, its in Hangar Seven. Master Windu is in there now..”

“Who's Rayne?” she asked, puzzled.

“Pilot that works for the Temple I'm friends with,” Andrew gave an odd kind of smirk and both Buffy and Obi-Wan guessed there might might be more to this friend that he was admitting.

“Dish the dirt Andrew, is he cute?” Buffy asked, smiling at Andrew. She'd been wondering where he'd been vanishing off to for hours but not dared ask in case he was breaking into one of the Temple rooms somewhere. Obi-Wan really got annoyed with her over things like that but it wasn't as if she was Andrew's mother, and it kept him out her hair so she wasn't going to complain.

The blonde watcher blushed, “We're just friends Buffy.”

“But you'd like something more wouldn't you?” she grinned as Andrew looked bashful and evasive.

“Maybe... but never mind that now, what about your delivery no one will say what it is. Just that Palpatine sent it.”

“Could it be more shoes?” asked Buffy sort of hopeful and yet disappointed at the same time. She'd like to have more shoes but promised Obi-Wan and the Count she'd not accept any more gifts off Sid in case he thought she'd changed her mind and was going to marry him.

“I doubt it. Rayne thought it was all kinds of awesome and he's not into shoes. Come on lets go and see what it is!”

At Hangar bay 7 they spotted Nick Fury, along with a number of other Jedi and Temple workers stood in a trance-like huddle in a corner of the bay. As Buffy walked through the parked up Temple speeders and smaller space ships she wondered what they could be looking at that was so enthralling? As she got closer they noticed her and parted to let her through.

It was a shiny black speeder and although Buffy knew nothing abut Speeders or cars for that matter she could tell by looking this was something special. A bit like you could tell a Ferrari or a Porsche was special without looking at the badge. This one was running and making an expensive sounding purr. Which of course explained all the guys standing round, swaying and drooling as if they'd been hypnotized.

Inside the speeder was a large floral arrangement (blood red roses and some kind of lethal looking green lily) with a card attached. Buffy, seeing the card had her name on it picked it up and flicked it over. She paused for a moment as someone had added their own art work to the front of it; a heart ♡ (heavily colored in with black ink) an arrow pointing to it and the words, My heart, yours Sid. :)

Keeping her face carefully neutral, (you never knew if a Sid spy was watching her reaction and going to report back) she opened the card and slowly read the poem. Oh-Be-Nosy-One also read it over her shoulder and she knew the moment he finished reading it as his breathing speeded up with horror.

Roses are Red, Violence is too,  
I chose this Expensive Speeder,  
So Beautiful and yet Lethal,  
It really reminds me of you.

She looked up to see worry and confusion clouding Obi-Wan's visible blue eye, then looked across to where Nick stood placidly watching her.

Nick said, “I believe this is the gift the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine mentioned to you on his visit. It seems that he chose the gift personally and the Republic paid for it as a thank you for eliminating the Sith Mage Vampires.”  
He unfolded a letter he held in his hand and handed it over to Buffy. “This official letter and the ownership papers came with it. Congratulations Miss Summers you are now the proud owner of a TX-11. It also seems that your presence is requested at a more formal ceremony to be held at the Senate Building. I shall be in attendance representing the Temple, so will be acting as your escort since it appears the Chancellor forgot to include an invite for Obi-Wan. It's a great honor they've bestowed on you Buffy.”

Buffy took the letter automatically but didn't bother to open it. “What's this formal ceremony Sid wants me for Nick?” Anything that involved Sid and her getting together made her suspicious. She'd never gotten the evil demon vibes from him but knew he was a Big Bad, plus he really give her the wiggins with all that leering.

Nick must have noticed her anxiety about the meeting as he replied in soothing tones, “I believe it's simply a formal thank you in front of some members of the Senate. I shall remain by your side at all times while in the company of the Chancellor, if that's what you prefer?”

She nodded, not really taking things in. She shot a look at Andrew to see what he thought, and was disturbed to see him looking at the speeder with a giddy expression. Dratted boys and their toys.

“Should I accept the speeder, Andrew?” she asked.

He dragged his eyes away from the speeder, reluctantly. “If it was yellow or from Sid I'd say no but it's a gift from the Republic. And it's cool!”

“So...” said Buffy looking down first at her bandaged arm and then at Ubi's bandaged head. She ignored Andrew (his driving was worse than hers) and turned to Nick Fury who was gazing adoringly at her new....what was it called again, a TX speeder? “Fancy taking me and the boys for a trial spin in it Nick?”

Nick Fury's head went extra shiny as he beamed at her. “I'd love to.” Before she had time to blink he'd used a Force Leap into the machine and was now stroking the control panel as if it were a favourite pet.

Yeah, she thought, boys and their toys. She'd personally have preferred more shoes, although it might be useful for getting to the shops and back.

…....


	62. Fun And Sexy Times

Obi-Wan was in bed trying to sleep after a couple of hours of deep Force meditation attempting to remove a graphic, violent image that Buffy had implanted in his head regarding the removal of Master Yoda's legs, frying them in butter and serving them on a dish of salad. He'd just slipped into that pleasant state between consciousness and unconsciousness when the com-link he'd left on the dresser beeped surprising him. He sat up, looked at the code on screen and not recognizing it answered with curiosity.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

“Hi, to my friendly neighbor,” came Buffy's voice. In the background he could hear a slow hypnotic beat of loud music and the sounds of peoples voices chattering and laughing.

“What are you doing with a com-link, Buffy? They are only given out to Jedi and how did you get my code to contact me?” he said. Slipping out of bed he opened his bedroom door and looked in the direction of her apartment which seemed ominously silent .

“Andrew picked two up from the store and I think he got your codey thing when you left your bathrobe on the chair the other day.”

Obi-Wan frowned and rubbed his hand through his hair, sweeping the longer lengths back out of his eyes. “On who's authority were they issued? It's very odd you've been given these, they are subject to very tight security...”

A pause and... “No idea.” He knew then Andrew had collected the com-links unofficially on one of her, 'send Andrew out and see if he can break in somewhere,' jaunts.

“Where exactly are you Buffy?” The music was very loud wherever she was, then he heard a lot of scuffling and then what sounded like a Wookie howling in pain in the background.

“Sorry, stupid Sasquatch grabbed me wanting to dance, well I think he wanted to dance just whined in my ear and grabbed me. Saw this hairy arm grabbing at me and thought it was Oz on one of his bad nights...  
Yeah, so me and Andrew are at a club, ya know, dancing, music, gambling, drunken fun and possible demon sightings to be had. Sorry for not inviting you but there is a strip club attached to the place. Had to walk through it with my hands over Andrew's eyes cos he started squeaking at the strange things we saw in there, and being a monk I knew you'd have freaked…”

“I've seen things like that before, I would not have freaked out.” Obi-Wan felt rather put out that he hadn't been invited on a demon hunting expedition since he was supposed to be a Scooby. He didn't mention that the last time he'd been in a bar like that was with Qui-Gon when he was fifteen; they'd gone in there chasing a contact and he hadn't been able to sleep properly for weeks after seeing so much nakedness. However, he was no longer a young impressionable padawan, he was a knight now and things like that would no longer affect him.

“Phfft! You freak out if you see my underwear and that's when it's still on the hanger! I thought I was doing you a favor.” Buffy huffed.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes at the mention of her underwear and was very glad she wasn't there to witness his blush. The shopping trip she'd taken him on had caused him to have a number of nightmares, usually he was naked in them and using his lightsaber to cut through mounds of Buffy's underwear in order to escape the Retail District. Of course, she didn't know that and he wasn't going to tell her.

“Buffy, I only freaked as you were using me to display your underwear in a public area... As a Jedi it made me feel.. unbalanced. In future I want to go on all demon hunts with you, and yes, that includes the ones that entail entering strip clubs or other establishments of ill repute,” he argued.

“Yeah, well... where was I? Oh yeah, Andrew...Anyway, we went to the other part of the club and he calmed down when there was no naked demony, alieny frolicking going...”

The com-link went muffled and a moment later he could hear Buffy arguing with someone, “Eww! What is that thing anyway? A what?? … Okay but keep your sticky tentacle to yourself or I'll snap it off.”

Obi-Wan didn't like the sound of the club she was in if she was being accosted all the time. Why hadn't she taken him with her? Andrew was worse than useless. Obi-Wan found himself pacing up and down, frustrated she'd left him behind. The Force was telling him something bad was going to happen.

“Sorry about that, I got interrupted by a weirdo,” Buffy apologized. “Obi-Wan, I have a problem. Well, it might not be a problem... it's to do with having Fun and Sexy Times, but this alien thing is all a bit new to me so I thought I'd ask your advice.”

“Oh,” he gulped. Knowing she wasn't a Jedi and free to be with whoever she wanted but feeling like he'd taken a punch in the gut. He managed to reply, knowing his voice sounded overly formal... not to mention tight and pained, “I'm really not the one to come to for advice on your sexual problems, Buffy.”

“Huh? Wha..? Me? I...ugh,” she spluttered. He heard her take a deep breath before saying, “Look green reptile men. Are they dangerous?”

“Why? Are there some there? What do they look like?” Obi-Wan frowned, trying to work out the species she was referring to, and what they had to do with her sexual problems.

“Kinda like green reptile men... Bumpy head, black hair and smell funny. Like Giles's old book that got wet that time when I dropped it in the bathtub and had to dry it out next to the heater so he wouldn't find out. Took ages to get rid of the smell. There's this pack of them in here, and they've been hitting on us.”

“Hitting on you? What does that even....Oh!” Realization dawned on him of who she was referring to and yes, they were definitely dangerous. Why had she not taken him with her and then this situation would not have occurred? He had a bad feeling about this.  
“Buffy, they must be Falleen! Have they expressed an interest in you? They produce sexual pheromones to influence other species into doing things they wouldn't normally do. Do you find them attractive? I shall proceed there immediately but you must move out the range of their pheromones otherwise the effect on you will worsen until you are completely under their control...”

He was pulling his clothes on as he spoke, almost tripping as he struggled into his trousers, Force dragging his boots towards him, hopping around pulling on first one boot and then the other but keeping the com-link in his hand the whole time.

Buffy snorted. “Couple of them tried it with me but Sineya went all hissy at them and I thought they were up to something. Not that I'm into green lizard demons anyway, I'd rather remove their heads than my clothing.. It's Andrew. He is normally quite shy but he started acting kinda weird around those guys, I didn't want to get in the way of his sexy times but if its a date rape drug thing I'm going to stop it. That's why I rang you.”

“Who's Sineya? Look, tell me where you are and I shall find you...”

“S' Okay. I came weaponed up.” She was smiling. He couldn't see her but he could hear it in her voice.

“That's what I am afraid of. Where are you? What sector? I shall find a speeder and be there as fast as I can. Get Andrew away from them and stay away from them yourself. Wait for me in a safe public place. I shall be there shortly.” His mind was racing, thinking about which speeder was the best to take and hoping she wasn't too far away.

“Corusca Circus, Old town, got yellow street lights. Think its called the Caribu club... No that's not right.. Horrible, Korrible! Korriban Club.” replied Buffy, pleased she remembered the odd name.

He frowned, Korriban was one of the names for the Sith's planet of origin. Why had Buffy chosen to visit that club out of all of them? Why had she even chosen to visit the Underworld of Coruscant and not the Entertainment district? Yoda was going to look dimly on this adventure, he'd say she definitely was the Sith Queen and visiting night clubs named after her own home world looking for potential Sith subjects.

“What you doing there? That's not a good area or level and the clubs in that vicinity are all run by crime lords who have allegiances to the Black Sun, They are known for specializing in drugs, prostitution and the slave trade. The place is a hive of...” and broke off as she interrupted him with his own words.

“...a hive of scum and villainy, I've heard it before, Ubi.” He could hear her tutting to herself. “It was Dex who sent me a message. Said I might find something of interest in the lower...Oh! Got to go Ubi... Andrew is all giggly, making goofy eyes and his two new friends are trying to lead him off into the sex trade...”

The com-link went dead and Obi-Wan stared at it for a moment before hurriedly grabbing his robe. He'd find a fast speeder and go find Buffy and Andrew before more death and mayhem visited the already violent streets of Old Town.

…...........


	63. Knight To The Rescue

Obi-Wan took the fastest speeder he could find in the Temple hangar. Flying at high speeds across the planet, dropping downwards to a lower level, using his Force reflexes to dodge around traffic and power lines, before stopping abruptly and then allowing the craft to drop like a stone into one of the huge ventilation shafts that were always the fastest way to reach the very lower levels of the planet. Dropping several hundred levels he flew out the shaft and onwards to Corusca Circus.

Old Town was well known throughout the planet for it's odd dim yellow street lighting, it's less than savory establishments and the strong criminal element which proliferated on that level. Few speeders ever came down this far, so dodging traffic was no longer an issue but he was forced to reduce speed along Old Town's twisting streets as he sought out Korriban Club. Therefore he was flying more slowly when his com-link went off once again. The code was not Buffy's and once more came from an unknown source.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

“ Andrew Wells here. We have a problem of the gravest nature.” The boy's voice sounded off despite his careful choice of words.

“What's wrong Andrew?” he asked. His long training kept his voice calm, despite the fact he felt completely exasperated with the Watcher. The boy was worse than Jar Jar Binks with his ability to find trouble and then drag all others into it with him. “Where's Buffy?”

On the journey here he'd been expecting another call from Buffy but instead Andrew contacted him, which didn't bode well. Why hadn't she contacted him or answered his calls? Was she injured? If so how badly? He didn't like to take that thought further.... The Falleen weren't noted for their fighting ability but as they were rumored to be involved in running the Black Sun, things could have gotten ugly very quickly down here.

“Buffy's gone.” Andrew replied breathlessly into the com-link, and then his words poured out thick and fast. “We were in a club and I got drugged by lizards who wanted to use me as their sex slave! Buffy came to my rescue, dragged me away and threw me to one side while she took out the slavers. Then these assassin types crept up from one of the side streets and shot her!”

Despite his own distressed state Andrew heard the hitch in Obi-Wan's breathing and added quickly, “Oh, she isn't dead! It was a tranquillizer dart they shot her with, I heard her groaning as they ran past my hiding place with her. I followed for a while and lost them near some abandoned buildings, then I came back to the speeder as I remembered I'd dropped my com-link on the floor when Buffy's driving got a bit hairy on the way down here.”

Obi-Wan breathing became steadier now he knew Buffy wasn't dead. He flew the speeder along one of the yellow lit side streets of Old Town, and glancing at his co-ordinates he could see the Club would be coming up soon.  
Buffy being kidnapped was not good but it was something he could handle. While padawan to Qui-Gon they'd both been involved in solving a number of kidnapping or attempted kidnapping cases so he knew what to expect. Buffy had a value either as a slave or as a hostage, although who'd pay the ransom for her release he'd no idea. Certainly Master Yoda wouldn't, which left Sid, who'd definitely pay but would expect something in return. Therefore it would be better all round if she was extracted as fast as possible without going down the precarious ransom route.... His thoughts were interrupted by Andrew whining on about something.

“...and what should I do about the Lizard bodies, Obi-Wan? They didn't dust, and I don't have any of that magic stuff left that Willow gave me for dissolving corpses. Should I behead them, stake them or should I just leave them here? I already searched them for interesting weapons and magical artifacts as per the Watcher's handbook but couldn't find anything apart from an unusual dagger I know Buffy would like, a number of blasters which I now have in my possession and some credits I thought we could put towards the Shmi fund.”

Obi-Wan winced at Andrew's casual attitude to robbing dead bodies of valuables and then going on to behead or dissolve them. “Did Buffy kill them with Mr Sparkly?”  
Hoping the answer was no but not expecting it. A lightsaber inflicted distinctive damage to a body and he knew there was no way he'd be able to keep Buffy's slayage of the slavers from the Council. The Falleen might be criminals but she'd still need to answer a lot of questions about her decisions in employing violence against her enemies.

“Buffy didn't kill them, those assassins did! Buffy took the lizard guys down with her fists and feet, knocking most of them out cold but then those assassins turned up, darted Buffy and then turned a blaster on the Lizards!” exclaimed Andrew.

The Jedi breathed easier knowing Buffy hadn't gone Slayer with the Lightsaber on them. “Ignore the bodies for now. First and foremost we need to locate the kidnappers whereabouts. Where are you? I'm already in Old Town, coming up to the Korriban Club now and about to land.”

“Buffy parked up behind the Korriban Club, in a small square, it's not well lit. I've been staying out of sight, in case anyone else turns up and fancies turning me into their sex slave.”

Obi-Wan landed his speeder behind the Club not far from Buffy's and following his senses made his way to a small alleyway where there'd been a recent disturbance in the Force. Sure enough Andrew was hiding behind a block pillar waiting for him, the bodies of the massacred Falleen lying not far away, each with a single pistol blast to their heads. As he studied the efficient way they'd been dispatched, Obi-Wan rubbed at his smooth chin and wondered if this had been an organized hit and part of the ongoing internal crime war in the area.

Perhaps Buffy and Andrew had simply wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time?  
The tranquillizer dart used on Buffy was worrying but not an unknown way of bringing down unwary victims to be shipped off for the general slave trade or perhaps stolen to order for the rich and unscrupulous with an eye on a certain individual. He wondered who'd want to kidnap Buffy and for what purpose?  
An image of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine came to mind but the Chancellor seemed very keen on persuading her to marry him and to that end was still sending her gifts even if they were disguised as being from the Republic. No, this was most likely an opportunist crime committed after taking down a rival gang.

As he walked around and examined the bodies, stopping only to pick up the discarded tranquillizer dart, Andrew began babbling to him. About how Buffy had leapt in and saved him, 'from a fate worse than death', of how 'The Slayer took down the lizard guys within minutes,' before more had sneaked up on both slayer and Falleen alike and how Andrew had watched them dart Buffy and make off with her.

Obi-Wan stopped, to all appearances listening calmly to Andrew, his head tilted, the fingers and thumb of one hand stroking his chin thoughtfully as he watched the boy in front of him. Inside the Jedi was silently fighting a real urge to strangle the boy for not attempting to help Buffy. Eyeing him, Obi-Wan thought it was no wonder slayers in her dimension had such short life spans if they were forced to work alongside watchers like Andrew. Well, this would not happen again as from now on he'd be always at her side, and Andrew could stay behind at the Temple 'researching'.

Andrew continued...“One of those assassins walked right up to the unconscious lizards, he was one of those Rodians with those bug eyes, and shot each one through the head with a blaster pistol. No mercy. Total not of the good slayage. Then this humanoid type alien but like, way bigger, grabs an unconscious Buffy, throws her over his shoulder and ran off. I followed as best I could but lost them a few blocks from here.” Andrew paused and rubbed his hands through his hair making it stick up in all different directions.  
“Should we not contact Qui-Gon Jinn and ask for his advice? With him having a particular set of skills, skills he acquired over a long career it would make him a nightmare for kidnappers like these...” Andrew was definitely babbling, his hands waving and eyes everywhere.

“I have no idea why you and Buffy seem to believe Qui-Gon has superior skills in tracking kidnappers, Andrew.” Obi-Wan swished his robe with annoyance and raised an eyebrow at the plump blonde who looked embarrassed. “I am quite capable of locating these villains and freeing Buffy. Now, shall we begin?”


	64. (Not) A Damsel In Distress

Buffy woke up slowly, she opened her eyes and the world tilting annoyingly from side to side. For a moment she wondered if she'd drank dodgy alcohol at that club she'd been in. The way her head was ached and everything kept shifting, it felt like a repeat of the Beer Bad episode. She closed her eyes, concentrated on her breathing and centering herself, shook her head once and opened her eyes again.  
...And it looked like she'd been taken prisoner by idiots. The handcuffs and jail cells were sort of a big giveaway to the whole prisoner thing, the fact they'd forgotten to completely tie her up and left her legs free so she could move around was also a big giveaway that her captors were idiots. Those idiot captors were nowhere in sight so she took time out checking her weapons, and became more annoyed when she found someone had removed all her weapons while she'd been unconscious, even the ones under her clothing.

Buffy stood up slowly tilting her neck from one side to the other, cracking the vertebrae, rolling her shoulders and mentally checking herself for injuries. It seemed that apart from the removal of weapons, she hadn't been beaten or injured in any way. She did have a bruised cheek bone from a badly dodged Lizard fist from the earlier fight, which was annoying but slayer healing meant the bruise would be gone by the morning. It was the nasty sting on her left butt caused by the tranquillizer dart that pissed her off the most. Never a nice place to take a shot and not one she'd be happy talking about to anyone. Stupid bug-faced green alien was gonna pay for darting her ass like that.

Turning her attention back to her surroundings she looked at the large grotty space her cell was in, the place looked in even worse condition than the factory Spike kept hanging out in in with Drusilla all those years ago. Although the clear plastic gerbil box they'd incarcerated her in was fancier than anything Spike could ever have come up with, and the fancy set of handcuffs were extra weird since they had a flashing light sequence going on them.  
Her cell appeared to be one in a row of similar gerbil boxes, across the walkway she could see a another row of cells some containing prisoners, while most were empty. She appeared to be the only live specimen on this side and all the cells appeared to be well used and used on a regular basis. It made Buffy wonder if she'd been captured for some Initiative style science project this dimension had going on, and it also led to the question where had all the previous occupants gone? Had she been taken by sex slavers like the ones who'd tried to make off with Andrew? Or something extra freaky like a mad scientist?

Across from her in one cell she spotted two human girls sat huddled together, dressed in little more than rags and looking less than ten years old. Another cell contained a young, green female alien with headtails who was sat staring into space, whilst the last gerbil box contained a pacing teenage boy, who at first she thought was human but after a moment realized his head didn't look quite right and his eyes were inky black in color.

Walking to the front of her box she wrinkled her nose with disgust at the unidentifiable greasy stains covering the inside of her cell perspex, just being near whatever that stuff was made her want to slay her kidnappers. At the same time she was thinking 'eww', she pressed her forehead against the see through material and assessed her surroundings. Two exits, one to the left and one to the right while above her she sensed a large empty storage space. Reaching out with her senses she knew the left hand door would only lead to a kitchen area and a dead end, while the right doorway led to a corridor which in turn led on to a room where four people sat around a table.  
Buffy blinked a few times in surprise, both at the speed she'd managed to assess the area and how she'd managed to sense the number of people in a room she couldn't see. That was of the weird. Back in her dimension, she'd always been more spatially aware than normal people, it had been a good help when she and Giles had been on sewer patrol and wasn't that something she'd always hated, because yucky sewer, and the ruined footwear. Yet it seemed in this dimension her skill had reached new heights.

She tilted her head (trying not to think about the unknown greasy stain she was pressing her forehead into) and listened to her captors. The walls and doors in between her and them made it difficult to hear an entire conversation but one was much louder than the others and talking excitedly.

“She isn't a Jedi!” She heard clearly enough, then “...too good of an opportunity to miss when I saw the Falleen Four had her. If they'd... No use losing out on the money. That drug should keep her out until tomorrow at least...”

Buffy snorted when she heard that, he was in for a nasty shock. Her slayer metabolism fought off drugs real fast.

“....Look, if he won't pay up she'll be a nice addition to our shipment for the Outer Rim colonies, I can think of a certain Hutt who'd...”

Buffy wondered who 'he' was? She knew what a Hutt was, it was a big fat slug who was into exotic dancing, dodgy music and dropping people into pits. Oh no, she had no intentions of waiting around to take part in some slave auction like Qui-Gon's, no Brian's, daughter had been in Taken. Nor was she going to go all Carrie Fisher and wear a slave bikini in the hope Harrison Ford would turn up.  
She'd heard enough. Unsticking her forehead from the mystery stain, Buffy slid her fingers under the cuff band on one wrist and pulled.  
There was intense pressure, and a horrible electric shock flaring from each wrist but nothing her slayer pain resilience and sheer determination couldn't handle. Twisting both bracelets out of shape she slipped them off and threw them onto the floor before examining the front of her gerbil box once more looking for the slight indentation where the door would be.

The green girl with headtails across came to life and smiled at her while the teenage boy stopped pacing and walked to the front of his box watching her more closely.  
Her weapons might have gone but this wasn't the first time she'd been stranded with no weapons or friends or even the first time she'd been held against her will. She'd kicked slaver demon ass at seventeen in one Hell dimension she sure wasn't going to lose in this one just because she'd gotten older.  
While examining the front of her gerbil enclosure and focusing on the task she was surprised to not only feel the slight indentation with her fingers but also noticed an odd glow coming from part way up the doorway. Tilting her head she peered at it confused, why did she get the impression that was the weakest point? How, and why did she know that? Was it something to do with the Forcey thing? Perhaps once she'd escaped from here she could ask Ubi and hope he wouldn't get too excited and start wanting to share brain space again.

Buffy looked down at her shoes and grimaced. High heels weren't exactly the best thing to wear when kicking a door down, especially when said heels were attached to expensive shoes so she slipped them off her feet and tried not to think about how dirty the floor was. She stepped back to the furthest corner of her cage, before leaping forward and kicking at the door. Using her entire body strength on the weak spot she'd found, bouncing back as the front panel reverberated, landing neatly on her feet and taking a second full kick, breaking the door connection and suddenly she was free of the gerbil cage and in the small walkway slipping her shoes a back on.

A large green alien, Andrew had called them Rodents, burst through the doorway from the right and she recognized him as the one who'd took out the lizards as she lay drugged on the floor.  
The large Rodian raised his blaster at her but faster than he could press the trigger she was kicking out at his wrist, causing the blaster to spin through the air, where she caught it neatly, before using it to strike him on the side of the forehead. Despite holding in her strength the blaster butt hit him hard, she could tell she'd probably cracked a bone in his skull, and he spiraled down into a heap on the floor.  
The three aliens behind him blinked at her speed, but before they could react she'd slipped the blaster catch forward into the stun position with her thumb and shot each one of the them in the chest, the three falling to the ground in the corridor just behind their boss, twitching a few times before lying still.

Buffy cocked her head and listened. When she neither heard nor sensed more attackers she turned to the other captives inside the gerbil boxes and called out. “Anyone who isn't having fun wanna tell me where the door release mechanism is?”

The boy nodded to a panel on the wall at one side of the doorway. “Third button down opens my cell, and every button after that for each of our cages.”

Quickly pressing the buttons, Buffy released the doors and motioned for the kids to step out into the walk way. “Follow me closely but be prepared to dart back if there's trouble,” she whispered to the kids, looking at each one and waiting for their nod before she moved.

Down a short corridor she came to the empty room where the kidnappers had been playing cards and spotted Mr Sparkly and Mr Pointy lying on the table alongside her com-link. Grabbing the items she turned back to the main door and was just about to hit the release mechanism when she heard movement beyond it. Was someone about to come through?

“Find somewhere to hide,” she hissed and the children slid out of view, either behind the few items of furniture in the room or they moved back into the the corridor. Switching on the reassuring red glow of her lightsaber she stood waiting, ready to release carnage on the next demon or alien who stood in her way to freedom.

What she didn't expect was the door to open with a strong Force Blast, nor did she expect to see Obi-Wan outside poised to fight, his familiar blue lightsaber held defensively in one hand ready to stop blaster shots, and his palm facing the door.

He'd come to find her! And didn't that cause a warm feeling inside...  
“What took you so long Ubi?” She waved Mr Sparkly at him accusingly. “If I'd been a damsel in distress, I'd have died of the distress-age by now.”

The anxiety on Obi-Wan's face faded to relief as he looked down the red lightsaber and up into Buffy's teasing face. He struggled with the urge to grin like an imbecile at seeing her alive, and almost won the battle, the only clue to his happiness a familiar quirk to his lips. Then his eyes took on a glint, which were nothing to do with the reflection from his lightsaber and far more to do with his mischievous streak.

“You know how it is...” he drawled. “Had to iron my tunic, find the right colour robe, choose a pair of boots to match... Didn't want to wear an outfit that was so bad you called me a Nerd.”

“Phhft! You are a Nerd, Obi-Wan. You've come out in your bathrobe again,” Buffy teased, giving him a wide smile, and watched how his smile widen in response to hers.

“At least I didn't forget to put my trousers on before I left the apartment.” He waved a hand at the hemline of her short dress as he moved towards her. “Surely, that must be a bad fashion mistake in any dimension.”

Buffy rolled her eyes and snorted. “Honestly, you Jedi need to stick to playing with your lightsabers rather than dishing out the fashion advice. I know you're plain jealous because you've not got the legs for this dress.” She looked over his shoulder and seeing Andrew lingering a short distance behind and gave him a little wave with her lightsaber. “With you two arriving at the party so late you've missed out on all the fun of the slayage. Good job I had my new friend Mr Ray-Gun to keep me company”

Obi-Wan arched his right eyebrow at her, the one that still bore the scar from the dodge droid session , and gave an over dramatic groan. “And so here comes the usual request to help dispose of the bodies. Or have you 'dusted' them, Buffy?”

“Nah, the little Bads are all still breathing in the back room. The green one's got a bad head and probably a broken arm but the others I only stunned. Your pacifist ways must be like rubbing off on me, either that or I knew how much earache you'd give me if I had too much fun with the slaying.”  
The Jedi gave her a very smug look in reply, causing her to roll her eyes. “Don't think I'm going to stop slaying demons because it's not gonna to happen, Ubi-Doo.”

Seeing him look at something behind her she turned to see her fellow prisoners emerging from their hiding places. “I made some more new friends while I was locked in the gerbil box. None of us were happy with the guest facilities. Think we can find them somewhere safer to stay?”

Obi-Wan's face became solemn as he took in the small group of scared children and teenagers who'd come out to stand behind the blonde Slayer.

“I shall call the Security Force right away to arrest the criminals, and then we can arrange for somewhere safe to stay, until such time you can be reunited with your families,” he said. All signs of playful teasing were gone now, as he returned once more to a professional manner which radiated confidence and reassurance to the nervous group.

Dealing with the underworld security force, watching the criminal gang being led off, and seeing the children taken to a safe place meant it was shortly before dawn when the Slayer, the Jedi and the Watcher were able to make their way back to the their speeders.  
Standing high above them in the dark walkway a cloaked figure watched the nights proceedings with growing annoyance. Called to this level by the Rodian he'd come as soon as he'd heard of the Slayers capture but had arrived too late. After watching the three Scoobies fly off in their speeders, he hurried away, knowing a few loose ends in the area needed tying up and that his Master would expect that from him. There was a certain Rodian with his contact details that needed eradicating as soon as possible, and especially before being questioned by the Security Forces's crime investigators.

….............


	65. Oh Yeah, You And Who's Army?

Andrew was walking along thinking of all the exotic cooking, he'd seen going on at Dex's Diner that afternoon and trying to tune out Buffy and Obi-Wan's bickering as the three of them made their back to the Temple. Those two seemed to be arguing more than ever and if they weren't arguing they were teasing one another, or going off to one of the training rooms to fight for hours on end. Andrew wasn't sure if they were clashing due to their personalities being so different or because they had a lot in common, however he knew from long experience that it was bad for his health siding against a slayer so ignored them both, and thought about baking instead.

Dex had kindly offered to teach him to make a few new dishes and he was looking forward to starting his lessons. His baking had always proved hugely popular amongst the slayers and watchers, and he really did enjoy watching people eat the food he'd made. It was something he knew he did well, or had done well in his dimension and was hoping with a few lessons he'd be able to show off his new culinary skills to his friends at the Temple and impress them.  
Dex had offered to teach him how to bake something called Alderaan Berry Surprise cake which had become a popular seller in the diner recently, so Andrew was running through the list of the cake's ingredients in his head. He'd no idea why Buffy thought it so funny he wanted to bake a cake, or why Obi-Wan had looked at a giggling Buffy and become embarrassed. Those two acted so weird sometimes.

Dex had also found an interesting lead for them. He'd spoken to one of the security guards who worked the lower levels of Coruscant and that guard said he might have some information that could help in either the search for Demons or the missing Sith Lord Vampire. Bodies were always being found in the lower levels, it was a popular dumping ground for crime gangs and most bodies weren't even autopsied or their murders solved unless they were important people or had some strong link to an organization, legal or otherwise. Dex said that as soon as he'd heard back from the guard he'd send a message to the temple with any further information.

Andrew looked over watching Obi-Wan arguing with Buffy about Coruscant. The Jedi Knight was walking backwards as he spoke, stepping around objects in his path without even turning his head, so he was obviously using the Force to guide him. The way the Jedi could do that seemingly without thought and with such ease caused Andrew a serious flare of jealous.  
As a Star Wars fan it had come as a slap in the face that he wasn't force sensitive and was in fact a Force Void. He should have at least been able to levitate something, maybe not a space ship out of a swamp, but even being able to lift a table fork with his mind would've made him feel much better. He couldn't even get one of the training lightsabers to switch on for Force Sake!

“Buffy, you really can't compare a small town like Sunnydale to the heavily populated planet of Coruscant!” Obi-Wan was saying and walking backwards so he could watch the emotions play across her face as he argued with her. “There are over 500 levels to this planet and a lot of those levels are very heavily populated. Perhaps not the very lowest as I believe anything lower than ten is more of a dumping ground for chemicals and other such wastes. But it would take a huge security force to man all those levels and they are hard stretched for resources...”

“From what you've told me it seems very similar! The authorities leave the lower levels to the criminals or demons and pretend all the strange deaths are not happening. If there are demons on this planet I'm gonna find them and slay them. It's what I do, Ubi and you won't stop me!” Buffy huffed with annoyance.

Andrew wondered why Obi-Wan even bothered arguing with her, it wasn't as if he could stop her, nor would he let her go down there on her own especially since the kidnapping. It seemed since Anakin was now Qui-Gon's padawan, Obi-Wan had latched on to Buffy in this dimension and was constantly trying to boss her round, which obviously was a waste of time but in other ways was a relief. Maybe with Buffy about Anakin wouldn't become Darth Vader and Obi-Wan wouldn't start calling himself Ben and change into Alec Guinness. He couldn't see Buffy allowing either of those things to happen, and she could get really obnoxious if she didn't get her own way.

The three of them were distracted from their thoughts and argument by the sound of a child loudly crying and then the shouting of adults which was a strange thing to hear outside the Jedi Temple. They all looked over towards the center of the disturbance at the same time to see what was happening.

Just outside the steps leading to the Temple there was a human Jedi, sallow in complexion, his dark hair graying at the sides and pulled back away from from his face. With one arm he held a small crying child of around three years old against him and seemed to be arguing with a young couple.

“Please, give her back to me.” The woman, in the late stages of pregnancy, stretched out her hands to the child in the Jedi's arms and he turned, so the child was out of her reach. The child's face scrunched up, struggled in the Jedi's arms and unable to get free she began to scream very loudly.

“We made a mistake in agreeing to this,” The man's arms were around his wife as she looked ready to faint, but anyone with eyes could see how angry he was with the Jedi in front of him. “Have you Jedi no compassion? Let her come back with us where she belongs.”

The Jedi holding the child regarded them both contemptuously. “You signed her over to the Temple freely. If you attempt to touch her again not only will I call out the Temple Guardians but I will lay a charge on you with the Republic for attempted abduction of a Temple youngling.”

Andrew came to a dead stop a few feet away, horrified at the scene. This was never shown in the movies... Across from him Obi-Wan was frowning but it came as no surprise to either of them that it was Buffy who completely freaked.

“What's going on?” Buffy asked from behind the couple. She'd a good idea what was going on but she wanted to hear them say it to her before she fronted the Jedi. The couple looked nervously round at her for a moment wondering if she was one of the Temple Guardians before seeing she wasn't wearing Jedi robes.

The woman rubbed a hand tiredly across her face and explained, “Please, that's our daughter he's got. When she was born they found her to have high midichlorians. That's when they started calling at our home, telling us she needed to train in the Temple, and the more times HE came round the more aggressive he got. He said if she wasn't trained she'd become evil and the only way we could stop that from happening was by signing her over..”

Buffy let the Slayer glare land on the Jedi holding the child. “And what have you got to say for yourself, Mr Child Snatcher?”

Smoothing down his dark colored robes with his free hand while keeping a firm hold on the bewildered child, the Jedi gave her a dismissive look.  
“I really have no idea why it's anything to do with you but since you've involved yourself.. The child is Force Sensitive, all Force sensitive children are given to the Temple to train to become future Jedi. You probably don't realize how much danger a child like this is to society, herself and her family without training and the Jedi will ensure she gets it. ” He waved his hand in the direction of the woman's stomach. “ Since Force sensitivity often runs in families both children will be better off ...”

“What A Load Of Crap,” Buffy hissed . “Taking young children from their families and forcing them to fight for you. Don't you know that's just plain wrong? Children need to be brought up in a loving family, not stolen, brainwashed and trained to become weapons for some pompous Council! I really hate Councils! Luckily they never got me and I slipped through the net!”

Her words didn't seem to make any impact on the Child Snatcher, he gave her a disdainful look and curled his lip at the small blonde girl. “You?” he sneered. “It's quite obvious you are not even Force Sensitive! What do you know about having special abilities or being chosen by the Council? You're not strong in the Force!”

Buffy quickly stepped into his personal space. Keeping her body loose yet ready to fight she stared into his eyes, allowing him to see the Dark Force of the Slayer and hoping he might put the child down and attack her. She replied quietly but firmly, “If you don't give that little girl back now I'll show you what type of Force I'm strong in.”

The Child Snatcher blinked but held the child firmly against him. “You don't understand what this child means to the Order. The number of Force Users being born has lowered over the years and the Jedi need this child to continue their good work in the galaxy!”

Tilting her head Buffy looked first at him, and then over at the couple before pulling a face at them as if she'd tasted something bad. “Having met Yoda and the Jedi Council this type of mentality doesn't surprise me. They take all the Force Sensitives out the gene pool and then complain when the numbers go down and there's hardly any left to snatch. That's typical Yoda logic at work!”  
Looking back at the Child Snatcher she added, “It would make more sense if the Council allowed Jedi to have their own families, the numbers would soon go up again, and maybe run a school for Force Sensitive kids something like Hogwarts.”

Still unwilling to hand back the child the Child Snatcher ignored her and argued, “The Jedi Order have the legal right to draft in any Force Sensitive child, anyone who interferes with that law are...”

“Is this what you've been telling the families of Force sensitive children?” Obi-Wan interrupted, his voice ice cold and very formal. “Although it is essentially correct there is such a law, that particular law has not been implemented by the Jedi Order for hundreds of years and I believe was last used during the Jedi-Sith war at a time of great need. I hope you haven't been threatening families with it?”

“You know,” said Buffy almost conversationally, “it's no wonder that the Jedi are getting such a bad reputation with the stealing of kids and attitudes like his. I bet if the Temple ever came under an apocalyptic type attack, murdering Jedi, slaughter of innocents, setting on fire and whatnot... I bet no one would bother coming to help them in the fight. Nope, you'd get no help at all, sat there in your ivory tower thinking you're better than everyone else.”

Obi-Wan had moved to stand behind Buffy, subtly sending his support to her and rebuke and disapproval to the Jedi in front of them. “I suggest that this child is returned to her parents as it seems that they are very unhappy they have being coerced in this manner. If you do not do this, I shall speak to the Council myself regrading your behaviour which is indeed bringing the Jedi Order into disrepute.”

Child Snatcher's eyes slid from Obi-Wan to the Slayer and reluctantly handed over the small child to Buffy, who in turn quickly handed the crying child to her parents. “If he bothers you again, find me,” she said. “My name is Buffy Summers and I'm staying at the Temple.”

Her name didn't mean anything to the child's parents who thanked her profusely but it did to the child snatching Jedi.  
“You.. you're the Slayer! The one they're calling The Hero Without Fear!” he backed away from the blonde termagant. The Jedi Temple rumor mill declared Buffy Summers to be an extremely aggressive Force Void who killed Sith Vampires and Zombies using nothing but a sharp stick and a stolen Sith lightsaber. Count Dooku had chosen her as to be his apprentice which made her even more dangerous and many in the Temple were whispering that she was the Chosen One not Anakin Skywalker. For some reason, he'd expected someone a lot taller.

Buffy raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips. “That's good you've heard of me and know what I do so don't be stealing anyone else's kids or I'm gonna take it personal.”

Scowling, the Child Snatcher gathered what little dignity he had left and stalked off back into the Temple.

Obi-Wan shook his head as he watched him leave. “I've lived at the Temple all this time and never seen anything as disgraceful as that happen before.” An uneasy look crossed his face. “I was told my own parents were happy to see me enter the Temple when I was less than a year old but now I wonder. Perhaps I should find and ask them.”

“Maybe you should Ubi. I've never trusted the Temple on this and what we've seen just today proves it for me,” replied Buffy, giving Obi-Wan a worried look. She was a bit concerned how he'd react against the Council if he found out his parents had been forced to give him up but it would be better to find out the truth than live a lie.

“Hopefully, this isn't widespread. I've heard before that Master Sifo-Dyas has some unusual ideas about how things should be run in the Order. Qui-Gon told me he wanted to create an army and he became quite aggressive in trying to force his idea of it's creation on people. His behaviour became so bad it caused him to lose his place on the Council not long before the Naboo blockade...”

Andrew made a choking noise and pushed Buffy hard on her shoulder to gain her attention. She looked round at him bewildered, and he silently mouthed at her, “Sifo-Dyas, Clone Army.”

She stared blankly for a moment then, before Andrew could explain further, darted off leaving behind a smug Andrew and a confused Obi-Wan as she used slayer speed to disappear inside the Dark Force to hunt down the child snatching Jedi.  
Buffy flew down the main Temple corridors, running past Knights, Padawans and groups of younglings, few saw her as she twisted past them and she ignored all. Her focus entirely on the man who would create a Clone Army who was now entering a quiet corridor in front of her. She took the opportunity to grab him by his hood, spinning him round and throwing him up against the wall in an alcove. Quickly, she snatched his lightsaber from his belt and tucking it out of reach in the waistband of her trousers, pinned him by the throat with her hand.

“I have three words for you Mister Sifo-Lis. Clone. Army. No.”

Master Sifo-Dyas eyes widened at her words. With a determined effort he raised his hand to Force Push her away him but she simply snatched the hand in her much smaller one and pressed it back to an unnatural angle until the man gasped in pain.

“Try the Forcey stuff on me again and I'll tear your hand off, and make you eat it... bones...sinew.. flesh and all.” Buffy glared at him, the Dark Force gathering around her drawn to her by the intensity of her emotions as she intimidated the Jedi. “Again....Clone army, no.”

“I don't know what you mean.”

Buffy's face darkened at his denial and she increased the pressure to his throat. “Oh, I think you do. I know all about your devious plans for creating a clone army for the Republic and you'd better forget all about it. In fact, if you want to live, you'll take an extended holiday on the grounds of ill health and don't go near any cloning facilities on Kimono .

He croaked, “Kaaghh-mii-no.”

“Huh?” she loosened the pressure on his throat, slightly.

“The cloning facilities are on planet Kamino not Kimono.” Master Sifo-Dyas explained, swallowing nervously. He'd no idea how she could know of his plans or how she seemed to be controlling the Dark Force when she was a Force Void, and knowing he'd badly under-estimated her.

Buffy shrugged. “Same thing. I can't believe you think correcting pronunciation is so important when you're sneaking around planning to build clone armies with worms in its head that's gonna turn traitor and kill all the....” she stopped herself mid-sentence, asking instead, “Have you put the order in yet?”

He shook his head, whispering hoarsely. “No, only preliminary talks. We needed to find a good candidate for the genetic template.”

“Good. Don't go near the kami-whatsit planet and no sending orders to build a clone army or telling your Big Bad boss about this conversation. Cos if you do, between you and me, bad things are gonna happen and I'll not only hold you responsible but I'll hunt you down and make your life so miserable you'll wish the Forces of Darkness had gotten you. Understand?” She leaned forward and allowed her darkest slayer glare out. The glare that sent vampires running for cover, the one demons cowered before and the one even pure evil regarded nervously.

At the man's frightened nod, she released him, handed him his lightsaber and watched him run off down the corridor, disappearing around the corner in a flurry of Jedi robes.

Sighing, Buffy rubbed the palms of her hands together, a smile forming on her face as she muttered, “Well, hopefully that's him and his army sorted out. Who's next on the list?”

…………


	66. A Date To Be Missed

When Buffy had woken that morning she'd seriously considering 'going missing' for the day. It wasn't that she was scared of what was to come, no, she was definitely not scared, but she was anxious. Not the type of hyped up anxious she felt before meeting a master vampire in a fight (she'd always found the waiting around worse than the actual fighting) but the type of anxious that was similar to how she'd felt back in high school when Snyder called her mother in for a talk about her behaviour. At some point during the day she knew she was going to be called out of class and sent to his office to face them both. Yeah, it was definitely that kind of anxious. Knowing she'd have to be on her best behaviour in the face of Snyder's sneering face, her mother disappointment and having to hold back on kicking Snyder in the face because it would only make things much worse.

Except she wasn't in High School any more and she wasn't facing Snyder or her mother, this was much worse. She was in another dimension, facing an evil Big Bad who wanted to marry her and she needed to play nice in front of the Senators of the Republic who'd all be staring at her, and God knows what Sid had planned for her.

Nick Fury had assured her that the ceremony was a formality. That it was a simple official thank you from the Senators for dispatching the Sith Vampires and, as they'd sent her a fancy speeder as a gift, she really should show up and appear grateful.  
It wasn't that she was ungrateful to the Senate for the fun speeder. She'd really enjoying scaring Andrew and Obi-Wan with her Slayer driving (or death rides as they called it). It was Sid she'd a problem with. Knowing the entire thing was his idea, she just knew this 'small ceremony' was going to turn out far from simple. Hence the urge to go out for the day and come back next morning when the entire thing was all over.

Since running away from an enemy had never been an option in her life. She'd forced herself to dress for the big event. Aware of Sid's fetish for her wearing the black clothing, she'd donned an all white outfit. It comprised of a slim fitting high neck top (to stop Sid peering down her neckline), and matching trousers tucked into a smart pair of heeled white boots.

On the last minute she'd taken a look at herself in the mirror and panicked (thinking she looked like a Clone Trooper), and rushed off to change. That last minute wardrobe malfunction mean she was running very late. But since she was supposed to be the star of the show, and they were lucky she was even going to turn up, she didn't really care. Her lack of concern for the time hadn't stopped Mr Punctuality, otherwise known as Obi-Wan Kenobi, leaving her alone. Oh no, he'd been pestering her constantly since he'd arrived at her apartment.

Obi-Wan, who'd arrived well before departure time, had expected to find Buffy ready and waiting. He was shocked to find no sign of Buffy, and Andrew sat engrossed in a game on his datapad. He'd immediately commented that Count Dooku and Master Windu would soon be making an appearance and that they needed to leave shortly. Ignoring the polite hint, Andrew responded with a non-committal 'hmm' and carried on blowing up spacecraft in his game. Obi-Wan then suggested to Andrew, that as Buffy's apprentice-watcher, he should be the one to inform Buffy that making other people late with her tardiness was very rude and she needed to be ready as soon as possible.  
That hadn't gone down well. The blonde boy, still refusing to look up from his game, muttered, “No chance.”

It left Obi-Wan with the familiar urge to throttle Andrew, although of course he was far too well trained to show it. Therefore Obi-Wan had taken it upon himself to be the responsible one; the one banging on her bedroom door asking how long she'd be, reminding her that they were going to be late, saying that Count Dooku had arrived, that Master Windu wanted to know where she was, and each time he was faced with her closed door his voice become higher pitched with the stress.

Buffy thought him annoying beyond belief. The first few times she'd shouted she'd only be five minutes and he'd slunk off, but he'd gotten really stroppy with her as time went on. Didn't he realize she was having a breakdown in the face of a major fashion dilemma? She rolled her eyes, knowing it was unlikely he'd ever had a fashion dilemma in his life. The only clothing worry Obi-Wan ever faced was should he put an extra squirt of Iron-O on his collar.

“Buffy, you really had better be out of there within five minutes this time... or else!” Obi-Wan called through the door.

She knew he was leaning against it, trying to make himself sound extra intimidating but the squeaky voice was a dead give away to him being close to a panic attack. Idiot Jedi trying to intimidate her into making a bad fashion choice but she knew the best way to deal with him and his empty threats.

“You can come in and wait if you'd like,” she called, keeping her voice low so only he could hear. “I'm naked but I know you won't mind.”

She thought he might dive away from the door, paralyzed with monkish fear but instead she only heard him huff before walking way, swishing his robe with annoyance as he made his way back to the living room. It looked like he was getting immune to her nakedness threats, maybe she needed to start throwing her underwear at him to get a reaction.

Aware he was devious enough to set a trap for her, like sending Count Dooku or Nick Fury to bang on her door in the hope she'd expose them to similar threats of nakedness, she made sure she was in the living room within minutes. It wasn't as if she could delay much longer as she'd finally decided to wear a simple white camisole worn with a lilac voile over-tunic with her white trousers. The outfit was practical, stylish and the top hinted she'd a cleavage but revealed nothing, no matter how long Sid might leer down at it.

Despite not officially invited to the ceremony Count Dooku had told her during her training session the previous day that anyone could go into the Senate building and watch the proceedings from the public gallery, so Count Dooku, Obi-Wan and Andrew were anxiously waiting for her. Well, maybe not Andrew, who hadn't looked up from his game, but Count Dooku and Obi-Wan were both anxious. Buffy could see it pouring off them both in waves. Obi-Wan due to her lateness and possibly the threat of nakedness, and Dooku as he'd gotten a bee in his bonnet Sid was going to go all out on the seducing.

The Count had turned up very early that morning and given her a long lecture about how he neither liked nor trusted Sid. That she was not, under any circumstances, to accept gifts of shoes from him or go off with the man down quiet corridors or into any room where there might be a bed in it. The Count said powerful men like Sid would resort to all sorts of 'low tricks' to get their own way, didn't like being told no, and quietly suggested that she take her magical sword with her that was invisible until drawn.  
His fatherly concern touched her. It reminded her of how her Dad (when he'd actually been acting like a Dad and not a sperm donor of a father) had read her a lecture before she'd gone on her first official date with a boy.  
Not that Sid was her date, cos ewww, no thanks.

After giving it some thought she decided to take his advice and so had secretly stashed the magical weapon that the Senate Guards wouldn't be able to take from her when she entered the building. She still wasn't sure whether she should take Mr Sparkly with her or not. All weapons had to be handed in at the door before they'd be allowed entry as the Senate was a heavily guarded building, and she really didn't want to hand over her lightsaber to a complete stranger. That being said, she didn't want to leave it behind either. She didn't trust that mutant frog Yodel for sneaking into the apartment while she was out, stealing it and melting it down claiming it was a Sith weapon and bringing bad luck to the Temple.

Nick Fury was also waiting for her in her living room, he hurried to her side, his bald head polished to perfection and his robes looking as well pressed as Obi-Wan's did. She gave a little sniff as he came rushing over, it seemed he used the same kind of ironing spray but for some reason it didn't smell as nice as it did on Obi-Wan.

“Buffy, you look lovely and I do like that colour on you. Shades of purple are so very unique and only a few very special people have the ability to pull them off.” Nick touched his own purple bladed lightsaber smugly as he said this. “But we must hurry, as due to Kenobi not keeping you informed of the time we are running very late... Have you got everything? Oh your lightsaber, yes take it with you, but remember all weapons must be handed in before we are admitted.”

Buffy's eyes first met Count Dooku's who smiled at her knowingly, then Obi-Wan's, who on seeing the look pass between apprentice and mentor was eyeing her suspiciously, trying to find a tell tale sign of a hidden weapon.  
'Oh, you'll not see anything,' she thought smugly, and watched him narrow his eyes at her in disapproval.

And then she was following Nick, walking alongside the tall imposing figure of Count Dooku with Obi-Wan and Andrew behind her, and subjected to a hundred curious stares from knights and their padawans as they walked the corridors of the Jedi Temple on their way to the speeder hangar.


	67. A Slayer In The Senate

The Senate Building was a giant monstrosity that dominated the Coruscant skyline. Buffy thought it looked like the love child of a UFO and a mushroom cloud, and even close up didn't become any prettier. It was located on a huge plaza that had some bug-ugly tall statues lining it and to either side were formally laid out parks complete with benches to sit on and live trees. You didn't see many live trees on Coruscant or grass so you tended to notice them when you did spot them.  
Buffy had seen the huge Senate building a number of times when she'd been passing to and fro between the Temple and the Retail district but this was her first time in the huge building. Knowing it was Sid's lair she'd never been tempted to visit.

“Are you worried something is going to happen?” Obi-Wan's quiet voice came from directly behind her as they walked through the crowded grand entrance.

All his exasperation at her behaviour back in the apartment had vanished on the ride over in the speeder, despite the fact he'd been sitting behind her she'd known he'd been watching her the whole time and noting her nervousness. Looking over her shoulder she met his intense blue eyes and guessed from the concerned yet gentle expression that he was now attempting to use the Force to soothe her anxiety. She didn't mind, she was grateful for any help she could get in preparing herself for this meeting. Deliberately she slowed her pace, allowing others to pass her and fell into step besides him, giving him a lop sided smile as she did so.  
As she walked besides him the clean smell of Obi-Wan and his ironing spray drifted up to her nose, reminding her of another time when they'd been together at one of Sid's functions. Her eyes drifted from his eyes to his lips, she'd need to remember not to eat any cake at this one, she didn't want to go into lip locking mode with anyone else.

“I think Sid's gonna spring something on me,” she whispered back, knowing he was still waiting for an answer. “That's why I didn't want to come. The Count was round first thing this morning warning me about not going into bedrooms with Palpatine so even he's got the wiggins something's gonna happen.”

Obi-Wan put his hand on the small of her back to guide her over to a line of people who were waiting to hand in their weapons, before saying, “Yes, the Chancellor is rather infatuated with you.”

Behind the politeness in his voice, she could hear the words left unsaid that he didn't trust the Supreme Chancellor either and he agreed with Dooku about the bedroom.

“I wish I could be by your side Buffy but I was not invited and I suspect there was a reason for that. Nick Fury, that is Master Windu, will be with you throughout the ceremony. He's assured me he'll look after you since I cannot.”

Despite his words of reassurance she could hear the doubt in them and guessed he'd probably woken up that morning claiming 'I've got a bad feeling about this'. Normally she ignored him when he came out with that particular comment (he'd even said it when she'd got the droids to cut his hair, but agreed afterwards it didn't look too bad so she thought most of the time he only said it for dramatic effect). This time however, he wasn't the only one who'd a bad feeling about this.

“I can look after myself,” she replied automatically, and caught a fleeting hurt expression on his face that somehow reminded her that he'd saved her from being killed by the Sith vampire.  
“We make a good team,”she amended, and then found herself adding, “I'd prefer it if you were the one going in with me rather than Nick...”

And then there was no time for more conversation as she'd reached the front of the queue, giving her name, handing in Mr Sparkly before being drawn away down a black tiled corridor by Nick Fury. They followed two stern looking Senate Guards in their odd and distinctive uniform of long blue robes and strange winged helmets down a maze of corridors until they came to the elevators.

They dropped down to a lower floor and were met by no less personages than the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and his Vice Chair, the blue horned Chagrian, Mas Amedda.  
Buffy took a long look at the Chagrian male and the Vice Chair took a similar look at her. Buffy thinking if she met him in Sunnydale the thought he was an alien wouldn't have occurred to her and she'd have gone straight in for the slayage, there was a nasty whiff about the guy, although that could have just been the smell of corrupt politics or his liquefied fish diet.

Mas Amedda on the other hand was examining the small human and wondering why Sheev Palpatine thought she was a force to be reckoned with. Had the dedicated and hard headed Chancellor finally shown a weakness and simply had his head turned by a young and pretty female? More importantly would she be a passing fancy or something long term and possibly have her own opinion on galactic politics?

Neither Buffy nor the Chargrian showed any sign of their thoughts, and if Sheev Palpatine picked up on Mas Amedda's thoughts he certainly didn't concern himself with them.

“Master Windu, so good to see you.... Finally.” Sid drawled, smiling dangerously, the hint of simmering disapproval apparent to all.

“Ooops, Sorry Sid, that's my fault. I couldn't decide what to wear. I didn't want to disappoint you,” Buffy gave the Dark Lord of the Sith an apologetic smile to draw his anger away from Nick who was looking uncomfortable.

Either her words or her smile had an immediate effect. The Sith Lord's dark glare turned from the Jedi Master to her and he smiled warmly.

“Oh Buffy! How could you ever disappoint! If only you'd let me know of your worries I'd have sent some retail droids over with a selection of clothing for you to choose from. I know how much you appreciated my last gifts to you, especially the shoes.” Sid scuttled towards her and taking both her hands in his, lunged forwards, planting a moist kiss to her cheek.

Buffy thought she felt his tongue licking at her skin and decided that she'd washed that spot with some strong disinfect when she got home.

“You're a little late but no harm done, we've been delayed by one of the Senators demanding his own way and then arguing quite forcibly against me for far longer than necessary. I don't think he will last long in the political field with his attitude.... Let me introduce you to the Vice Chair of the Senate and also a friend of mine, Mas Amedda.”

Buffy wondered if she was supposed to shake hands and be forced to kiss him but as the Chagrian merely nodded his head she did the same.

“Now, I will pop back into the Senate Arena and introduce you to the gathered Senators. It will be a simple ceremony of thanks, don't worry about all the hovercams floating about, they only transmit images to the Senators boxes and no need to make speech as your speaker will be turned off so no one can hear you. Then after a short interval we will all gather in one of the function rooms where you can meet and speak to the Representatives as needed. There are quite a few interested in your wondrous...” Sid's voice dropped and became low and growly, “slaying skills .”  
He smirked evilly making Buffy wonder exactly what he'd been telling people.

The two politicians disappeared leaving Buffy alone with Nick who was now looking as apprehensive as she felt.

“Is it too late to run off?” she joked, trying to put on a cheerful voice.

He gave her a slight smile. “You are facing an official Republic thank you, not a death squad Buffy. Myself I don't like the politics.”

She could hear that by 'politics' he meant the Supreme Chancellor. That was one good thing about her coming to the this dimension, even if she couldn't point a finger at Sid and shout ' Beware Dark Lord of the Sith', at the top of her voice she'd caused a lot of people to start regarding him suspiciously. She just had to make sure she kept out-insidious-ing him and didn't fall into a trap and become the Dark Bride of the Sid in the process.

They were both called over to a turbolift by one of the senate guards who then escorted them both up into the immense senate arena. Buffy gulped as she looked round, even with slayer vision she could hardly make out the faces in some of the floating pods that were attached to the rotunda wall they were that far away.  
Then the scary platform she was stood in with Nick and the guard floated out into the centre of the space and docked alongside the one containing the Supreme Chancellor, the vice chair and another alien who'd she'd not been introduced to. Sid waved her over and she walked across to stand at the very edge of her floating platform nearest to the Supreme Chancellor.

“Kneel in front of the Senate, Buffy Summers,” and Sid gestured for her to go down on her knees.

Looking around her at all the Senators in their boxes Buffy wondered if she should refuse? Did Slayers kneel to Senators? Especially Senators from a different dimension? And what about kneeling in front of the Sith from the Dark Side? Should she kneel in front of skeevy Sid who might get all sorts of odd ideas at seeing her on her knees?

“It's traditional to do this in front of the Republic,” whispered Nick from behind her. “Kneel and bow your head. Sooner you do it the sooner it's over.”

Rolling her eyes, Buffy knelt on one knee in front of Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, known as Darth Sideous to a certain few (probably only her and Andrew), and waited for the inevitable. She just knew something like this would happen, she knew she should have gone out for the day and come back tomorrow when it was all over.

“Miss Buffy Summers, a newcomer to our dimension yet already known for her heroic actions.” Sid's amplified theatrical voice rang out, holding the attention of all the Senators. “We wish to officially welcome you.. The Chosen One. We, the Senate and the Republic, do thank you... for your heroic bravery in slaying the Zombies and Vampires. Creatures which not only threatened to Destroy the Jedi Temple but were a Diabolical Threat to the very Heart of the Republic! To that end we would like to honor you with a suitable gift and title...”

Buffy glanced up, to see Sid swaying above her, his eyes gleaming with ecstasy and white spittle at the corner of his mouth. Why did she get the feeling she was not going to like this?

“The Senate wish for you to be given the title 'Protector of the Republic, Buffy The Vampire Slayer!” finished Palpatine, and he smiled benignly down at her.

Around her the gathered Senators clapped, and made other appropriate noises for their species and Buffy breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and gave the floating droid-cam a little wave. That hadn't been as bad as she'd thought, she could cope with that, it was just like being given the title Class Protector but on a much bigger scale.

That was until Sheev Palpatine, suddenly placed an over sized phallic shaped black helmet on her head, draped a black cloak around her shoulders and growled, “Arise....Da-Lord Vader!”

“Huh?”

And around her the Senate went wild with cheering.


	68. Darth Vader hasn't Got A .....

“Arise, Da-Lord Vader!” growled Sid.

Thunderous applause broke out, echoing all around the Senate Arena, the large rotunda almost vibrating with the sound of the Senators applauding the newest Lord and Protector of the Galaxy, one Buffy Summers, now to be known as Lord Vader.

From where she knelt Buffy could see the Dark Lord of the Sith was swaying in ecstasy above her as he announced her brand new title. This was it then, this was the reason she should have gone out for the day instead of coming here, she'd known it without the need of a slayer dream. Not only had she landed herself with Anakin Skywalker's freakin' title but she'd ended up with his freakin' ugly helmet and his freakin' long cloak which was an even worse fashion disaster than the helmet. Oh, and she knew exactly what Andrew was going to say, he'd make out she'd planned this all along, getting her own back on him by completely destroying George Lucas's version of Star Wars simply to put out fan-geek Andrew Wells.  
Like, who in their freakin' right mind would want to become Darth Vader?

Tilting her head she gave Palatine a dirty look, floating hover-cam in her face or no floating hover-cam in her face, and hissed, “What's with the Lord Vader? Huh?”

Ignoring her, Sid merely smirked wider, leaning back he stretched out both arms and with a full dose of bad amateur dramatics, repeated the words, “ARISE, Lord Vader.”

Nick Fury, who was standing directly behind her and getting worried by her lack of movement, gave her a friendly prod in her back to encourage her to stand up. She slowly climbed to her feet without any of her usual grace, due to the fact the cloak was far too big for her, and she was scared if she tripped on the hem then falling to her death over the side of the floating platform was a strong possibility. Done that once, didn't want to repeat the experience.

Pushing the helmet back up from the bridge of her nose, where it had fallen as she'd gotten to her feet, she gave Sid a death glare and hissed, “What's with the title? How did you miss I don't have a Y Chromosome?”

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine frowned, then muttered, “ I can't tell what you're saying Buffy... hold on I'll turn the speaker on at your side so I can hear you over there.” He pressed a button in his flying booth and looked over at her.

“What's with the title? Did you miss I don't have a Y Chromosome?” she repeated.

Sid shook his head signifying he still couldn't hear her, fiddled with a dial and then looked at Buffy expectantly.

“I said, what's with the Lord title? Did you miss that I haven't got a Y chromosome?”

Sid shook his head once more and cupped his hand to his ear. The inter-dimensional common gesture for, 'I can't hear you.'

Buffy leaned forward towards the floating droid-cam, saying slowly, clearly, and very loudly, “I said.... I HAVEN'T GOT A PENIS!”

There was an odd whirring noise and suddenly her voice was transmitted, it echoed throughout the Senate in a thousand different languages including Basic... 'I HAVEN'T GOT A PENIS!'

Sid's face took on a look of constipation, behind her Nick made a choking noise, the green guy who was the Chair of the Senate stared at her in wide eyed horror, while all around her she could hear chortling laughter coming from the gathered Senators and she flushed bright red.  
Could the day get any worse? Not only had she been officially named Lord Vader (Andrew was not going to be happy) but now she'd just announced she didn't have a penis to the entire galaxy.

Sid was the first to recover, he fiddled once more with one of the controls in his box, to cut off all sound from hers, and gestured for her to go back into her flying box, and descend into the depths of the rotunda.  
Buffy made a hasty retreat.. Screwing up the hem of the over-long cloak in her hand, she backed away and sat down on one of the seats as the box slowly flew back to its docking and she could get the turbolift out of there.

She neither looked nor said a word to Nick Fury until they exited the elevator and were shown into a side corridor to await the Supreme Chancellor.

“Can I leave now? I've kinda had enough of the Senate for one day. I'm not sure how much more embarrassment I can take.” Buffy muttered miserably, hunched up and feeling very small in the over sized ugly helmet and cloak.

The Jedi Master seeing how upset she was, gave her a consoling look and came over to stand next to her saying, “Buffy, I have to admit that your new title also took me by surprise, although personally, I wouldn't have shouted out that I didn't have a penis.”

He stared at her for a moment, blinking rapidly and obviously mulling over what he'd just said before adding quickly, “That is to say, I do have a penis so no need to announce that I don't... Also if I didn't, I probably wouldn't have said anything in front of the Senate as sometimes it's better to wait until a more discreet time to announce things like that. Not that I have anything of that nature to announce, and, er, everything is in good working order.”

Buffy gave him a sharp look, noticing his entire head had gone extra sweaty and shiny, and he wouldn't look her in the eye. In fact he seemed to be suddenly finding his left toe very interesting.  
She'd no idea what he had to be embarrassed about, she was the one who'd made a fool of herself by shouting out about her lack of male genitals in front of the entire galaxy. And it was all Sid's fault, putting her under pressure like that. He'd better not expect her to start wearing the metal legs and go off flying around the galaxy, blowing up planets with Peter Cushing. She couldn't see Count Dooku liking her hanging out with his arch nemesis from his vampire days.

And that reminded her...

“Do you think my comment was transmitted into the public gallery?” she asked. Praying he'd say no.

Nick flicked his brown eyes up to her and nodded glumly.

“Oh.” Buffy wondered if she could locate a vengeance demon in the next few minutes and force it to send her back to her own dimension. Preferably without Andrew so no one would ever know she'd just committed social suicide. This was almost as bad as wearing last seasons shoes to High School on the first day there and being the butt of Cordelia's jokes. Not that she'd ever had a bad fashion disaster on such a monumental scale but still, she knew plenty who had.  
There was only one thing to do, and that was brazen the whole thing out and pretend she'd meant to do the galaxy wide announcement.

So once the erect robed figure of the Supreme Chancellor came marching into view in front of a crowd of random aliens Buffy had her emotions under control.

“Buffy,” Sid rushed forwards and grabbed both her hands in his clammy hands, effectively capturing her and stopping an escape. “Are you alright? I was very worried about you when came out with that rather odd statement about not having a penis. Is there a problem?”

Buffy looked behind him to where there was now quite a crowd of aliens were all watching her curiously. 'Must brazen out, must brazen out,' she chanted in her head, 'do not get embarrassed in front of aliens with beaks and floppy ears.'

“It's the title you gave me Sid. What's with the name Vader and calling me a Lord? Isn't that a man's title?”

Sid starting to walk with her down a corridor, still holding one of her hands tightly in his and waving his other hand nonchalantly as he did so. “Oh I see.. It's not a gender specific title, there is nothing to worry about. As for Vader I thought to be a wonderful name for you since you're my inVader from another dimension.”

“It makes me sound like a bad sixties sci-fi series,” Buffy muttered as she pushed Darth Vader's helmet up, it having dropped down again and was completely covering her nose. “Why is this helmet so big and this cloak too long?”

Sid tilted his head and appraised her as he led her up another corridor, this one deserted. “I had those commissioned a while ago... For some reason, I always imagined you'd be taller, much taller, blonde, male and human. Two out of four isn't bad I suppose, although usually I'm much better at guessing than that. Oh, no, don't take it off...”

He put a hand on the top of the helmet as she struggled to remove it and tapped it back down over her eyes. “You'll need to wear them as badges of office at the reception, speaking of which... if you'd just like to step in here for a moment.”

Palpatine stopped quite suddenly and opened a door on her right. Before she could protest he'd pushed her inside and closed the door with a quick hiss behind him. By the time Buffy had finished pushing the helmet out of her eyes and taken a quick look at the room she knew that the day had gone much, much worse.

She stared at the large circular bed covered with shiny black satin sheets, a large number of color co-ordinated decorative cushions, and noted with a feeling of revulsion how the bed completely dominated the room. It looked very much as if she'd found herself trapped in Sid the Sleazy Sith's private lair.

………………...


	69. Seduction of Lord Vader

It had to be said that in the past Buffy had experienced worse days. Dying (more than once), finding her mom dead, killing Angel, getting ripped out of heaven, finding herself buried and having to dig her way out all ranked high on the, 'I'm having a horrible time on the bad-day-O-Meter'. In fact the more she thought about it the more she realized today was ranking as unpleasant more than anything.

So what if the Dark Lord of the Sith had out-manoeuvred her and got her into his Austin Powers inspired bedroom? So what if he was feeling smug he'd forced the title of Lord Vader on her in front of the Senate, no doubt he was happy she didn't have a penis and delighted at the underhand Sithy way he'd managed to get her in the bedroom(by pushing the helmet down over her eyes and shoving her in here). She'd been in far worse situations and he wasn't something she couldn't handle.

“What's going on Sid? Why am I in a bedroom?” Unconsciously she mimicked a certain Sith Lord whose helmet she was wearing, by folding her arms over her chest and glaring at Sid who was doing his best to paste an innocent expression on his face. “What's a bedroom doing in the middle of the Senate building anyway?”

“Oh, it's simply a little place for me to take a nap between battles, in the Senate, of course.” Palpatine expression became oily and he smirked before adding, “ The only reason I brought you in here was because I thought you might enjoy having a quick one before we head off to the reception.”

“Huh?” said Buffy, who was desperately trying to keep her face neutral as she took in Sid and what must be his over-compensating sized bed. Not that she wanted to find out if it was over compensating or not, that was one mystery that she had no interest in solving.

“I have to confess I wouldn't mind a little horizontal session myself.” The look he gave her was bordering between leering and asking to be slayed. Especially when he gave the bed a meaningful look.

“Ugh, no.” Buffy darted towards the door but in the blink of an eye Sid was in between her and the exit and she ran smack into his chest.

“Oops,” Sid crooned to her. Wrapping his arms around the tiny Slayer, he puckered his lips determined to pull her in for a passionate lip locking session and maybe get some tongue action in at the same time.

Wrenching herself free of his clawing arms, Buffy tried to put as much distance between herself and Palpatine as possible. Her haste led to her downfall, literally. As she threw herself away from the puckered lips of the Sith she caught her toe in the hem of her over long cloak and her momentum threw her forwards. Fighting a valiant, if losing battle, to keep her balance she hopped along, trying to pull the cloak out the way but only succeeding in making it wrap around her legs and tripping her once more. This time, unable to keep her feet, she lurched forwards landing face first on top of the bed where she immediately created an avalanche of cushions and became partially buried.

Struggling to break free of the cloak, which had now somehow managed to twist itself around both her neck and legs, she fought her way through the sea of cushions. Her preoccupation in freeing herself meant she missed Sid's use of Dark Force powers to somersault onto the bed, where he lay besides her wearing a grin of exhilaration at having gotten his Sith Queen exactly where he wanted her, and much faster than expected.

“Oh Buffy, I never thought you'd be this eager for me!” Excitedly, Chancellor Sheev Palpatine threw several cushions off her, untied the cloak from around her neck, and leaned over her almost purring with pleasure. Then once more he swooped in for the killer kiss, the kiss he was sure would make her knees tremble and win her over to his side for life...

As his head and mouth descended towards hers Buffy squeaked with horror, momentarily stupefied at the sight of Sid's descending gray puckered lips.... to her immense relief at the very last moment the visor on the helmet slid down completely covering her face. The sound of Darth Sidious's teeth and lips clashing against the visor surface seemed very loud to slayer hearing in the otherwise quiet room.

“Aghmph!” squawked Sid, sitting up and rubbing at his bruised lips.

Spotting her chance to make a break for it Buffy leapt to her feet, sending decorative cushions bouncing to the floor and flying into every corner of the room. After putting a decent distance in between her and the bed, she began to search the sides of the helmet to find the unlocking mechanism. Not only was the visor causing everything to appear in shades of red, but it was making an odd snorting noise whenever she breathed in and out.

“What's with the red visor and the breathing thing Sid? This helmet's driving me nuts!” She asked, as continued trying to find the visor mechanism. Buffy couldn't work out which she was most annoyed about, Sid's attempted seduction, or the breathing noise.

Palpatine waved a distracted hand as he ran a finger across his swollen lip. “Heat vision, night vision, a slight modification in the hearing section so you have defense against sonic attack and the breathing thing is oxygen pumped into the helmet that's been filtered and purified from the surrounding atmosphere. I thought it might come in handy for the wearer. In your case while out demon hunting.”

He gingerly felt his two front incisors wondering if he'd fractured a tooth on the helmet. That visor had shot down at amazing speed and even with superior force reflexes he hadn't been able to avoid it. “I have to say, I'm rather going off the idea of you wearing that helmet too often. Maybe in future it will be better of you only wear it on official occasions or while on a demon hunt.”

Watching the Sith Lord, sitting on his bed and feeling his teeth, Buffy wondered if she should keep the helmet on as an anti-lip-raping device, even if it was messing up her carefully styled hair. She narrowed her eyes and snarked, “I hope you haven't got some mechanical legs picked out for me as well.”

Sid frowned. “Mechanical legs? With your delightful thighs certainly not! Ever since you danced in front of me, dressed in your little Jedi robe and swinging the red lightsaber, I've been imagining them in all sorts of positions. There's no need to be swapping them for metal ones...”

“Eeep.”

Buffy knew she was channeling Willow again with the eeping noises but Sid gave her the wiggins with all his sleazy comments. She was used to male attention, and even unwanted male attention, but most normal men backed away from the slayer death glare. Sid, however, seemed to regard it as some kind of Sith mating call and it made him over-excited.  
She took a couple of steps away from Sheev Palpatine, determined to escape the man's repulsive plans and, hopefully, escape without dying of the electricity poisoning in the process.

“Look,” she said and winced at the way the visor made her voice sound muffled and unlike her own. “I've already explained I'm not ready for a relationship.”

“I thought we could have some fun until you're ready to become serious. Try before you buy, if you know what I mean?” Sid pouted, lying on the bed in a semi-recumbent position, fiddling with his robes to open them and show off his athletic body.

Buffy was starting to feel claustrophobic, and wondered if that's why the real Vader was always in such a bad mood. Knowing your hairstyle was being ruined by a helmet that continually dropped over your eyes, a visor that turned everything red, and the breathing noises following you round was bound to send you paranoid, if not totally insane. Of course, the original Vader had no hair, bad eyes and needed the mask but she still felt his pain.

Meanwhile, Palpatine continued talking, obviously hoping he could lure her back to the bed. “I'm not like those Jedi you know, scared of strong passions, and as you can tell I'm not without experience in the art of... sensual seduction.” He smacked his lips together and gave her a knowing dark smirk. “Desperate ladies often approach me begging for a favor and I'm normally happy to oblige... if they are pretty enough.”  
Sid waggled his finger, “Not that you need to concern yourself over them and the.. 'attention' I gave them. They meant absolutely nothing to me and the majority of them died shortly afterwards, so no need to fly into a fit of jealous rage about my ex.. dalliances. You're very special to me, Buffy. As soon as I laid eyes on you I knew we were the same type of creature and destined for each other...”

Rising to his feet and taking a deep breath which he slowly released, Sid's eyes took on a deep burning yellow hue as he filled himself with Dark Force power. His face quivered, and his voice dropped low as he growled, “It's time to embrace your destiny Lord Vader, take your place at my side as my appr…. queen.”

“Sid, No, I ….”

Intent on giving the Dark Lord of the Sith a full knock back and readying herself to dodge the lightning strikes, Buffy stopped mid-sentence and looked around the room. There was a nasty evil whiff to the air and her entire body tingled as she went onto Slayer alert. Finally finding the release button (for some reason on the bottom of the helmet) she slid up the visor, pulled off the phallic-shaped helmet and threw it down on the floor, before eyeing Sid suspiciously.

“I sense a Disturbance in the ... Look, my spidey sense has gone off. There's a vampire around here somewhere. Is it something to do with you?”

…..........


	70. A Demon In The Senate

Buffy stood in Sid's bedroom her spider senses going into the hyperdrive as she sensed the emergence of a vampire somewhere in the immediate vicinity. She was rather ashamed to admit it, even to herself, but that sensation gave her a thrill and the only thing she could put it down to the fact she'd been slaying on a nightly basis for so long now it had gotten into a bad habit.

Across from her, standing besides the circular bed probably nicked off the set of Austin Powers, Sid was looking a little deflated. She put that down to the fact his dramatic moment of asking her to be the Dark Bride of the Sid had been ignored in favor of a vampire announcement. Buffy supposed she should feel bad for upstaging his proposal but couldn't muster up the sympathy.

However, the Sith Lord was not one to to allow his disappointment to get the better of him, and he soon perked up as he thought over what she'd said and looked around him curiously.

“Really? I've always wanted to see one, where is it?” Then he gave her a dark look, he was good at those, and drawled in an offended voice, “And I've no idea why you'd think a vampire is anything to do with me!”

Buffy ignored him, she didn't want to get in a debate about his devious Sithy nature. If the guy told her his lightsaber was red she wouldn't believe him until she'd seen it for herself. Instead, she opened the door and went out to stand in the corridor looking up and down the deserted passageway trying to locate the dark creature. “I know its around here somewhere....”

“I shall alert the Senate Guards and they can deal with it.” Palpatine's voice came from right behind her, almost making her jump. Seemed he was as good at sneaking up as he was at insidious-ing himself. “Not only are they paid far too much but there really are too many of them and I'm sure they keep breeding so we have to keep providing their offspring with jobs. Why we keep employing them all I really don't know. Anyway, sending them off hunting a vampire will give them something to do other than showing the tourists around the place.”

Buffy only half listened, she started off down the corridor with Sheev Palpatine tagging along in his full dress robes determined not to miss any Sith Queen Slayer action. His eyes never left the blonde Slayer as her inner predator took over as she went into demon hunting mode in the corridors of the Senate.

“You've trained the Senate Guards to fight vampires?” asked Buffy, coming to a halt at an area where several corridors led off in different directions. She took a deep breath, centring herself and then chose a long empty corridor to the left.

“Perhaps not but that's what the Senate Guard are for, protecting the Senate. Let them earn their wages. There is nothing wrong with delegating Vader. Unless... you really want to hunt this creature?”  
Sid, cocked his head watching her with fascination. Try as he might he felt nothing amiss through the Force and wondered where, and how she'd learnt her hunting skills. Perhaps she had a few holocrons he could borrow? He could invite her round for a Dark movie night later in the week at his apartment. They could eat cookies, watch the Sith pyramid-shaped interactive holocrons together and play inside the Dark Force with their red lightsabers.

“Demon slaying can be a tricksy if you don't know the rules.” explained Buffy. “I had to teach Obi-Wan how to kill the zombies as he was clueless. He kept poking holes in them with his lightsaber and wondering why they didn't die.”  
She paused again at another t- junction before turning to her right. “ I need to find this demon and slay it, Sid. It's what I do. I know this might sound a bit weird but when I find a demon and kick it's evil ass out of existence it gives me a good feeling.”

She missed the effect her words had on the Dark Lord. He smirked with pleasure at how his Sith Queen admitted taking delight in killing her prey, something the Jedi pacifist scum would never admit to. Seeing her delightfully dark nature coming to the fore during her hunt gave Palpatine a real tingle of excitement such as he hadn't felt for many years. It really was no wonder the Jedi High Council considered her to be extremely dangerous, and in more ways than one, if she continued her corruption from within the Temple.

And to think he'd been considering splitting her up from Kenobi after the mutant frog Yoda had bragged that Squeaky Clean would be the one to bring her to the Light. It was far more likely she'd call him one night asking for aid in disposing of Squeaky Clean's body, and he'd be only too happy to help with that particular clean-up operation. He had some strong chemicals stored away that got rid of all sorts of uncomfortable 'stains'. Sid swallowed back a chuckle, he'd need a large mug of tea after this, the urge to cackle was getting harder and harder to resist the longer he was with his delightfully vicious Vader.

Buffy came to a stop outside one of the doors along the corridor and gestured to it. “What's in there?”

The Dark Lord of the Sith pushed the button opening the door and waved a hand to activate the lighting system. The lights revealed a large conference style room but with tables laid out in an informal manner, to one side pushed up against the wall was a buffet table with a large Alderaan Berry Surprise Cake as a central piece prominently on display.

Buffy noted the cake and the thought crossed her mind that she wished Obi-Wan was there, she could have had fun tormenting him by presenting him with that particular cake on a plate.

“That's very odd,” said Sid. “I can't get the blinds to rise on the window.”

He'd been fiddling with a dial near the door. She'd also noticed that he discreetly gave the blinds a wave with his hand when he thought she wasn't looking. If he was sending a high voltage electric surges into them she didn't spot any flashy lightning strikes coming out his fingers, perhaps he was doing a Forcey thing on the sly, like she'd seen Obi-Wan do on the locks when he'd been breaking into apartments with her.

Buffy snorted, “Why does that not surprise me? Nice and sunlight free for the vamps in your life.” She pretended not to look at Sid, who'd walked across to the windows and was now trying to do his hand waving thing to the blind mechanism. It wasn't hard to ignore him, as she'd spotted something far more interesting in the room and the demon vibes were also getting much stronger.

“Where does that door over there lead to, Sid?” She pointed to a narrow door in the opposite corner of the room.

“I don't think it actually leads anywhere. Possibly for storage or supplies for the cleaning droids? I've never been in.”

Buffy darted across the room and, since it was a normal door with hinges and a handle, ripped open the door. Apart from a low-level lighting strip right at the back of the closet, the space was almost in complete darkness, yet one of the shadows was darker the rest and seemed to be getting solider by the moment.

Through the gloom, Buffy's slayer vision gradually pieced out the shape of a man standing with his back to her. The long overcoat he wore, his outline and the shape of his strangely familiar hat sent a shock wave of recognition through her even before the figure turned to look at her.

Buffy's face paled as she took in the man's face and stared in disbelief as he began to crack a smile at her.

“Whistler?”

A moment later a cloaked and white-masked figure came barreling out from the far corner of the closet, throwing itself at a distracted Buffy and sending them both crashing to the ground.


	71. Sidious observes Vader's Slayage

Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine was still trying to get the blinds to rise on the window when Buffy suddenly used enhanced speed to cross the room and wrench open the door of the storage compartment. It seemed from the way the Sith-Queen peered into the dark space that she expected to find something or someone hiding in there. He watched as her body language tensed, obviously spotting something in the darkness in front of her, although he couldn't sense anything through the Force.

She breathed out a name, Whistler? A moment later a tall, cloaked figure cannoned out from the darkness and threw itself at Vader, slamming her into the floor with some force and the creature's dark form completely swamping the tiny slayer.

A dark smile played across the Supreme Chancellors face, as he realized things had just gotten a whole lot more interesting, and he moved back towards the doorway in order to find a safer place to watch the action.

The force of the vampires surprise attack had taken Buffy completely by surprise. She lay under the Vampire mentally cursing the image of the balance demon for distracting her, the only way she'd missed her neck being sliced by the creature's sharp teeth had been by angling her head to one side. Trapped under it's weight with no room to fight Buffy managed a weak jab with her left fist into the creatures cheek, the force of the blow lifting the creature high enough for her to bring up her knee and pushing the creature away from her. The vampire stumbled as it took several steps backwards and fell hard into one of the cluster of tables.

Leaping to her feet, her fists lightly curled, Buffy used a roundhouse kick to sending it flying once more into a second set of tables, following the creature and taking the opportunity to see exactly what it was she was fighting. Still partly covered by the hood of its cloak and wearing a white mask obscuring most of it's face, it snarled at her showing its fangs once more. She doubted it had ever been human but, whatever it had before it was turned, it was strong for a newborn, half crazed and desperate for the first kill and taste of blood.

“Oh look, a white masked Death Eater from the Harry Potter dimension. Have you brought me a chocolate Frog?” she taunted, unable to resist the temptation of belittling the white mask fetish the vamps seemed to have in this galaxy. It seemed like an ongoing theme for the Creepers, maybe they thought by using a disguise they wouldn't be recognized later when pushing their shopping around Walmart?

The vampire growled at her and snarled, “D'roath, me tkki' ni sa!”

Buffy paused and made a show of considering it's words. “Hmm, that sounds kinda interesting but sorry I don't speak the French.”

As she circled round the creature looking for an opening she continued with the conversation. “So... if Voldemort hasn't sent you, is the mask to hide a skin problem or have you got a fear of publicity?” She sprang forward, tearing the the mask from the creatures face, before throwing it onto the floor and taking a good look at the almost human but very green face of an alien. A green alien in the full vamp game face was not something she saw every day.

“Eeeeeeewww! Your face is a sickly green color! Is that cos of the decomposing- iness? Or are you like a zombie vamp?” The creature snarled with rage, and flew at her throwing a clumsy haymaker which Buffy simply ducked to avoid, before jumping forward to send it flying across the room with a powerful front kick.

“His face was always that green colour!” Sid shouted helpfully, from his place by the door. “I recognized him when you pulled off the mask. That's the the Mirialan Senator... I never liked him!”

The Vampire looked at the Chancellor and hissed, causing Palpatine to warily start fiddling with his sleeve in which he'd hidden his lightsaber.

“Oi! Yoda face,” Buffy waved at it and pulled the neck of her top to reveal more of her throat, “Such sweet, warm, precious Slayer blood. If only you could take a little sip...”

Snarling, at the way a small, frail human taunted him, the vampire charged back at Buffy once more, its long sharp black nails outstretched, intending to tear, break and drain out the body of the Slayer.

Buffy rolling her eyes at the stupidity of the newborn and vamps in general, waited until the Mirialan was almost upon her before dodging, spinning and axe kicking it away from her. Hitting the wall face on with such force that the dark creature left a dent in the structure, the vampire gave out a completely alien sounding scream of rage. It flung itself at the slayer, this time catching her off balance and throwing her onto the buffet table.

Excited to see Buffy lying on her back next to the plate of extra-cheesy nibbles, the vampire lunged towards her exposed throat, eager to rip and tear into the fragile flesh determined to satisfy it's urgent need for blood. Instead of punching or kicking out Buffy grabbed the Aldeeran Berry Surprise cake and smashed both cake and plate straight into the vampire's gaping mouth.

“I've always wanted to do the custard pie in the face thing,” She smirked, on seeing the creature's enraged face.

As the creature lunged for her once more, it's cake encrusted teeth bared, and she took a moment to wag her finger at it. “Hey, don't be getting all kissy with me!” Before using a slayer strength punch that sent the creature flying into a group of chairs, crumpling and smashing them under impact.

While it lay on the floor, squirming frantically, trying to free itself from the mangled chair legs, Buffy checked her nails. “Aww! Look what it did to me!” Buffy wailed, waving her hand and giving Sid a tragic pout.

“Is everything okay Buffy? Are you hurt?” Sid had been debating whether or not to whip out his Red Death lightsaber from up his sleeve and reveal outright he was a Sith Lord. He really wanted to see how this played out but on the other hand rescuing Buffy, and having her falling into his arms in undying gratitude for saving her life, was an opportunity not to be missed.

Buffy pulled a sad face and pointed to her finger. “I chipped my nail polish!” She glared over at the vampire who'd disentangled itself from the chair legs. “Well that's it, no more fun for you today, Mr Sickly and Green.”

Sliding her magical sword from the scabbard on her back, Buffy cocked her head waiting for the creature to attack and the vampire cautiously sidestepped looking for an opening. It had completely forgotten the presence of the Chancellor and Sid took the opportunity to dart forwards, kicking the creature in its back sending it flying towards Buffy.  
Spotting the opportunity for slayage, Buffy pushed an overturned broken chair into its path, tripping the creature. As it fell, she sidestepped gracefully and brought down the sword through its neck, sending up a cloud of dusty sparks into the atmosphere as the creature disintegrated.

The sound of clapping was loud in the aftermath of the slaying. “Bravo Buffy! A wonderful piece of decapitation, very cleanly done and I've never seen a more graceful swing of the sword.” praised Sid from the middle of the room, his voice low and seductive as he regarded her through hooded eyes.

Buffy used the sword to give him a distracted wave of acknowledgment as she assessed the room for more danger before walking back over to the closet. She felt sure she'd got a glimpse of the Balance Demon before being attacked, was he still in there?

This time she switched on the light and took a good look round the compartment. It was a simple storage closet and apart from the contents of several shelves that had been thrown onto the floor it seemed undisturbed.  
No sign of Whistler, if he'd even been there in the first place. Was the demon a trick of the light and maybe, wishful thinking? Although he never seemed to show up with good news so maybe it was better if he didn't make an appearance, unless she could like.. torture him for a bit.  
But... why was a newborn vamp in a closet? It wasn't a normal place for burying people so someone must have killed him, turned him and left him there on purpose for her to find... The question was who?  
Was it Sid?


	72. More fun in the Senate

Buffy was still examining the storage closet where she'd seen a quick glimpse of Whistler and where the vamp had sprung from when she sensed Palpatine was coming over to join her.

“I take it that was a Vampire?” At her nod he asked. “You knew it was in the vicinity when you were in my bedroom. Can I ask how did you sense that creature? Was it through the Force?”

“No, it was with my spidey-sense.” Seeing his blank face, she explained, “They are part of my Slayer senses. I don't use the Force to sense demons. The Jedi told me I'm a Force Void and can't use it, not that it bothers me what they say.” She purposely didn't mention Obi-Wan thought she did have some access to the Force, she wasn't sure if she did or not. Some of her slayer talents had definitely been enhanced in this dimension but she still couldn't levitate a pencil.

“And can I ask why you didn't draw your very interesting weapon.. “ he looked down at the magical sword with an envious gleam in his eyes, “...earlier rather than using your hands and feet? Was there a reason for that?”

Buffy gave a little dark smile that brought joy to his heart to see. “I was enjoying fighting it, Sid. A Slayer needs a bit of fun or else they get ansty but then I chipped my manicure, got annoyed and realized I was better off slaying it in case it damaged my clothes.”

“Ah yes... I noticed the use of anger to fuel your fight.” Sid closed his eyes, breathing in deeply intending to savor the swirling perversion of the Force that would linger in the room after a vicious killing. What he actually felt caused him to flinch, and open his eyes. There wasn't any Dark Force power lingering as he'd first thought. In fact the room seemed lighter and brighter and any evidence of Dark Force use was gone...

A slight frown crossed his face as he peered across at his newly made Lord Vader, who was shaking off a cheese and onion roll that had stuck to the bottom of her white boot. Had she accidentally slain the Dark Force along with the vampire or had the creatures demise caused it's Darkness to convert to the Light? That was definitely a puzzle that needed to be contemplated and researched further but he felt sure there'd be a holocron somewhere to explain it. There generally was...

“Oh, that's not me angry.” Buffy was using a napkin to wipe the cheesy sauce off her boot before screwing up the soiled cloth and throwing it onto a nearby table. “I was only slightly annoyed as I can touch up the nail when I get home.” She showed him her fingertips as if that explained everything. “Yeah, I've plenty of that colour left so it's no big. Or I might have a change and see if I've anything in the amber range left.”

She looked up to see Sid watching her with a perplexed expression, so she explained further. “It wasn't as if it were a Master vamp or some skanky Hell Goddess with bad hair or The First, you know? I'm used to taking several of these newborns out a night in Sunnydale, so apart from the manicure damage I wasn't going to get angry. What I wanna know is.. what was it doing in that closet?” She gave Sid a suspicious look. No matter how much he played the innocent she knew he was a Big Bad and not to be trusted. “It was almost as if it was left there for me to find.”

Sid face darkened as he considered that possibility. Looking around him at the destroyed room and the selection of buffet sandwiches that had been kicked around the floor, he growled, “That is a distinct possibility. This room was going to be used for your reception so someone privy to that information, and knowing you and I would be in here, placed that thing there to threaten our lives.”

Buffy noted warily that he was now radiating and drawing power towards him from the Dark Force. It was the first time she'd seen evil Sid in action and it sent a shiver up her spine watching him become the Dark Lord of the Sith... yet, on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel the lure of it and watched him closely from under her lashes.

He continued, his voice very low with a deep snarl, “... and since this area is off limits to all but Senators, guards or droids it means one of them is a traitor to the Republic.”

The door to the main corridor slid open and a number of Senate Guards filled the opening looking warily at the destruction around the room and then pointedly fixed on the weapon in Buffy's hands. As they started to move towards her Palatine waved a hand gesturing them to stop.

“Lord Vader and I were attacked by a Vampire, possibly the Mirialan Senator who'd been turned. Lord Vader has dispatched it but I want all security tapes of this area scrutinized...”

Buffy waved her sword round in the air interrupting him, and causing the senate guards to look at her and the weapon with alarm.  
“I'm thinking the vamp was killed and turned in the Senate building. Which means the Sire... the one who turned him into this creature,” she explained seeing Sid had gone all confused again, “..somehow got in here. Most likely they covered up completely in daylight or came in during the night. Most Vampires don't like sunlight. It doesn't do their skin good, and they generally find themselves on fire.”

She took a look round at the mess she'd made fighting the vampire. “If this was gonna be my reception room, then I think whoever put a fledgling in the closet was doing it to discredit me rather endanger me. It wouldn't look good,the newly made Protector of the galaxy having a vampire spring out the closet at her reception.”

“And they seek to discredit me, also.” Sid was barely concealing his anger. “I shall check the tapes personally. I'm taking a very dim view of this as if there's one thing I hate the most it's threats to myself and my plans..

Buffy gave a mental wince at that statement thinking about how she'd put a spoke in his clone army plans. And then another thought occurred to her, and she found her mouth asking the question before her brain got into gear..

“I was kidnapped recently and overheard my kidnappers discussing someone who wanted to buy me. Was it anything to do with you, Sid?”

Palpatine who'd been walking towards the Senate guards at the door came to a sudden stop, he spun towards her, his robes swirling out around him. “What? What did you just ask me?” he asked, narrowing his eyes, his voice low and threatening.

“You didn't ask anyone to kidnap me did you? I'm only asking, there's no need to get all frowny with me if you didn't do it.” Buffy perched on the edge of the table, folded her arms and watched the Supreme Chancellor closely.

“No! Absolutely not! I must say I'm very annoyed that you think I would do such a despicable thing.” Palpatine gave her a dangerous look so she bristled, and returned it in kind.

For a long moment they glared at each other Sith Lord and Slayer, Darkness and Predator each assessing the other until Sid decided it was not wise to irritate his potential Queen, not until she was firmly under his control. He'd be happy to indulge her but she really needed to learn who was in charge in this relationship.

“The Jedi Council told me your capture was a simple case of being in the wrong area, at the wrong time, and the slavers didn't know what they were dealing with when they captured you. I can make discreet enquiries to see if someone has put a bounty on you and if so I shall inform you.”  
His gaze turned to the dusty remains of his fellow senator lying on the floor. “Do you think these two events are linked?”

She shrugged, looking across at the dust pile on the floor that was all that remained of the vamp. “They might be linked but I don't see how. I considered torturing that vamp to see if it would talk but being a newborn it would be a waste of energy. They rarely have a brain, its all bloodlust and let's get fangy with them.”

Palpatine smiled secretively at the way she so causally mentioned torturing others, it did much to brighten his mood. It was nice how they shared similar hobbies, they always said that couples who played together, stayed together.

A movement in the doorway caught Buffy's attention, this time it was the arrival of more Senate guards with one of them holding out her Darth Vader helmet and cloak. She had to physically restrain herself from rolling her eyes at the sight of it, she'd hoped she'd lost it for good.

Jumping off the tables and rubbing her hands together to get rid of any remaining bits of squashed cheesy roll, it seemed to stick to everything it touched, she said, “I'll make a quick sweep of the area, Sid. See if I can pick up anything else on my slaydar.”

“Shall we search her weapons before allowing her to continue, Supreme Chancellor?” asked one of the tall senate guards looking at her suspiciously. He'd been one of the first to enter the room and seen her waving a dangerous looking sword about.

“Nope.” replied Buffy popping her 'p',.

“No, you fool!” Sid shouted at the guard, and spent a moment smoothing down his immaculate robes before continuing in a milder tone. “How is she going to kill a vampire if she finds one without a weapon? Henceforth I want you to obey Lord Vader's instructions in this. She is the Protector of the Galaxy and Slayer of Vampires as declared by the Senate and you will not interfere with Lord Vader's work.”

Seeing the guard nod, Buffy decided to push the weapons issue further. “Can you get Mr Sparkly out of jail for me and bring him back to me?”

“Mr Sparkly?” The senate guards eyes flicked from Buffy to the Senator uncertainly.

“ Tsk! she means her lightsaber. Send someone immediately to collect it and in future Lord Vader is exempt from weapons check-in on her visits to the Senate.”

“Thanks Sid. “ Buffy gave him a megawatt smile and he beamed back at her. Happy to see his dangerous little Sith Queen finally happy with her new title, and looking charmingly sweet now she was getting back the lightsaber she'd stolen from his dead apprentice.

As Buffy walked out into the corridor he reminded her, “Don't forget to put your helmet back on! I want all to know Lord Vader is working for me.... and the Senate of course.”

“Will do,” she gave him a false smile and walked off quickly down the corridor. Once she'd turned the corner she gave the front of the helmet a sour look and muttered, “That's not gonna happen, Snorty.”


	73. Pyramid Shaped Holocrons

The public toilets in the Senate were located off the main corridor that held the main restaurants and some of the fanciest shops Buffy had ever seen. Not that she liked to use public toilets in this dimension, they were really of the weird and she was highly suspicious of some of the odd looking characters that came in and out of them.

As she came out the female 'fresher she noticed Obi-Wan also coming out the male 'fresher just ahead of her. She lightly ran along to catch him up and then mischievously grabbed him by the Jedi hood and pulled him to one side. As usual he flailed his arms and spun round, grabbing for the empty space on the left side of his utility belt where his lightsaber usually hung.

“Buffy! Why do you have to do that? Not only is it undignified to grab people by their hoods but one of these days I'm going to take off your head with my lightsaber!” He scolded, his face screwed up with humiliation at being a Jedi Knight and swung round by the hood in a public place.

Buffy snorted, “Yeah? What happened to your fancy Jedi reflexes? I thought you Jedi were super attuned to the Force yet I get you every time with the sneaking up and the pouncing.”

Obi-Wan smoothed down his hood as she'd twisted it out of shape and made it wrinkly. “You're a Force void Buffy, and if that's not enough you somehow manage to sneak around in the Dark side of the Force like some kind of Sith. Anyway, why are you hanging around outside the male 'freshers? It's not a good place to linger, people might get the wrong idea about you.”

“I was so not hanging out around the male 'fresher! I happened to see you and wanted to ask you a question.” She pulled him over to one of the retail shop windows and pretended to be looking at the diamond display, wrinkling her nose as she thought how to phrase her question.

“ I wanted to ask you...”

“No.” Obi-Wan folded his arms inside the sleeves of his robe and gave her a reproving look.

“What do you mean no?” asked Buffy incredulously. “You don't even know what I'm gonna ask you!”

“Whenever you screw your nose up like that, I know the question you're going to ask will make me feel uncomfortable hearing it, let alone answering,” replied Obi-Wan crisply. “I suggest you take this question to the Count. You consider him as your mentor, let him mentor you.”

Buffy ignored him for a moment as she looked into the shop window at all the diamonds on display in there. It was a lovely shop. She'd never seen as many diamonds in one place before. They'd even created a waterfall type display of diamond jewelry that almost had her drooling. She gave Obi-Wan a side glance, decided he had jealousy issues going on with the Count and was sulking about something.

“Are you sulking because I won't become your pod person, conform to the Jedi Order, accept you as Lord and Master, and do the mind-bendy link?”

He refused to answer her, simply stared into the window, his arms folded and hands buried deep inside his over-sized Jedi bathrobe.

She sighed, knowing she'd hit the nail on the head. He was taking it personally that she kept putting off going mind-bendy with him. It wasn't as if she didn't have enough problems without him pecking about inside her head constantly.

“Look, I daren't ask the Count this question in case he gets annoyed and it sends his lightsaber red. That's why I needed to ask you.”

She knew he'd be curious if she phrased it like that. Just like in the films he was always poking his nose into things and going Oh-Be-Nosy Wan if he got the slightest chance. She could feel him looking at her as she pretended to study the two foot high, jewel encrusted tiara in the window, and she watched him in the reflection rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. He was bound to bite, any second now...

“Firstly, I'm not sulking because you're still refusing to create a mind bond between us. I am a Jedi and sulking is beneath us. However, I still think we should form a bond that way if a vampire springs out, as it did before, I can find and help you. It is not because I wish to 'master' you nor do I expect you to conform to the Jedi rules, over the last few months you have made that perfectly obvious. Secondly, why would you think your question, whatever it is, might turn the Count's lightsaber red and not mine?”

Buffy smirked at him. “I don't think your lightsaber will ever turn red, Ubi-Doo. I think you're stuck with a blue one.”

He gave a little shake of his head in exasperation at being told he was 'stuck' with a blue lightsaber.

She continued, “I'm worried that the Count's might go red as… well, you know how he warned me before we set off about not going down any deserted corridors or into bedrooms with Sid?”

He nodded thoughtfully. He'd wondered if Count Dooku had received a Force Vision about his apprentice and that's why he'd warned her about Palpatine's bedroom.

Buffy twisted her mouth in distaste. “Yeah... Sid lured me into his bedroom with the classic, 'step in here for a moment' line, helped by the fact he pushed the helmet over my eyes so I couldn't see where I was headed.”

Obi-Wan winced and carefully felt out through the Force to see if she was upset, or had been hurt... in any way. “I assumed, from what you told us, that you'd been vampire hunting all that time. Did... did something happen between the two of you that should not have done so?” he asked carefully.

Buffy stared at the diamond rings in the window thinking that there were some huge diamonds about in this dimension. It seemed like the shop was full of glittering jewels. Not that she'd ever been into diamonds, it cost her a fortune in shoes and clothes without lusting over diamonds. She pulled her eyes away from the window of sparklies and back to the man stood next to her. Buffy could tell he was concerned, no matter how much they argued, teased each other and drove each other crazy, she knew he really cared what happened to her and it gave her a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

“Sid tried kissing me, asked if I wanted a quick one and when I fell on the bed he jumped on. Then my helmet thing dropped and he hurt his teeth on it so it put him off. Luckily my slaydar started getting pinged so all was good.” She gave him a little reassuring smile as she could see he was stressed by her cliff notes version. “It was something he said to me after I dusted the Vamp that I needed to ask you about. I'm not sure what he meant. It was either him being totally sleazy again or something weird.”

“If I can, I will help you.” Obi-Wan gave her an encouraging if worried smile. He hadn't understood half of what happened with Sid in the bedroom but didn't want to upset her by asking her to elaborate.

“He said something strange. He asked me to go back to his place one night this week and watch holocrons together.” She paused seeing him frown. “It was the way he added, 'Pyramid shaped ones' as if that was significant and I should know what it meant. Does it mean anything to you?”

The Jedi Knight stared into the window racking his brains, he felt sure he'd heard something about pyramid shaped holocrons somewhere before but couldn't place it.

“Is that, like, dirty movies or something? I daren't ask the Count cos if it is, he might freak out, get angry and think he should go off to defend my honor or something. And please don't tell him I was lured into Sid's bedroom as he won't be happy.”

Obi-Wan frowned, not liking the fact Buffy thought he wouldn't rush off to defend her honor yet, on the other hand, knowing a Jedi Knight should never act in such a hot-headed manner. He put that thought to one side and considered her question again. There was something about the phrase 'pyramid shaped' that nagged at him...

“I don't understand what you mean by dirty movies?” he said slowly. “All the holocrons I've seen have been mainly files of information or interactive and educational. What do you mean by...” He stopped, something in Buffy's face made him realize what she meant.

“Oh! Er...” he spluttered. Feeling himself redden he purposely looked away until he could master his embarrassment. When he felt able to answer he did so. His Coruscant accent becoming even more clipped and formal than it normally was. “I don't know what the significance of a pyramid-shaped holocron is. As a Jedi, we are not encouraged to watch anything other than educational holocrons and definitely not... 'dirty' ones. I'm sorry, I cannot answer your question further.” He paused, before adding, “It also might be better if you don't mention this to the Count in case it is something... unsavory, and I suggest you don't go to Sid's apartment unless you wish to find out. Now, if you will excuse me, I shall go back to the restaurant as I'm rather hungry and no doubt the food will be awaiting us.”

He pulled his hood up and left in a swish of brown robes, striding off before she could say anything, obviously feeling upset and unbalanced by what she'd asked him.

Buffy sighed again. She was no better off for asking him and Ubi no doubt thought she'd done it on purpose to embarrass him as he was a monk. It was a shame Obi-Wan was so naïve and determined to preserve his monkhood. Xander would have known straight away whether Sid was talking dirty holocrons or Sithy ones or something else entirely.

She folded her arms as she continued looking into the shop window, she'd have to ask Andrew who was probably even more naïve than Ubi, and hope the little Star Wars Geek would know the significance of 'pyramid-shaped' holocrons.


	74. The Reporter, the Witch & The Amulet

Buffy pressed her nose on the jewelry shop window, staring at a jewel-encrusted dagger with a decorative scabbard she'd spotted right at the back of the window display. She'd been trying to see a price tag but the shop owner had craftily tucked it part way under the scabbard so you couldn't read it. If she wanted her curiosity satisfied she'd need to go in and ask. Not that she could afford a jewel-encrusted dagger, especially not one from the Senate retail shops, everything in them was mega expensive.

“They carry some extremely beautiful stock. Are you contemplating making a purchase?” Sid's voice called out, making her jump guiltily as if she'd been up to something she shouldn't have. She turned, to see him walking across the corridor towards her flanked by two Senate guards.

“It's a bit rich for me, Sid. I can barely afford to keep myself in the shoes these days,” she replied cheerfully. Intending to walk off and cut the conversation short. He thwarted her plans by grabbing her arm and towing her inside the shop.

“I'm happy to buy you something as a thank you for saving my life.” The look the Sith Lord gave her was calculating. Obviously thinking she might be lured to the Dark Side of his Bedroom by a few sparkly diamonds. “What about a tiara? No? I suppose it might get in the way of the helmet... Maybe something smaller you can wear on a regular basis... Ahh, I know! What about a diamond cluster ring?” He pouted as she attempted to back away, his grip on her hand tightened, effectively stopping her from taking more than a few steps.

“Thanks but no. A man giving a girl a ring in my dimension means they're in a serious relationship and about to make a big commitment, and I've already explained I'm not ready....”

The shop door opened and there was a clicking noise as a plump blue alien with a long snout took a photo of the pair of them.

“Supreme Chancellor! Lord Vader!” it called excitedly and waved its nose. “I'm here representing CNN, the Coruscant News Network. Can you tell me how it feels being the new Lord Vader? What did you mean by your comment regarding not having a penis? Can you tell us more about vampire slaying? Is it true you and the Supreme Chancellor are buying a large family home on Naboo and moving in together?”

Buffy's eyes went round as she was hit by the flood of personal and embarrassing questions. “No comment!” She squeaked. Shaking herself free of Palpatine's hand she darted around the back of a display and started to make her way to the far side of the shop, peering round jewelry displays every so often to see if the journalist was following her.

She could hear Sid's honeyed tones saying, “Lord Vader has had a very busy day. If you'd like to pop into my office in a couple of hours I'll be more than happy to provide you with a full-length interview about the day's events....” and she dived further into the depths of the shop intent on putting as much distance between her and journalist as possible. As she did, she hardly looked at the jewelry counters filled with precious gems or spared a glance for the armed droids stood guarding them.

“You will find that which you seek over here.” A voice called over to her. A female's, light and silky in tone and it came from right at the back of the shop and the furthest counter away.

Turning her head, Buffy noticed a tall figure emerge from a dark shadow cast by two huge jewelry racks that stood against the rear wall. With nothing better to do (other than go back to Sid and be interrogated by the journalist), Buffy found herself crossing the short distance until she stood on the opposite side of the counter from the figure in the crimson hooded robe. Whoever she was, she was sending out a vibe that caused her inner slayer to regard her warily. It wasn't the same sort of a blip on the slayer senses like a vampire or a creature of darkness caused, more the type of vibe Willow or Tara had, especially when they'd been creating magic.

“Who are you,” Buffy asked suspiciously. Magic in this dimension hadn't been a good experience for her so far.

“A friend,” replied the woman, her face shadowed and her eyes glowing silver under the hood.

“Whose friend?” Buffy asked, her own green eyes narrowing, she knew the dance and would follow to the end if she must.

The woman pulled back her hood allowing Buffy to see that she was definitely an alien although one with human ancestry. Dark facial markings stood out against white skin, a shock of white hair and eyes that were bright silver regarded the slayer without fear. Despite her lithe figure, Buffy sensed she was old, very old and there was a power shining behind those ancient eyes, although whether it was evil or good power Buffy was unable to tell.

“I am your friend if you have need of me, Sister,” she replied quietly.

“And who's side are you on, Sister?” Buffy asked tilting her head curiously. She wasn't getting the evil vibes from her, nor the shiny ones like the Jedi had, this one was something else.

The pale woman smiled thinly and looked off with a thousand-yard stare. “Our side and no one else's. For no one else is on ours..” Her eyes flicked to Buffy's. It felt like she was peeling away all her protective layers and looking deep into her soul. “You've been sent here and will need the friendship of my sisters,” there was a slight pause, “and brothers.”

Her long thin arms held out a box and she lightly gave it a shake. “What you seek is in this box,”

“Huh?”

The Dathomirian rolled her eyes. “In the box! Look!” she hissed. “Quickly, while the Dark One talks to the fawning one.” She shook the plastic box at Buffy once more and pushed it across the counter towards her.

Buffy leaned forward and looked into the box feeling puzzled. It wasn't as if she'd gone in there seeking anything out. Well, she'd been drooling over the dagger in the window but she knew she couldn't afford it. Sid was the one dragging her in here and she was only biding her time until she could make a quick getaway. From him and his long-nosed journalist friend with the invasive questions.

Inside the box was a wide silver bangle with some sort of design on the front. The design looked sort of familiar... She picked up the bangle, and as she turned it over in her hands noticed the Wiccan design of a pentagram and, at the very heart of the star, a blue bead was inset. Touching the bead with her finger it rotated and she was shocked to see it represented Earth, with all its continents and oceans... Why was there a decorative bangle bearing a Wiccan symbol and a representation of her planet in this dimension? According to the Head Librarian, NuNu Mophead, the Jedi Temple had no record of Earth in its files and so didn't exist in this dimension.

Without thinking she slid the bangle onto her wrist. Never the wisest course of action with a magical artifact and she knew it was magical as soon as the cuff tightened around her wrist and a wisp of magic flowed up her arm.

The pale alien was now looking at her with a self-satisfied expression. “It has chosen you! There, it is yours. As soon as you pay for it that is!” Her oddly accented voice for a moment sounding like Anya's when she knew she'd made a sale and wanted the money safely in the till. “Two hundred and fifty credits. It is paltry sum for such a treasure but money must change hands for the circle to be complete.”

She held her hand out and Buffy pulled out her credit stick from her back pocket, hoping she'd enough on there left to pay for it. She'd didn't fancy asking Sid for a loan.

“What does it do?” she asked. Knowing it did something and hoping it was nothing weird like make her grow a beard.

The Dathomirian stuck the credit stick into a machine and when it pinged to show the credit had been accepted, nodded satisfied the transaction had been made. “ It is Amulet of Protection against Dark Sith magic. You've been hit by a spell recently, yes?” Buffy nodded. “That cuff will neutralize some Sith spells, but not all. It has been in our family passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Only the one Chosen by the amulet can wield it and if you hadn't been she, you'd have died...”

“Oh thanks, that's just great. Give the innocent shopper a death bangle why don't you? How many customers have you killed off so...” she stopped when the old woman leaned over the shop counter and pinched her cheek. Hard. “Oww!”

“Shush! You talk too much. No wonder your enemies hate you. The bangle is yours, it will protect you. Wear it all time, and try not to let 'Him' see or take from you. The Dark One will know what it is, and ask where you got it from. You are not to say here! I, and my sisters will deny all if you tell.”

Aware that the 'Dark One' was now making his way through the shop towards her, Buffy glanced round to check how far away he was, and when she looked back the old woman had vanished. Okay, that was of the weird. Quickly pulling her sleeve over her new bangle she turned to meet the Chancellor forcing a smile to her lips.

Sid smiled back at her. “Ah, there you are, still browsing the pretties I see. You will be glad to know that the reporter has departed and I have asked him not to bother you, so there's no need to hide back here any longer. Now, we have a meal to attend so I will escort you to the restaurant.” Ever the Sith gentleman he offered her his arm, and she reluctantly took it. As they walked out the shop she glanced back once more but still couldn't see the alien woman anywhere.

“So why did you wish to avoid the reporters?” asked Sid as they walked along the corridor with two Senate guards following discreetly behind them.

“I'm not used to dealing with publicity,” she replied easily. “I was kinda Secret-Identity Girl back in my dimension. It doesn't work out well sneaking around at night doing the slaying if you're in the public eye and I prefer that side of me hidden from public view, even in this dimension.”

“Ah yes,” said Sid, an affectionate gleam in his eye as he looked down at his very pretty but lethal Lord Vader. “I can understand that philosophy perfectly.”


	75. Buffy On Coruscant News Network (CNN)

Buffy had only just finished styling her hair into waves when she heard Andrew's excited call from the living room.

“Buffy! They've just announced you're on the Coruscant News Network! It'll be on in a minute hurry up!”

Buffy pulled a face at herself in the mirror before reluctantly making her way into the living room. After all that fiasco at the Senate the previous day all she wanted to do was forget about the whole thing. It had been a nightmare from start to finish, and finding out the Coruscant paparazzi had picked up on the big event could not be good news.

The door buzzer went and sensing it was Obi-Wan and Count Dooku she hurried over to open it.

The Count strode in, saying as he did so, “Buffy you've made the Holonews! I do hope that these journalists have reported a sensible story and not created a complete fabrication of events to sensationalize like journalists so often do.”

Dooku almost looked nervous. She could tell by the way he was fiddling first with his silver cloak chain and then his lightsaber hilt, his whole demeanor dark and threatening as he stared at the holonews broadcast that Andrew had playing.

“Yeah, Andrew's told me. We're about to watch it and see what they have to say.” Buffy hoped the reporters wouldn't make a big deal of it. She'd told them no comment when they'd come over asking for an interview so it wasn't as if they could twist that.

Buffy knew Count Dooku was upset at the way she'd shouted out in front of the entire Senate that she didn't have a penis. He'd given her a lecture about how she'd let herself down. He'd said, comments about not having a penis were beneath her. Unfortunately, that struck her as funny and she'd giggled, earning herself a full dose of Count Dooku's ire.

The atmosphere around him had gone practically glacial and he'd given her one of his famous penetrating glares that always managed to put a stop to her giddy behavior. She liked the Count; respected him even, and not only for his superb lightsaber skills. He reminded her of Giles, well educated, well spoken and with a wealth of experience at his fingertips - not to mention Force lightning- so she didn't want to annoy him. Not that she was worried about him killing her, even though Andrew reckoned when he'd become Sith he wasn't very nice with his apprentices (probably because Sid named him Darth TightAnus and he didn't like it).

Andrew said he'd only gone Sithy as he'd gotten disheartened with the Jedi Cult and she couldn't blame him for that, she could see why they'd send anyone with half a brain off their rocker. Seeing as the Count now hated Sid, and had fallen to the Scooby Side, she didn't have a problem with Count Dooku at all, well, except how he was always giving Obi-Wan dirty looks...

The four of them sat down, Dooku taking his usual spot in the best chair and Buffy sitting between Andrew and Obi-Wan on the couch. This resulted in some scuffling as Oh-Be-Moaning had forgotten to take off his bathrobe, and claimed when she'd sat down she'd sat too close, and was making creases on it.

The three studio newsreaders flashed up a clip of the Senate building and then the report began...

“....at yesterdays Senate. Where one Miss Buffy Summers, an inter-dimensional traveler, was honored with the title of Lord Vader Protector of the Republic from Vampires.”

The report then flashed to a long distance shot of Buffy muttering to herself as she browsed the reduced shoe rack in one of the Senate retail shops.

“When asked about her new role Buffy Summers declined to be interviewed, however, according to reports from a number of Senators present, she stated on being given the new title that she... 'didn't have a penis'. This unusual comment has caused some consternation amongst the gathered Senators.

Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, who'd formally bestowed the title Of Lord Vader, told our news channel that there was an odd glitch in the translator due to Miss Summers being from another dimension, and she'd actually sent out a thank you message.

They cut to the image of her standing with Sid inside the Senate jewelry shop, her hand firmly locked in Sid's and them staring at each other.

Chancellor Palpatine and Lord Vader have been seen in each other's company on numerous occasions, including shopping for diamond rings in one of the planet's most prestigious jewelry shops and dancing together at the Ambassadors Ball. While other sources suggest he's been seen going in and out of her private quarters on a regular basis. This has caused speculation amongst many there could be a romance blossoming between Lord Vader and the Republic's most eligible bachelor and that even a possible official announcement is to be made... ”

Buffy made a choking noise, grabbed a loose cushion off the back of the couch and held it in front of her face in an attempt to hide the shame. This was bad, this was beyond bad, this was... toe-curling, cringe-worthy, horrendous.

They cut to an interview with the Supreme Chancellor sat in his office wearing his official Senate robes. Palpatine smiling benignly, and ingratiatingly at the camera.

“Supreme Chancellor Palpatine... We all know Buffy Summers has been providing discreet services for the Senate and the Jedi Temple for several months now. However, I'm sure what interests our CNN viewers most is... Is any truth to the rumors you and Lord Vader have become romantically involved?”

The Chancellor looked coy, before answering. “Lord Vader is a beautiful and intelligent woman with some very special talents and I certainly wouldn't mind knowing her more intimately.”

The reporter tittered, and Palpatine smiled.

“Blood tests results released from the Temple show she tested as a human female, so you are both obviously compatible should you wish to pursue an intimate relationship. However, Supreme Chancellor, does the fact she is a Slayer not cause you any concern?”

“Indeed not, I have a lot in common with Lord Vader. Although the lack of a penis is not one of them.”

Cut to entire newsroom laughing sycophantically at his joke. Then back to the reporting journalist now standing outside the Senate entrance.

“It is also speculated that during Lord Vader's visit to the Senate a disruption occurred in which a Vampire attacked the Supreme Chancellor, who was at that time 'talking' with Lord Vader in his private quarters. Sources within the Senate state Lord Vader drew a concealed weapon and dispatched the creature before it could assassinate the Supreme Chancellor. Officials from the Senate will neither deny nor confirm this report.

So who this new leading light in the Republic, Miss Buffy Summers, otherwise known as Lord Vader?”

The report cut to a photo of Buffy taken with the Supreme Chancellor at the Ambassadors Ball of her and Palpatine stood together with their heads very close, a look of fascination on his face and Buffy looking slightly away- from both the camera lens and Palpatine.

“Currently resident at the Jedi Temple along with her fellow inter-dimensional traveler Andrew Wells..”

They cut to footage of Andrew trying on the Darth Vader helmet and cape and doing a Darth Vader walk across the speeder park.

Andrew bounced around excitedly on the couch next to Buffy at seeing himself on the news, and shouted, “Look! It's me, it's me!”

“...Miss Summers is often seen in the company of Jedi Knights and also Masters from the Jedi High Council...”

Footage then showed her surrounded by Obi-Wan, Count Dooku and Nick Fury who were looking about furtively as they were about to climb into the speeder.

“... raising speculation as to what position she holds in the Jedi Order.”

Image of the outside of the Jedi Temple shown.

“When asked her status at the Temple, a Jedi High Council representative stated. 'Lost In Space, The Vampire Slayer is. Service for her, The Jedi happy to provide.'”

“Huh! I wonder who came out with that freakin' gem,” huffed Buffy, glaring at the newscaster over the top of her cushion.

They then cut to footage with an interview of a Twil'ek shop assistant stood in front of a large display of black lacey underwear excitedly saying, “Yes, she buys lots of erotic undergarments from here....”

Buffy squeaked loudly and buried her face in the cushion.

“….Oh no, I've never seen her with Sheev Palpatine but every time she's been in here it's been with different Jedi escorts...”

Obi-Wan shot Buffy a shocked expression and hissed at her, “How many Jedi have you taken into that shop? I thought it was just me.”

Buffy's mouth dropped, “You're the only one I've been underwear shopping with!"

Obi-Wan, aware of Count Dooku's dark glare along with a tidal wave of disapproval being sent at him through the Force, carefully turned his attention back to the news and refused to look in the older knights direction.

“...Sources state that Lord Vader's hobbies include hair and beauty, fashion, retail therapy, weapons training and slaying the enemies of the Republic. We are all hoping to see a lot more of Lord Vader in action.

In other events, the Mirialan ambassador has still not returned home and Coruscant security forces have stepped up their investigations …”

Andrew switched off the holonews and looked around, smiling. “I don't think that went too badly.”

Buffy shot him a dark glare and hit him with the cushion. “Really?”

“It could have been worse!”

“Yeah? How?”

“I knew they would bring up that penis comment you made, Miss Summers,” said the Count morosely. “Its the type of vile thing the gutter press do. Perhaps we should invite them round and give an interview, perhaps show your fighting skills to prove you have a serious and intelligent side?”

“No, Count,” Buffy replied decisively. Facing a journalist went against the whole principle of being Secret-Identity Girl and she'd been told off enough times in the past when she'd forgot. “It's a good idea of yours but I think I'll lie low and let myself become old news. If I feed them they'll be like internet trolls and keep coming back. It's best to ignore them and pretend it didn't happen.”

The four sat back in their respective seats and stared into space, lost in their individual thoughts. Buffy annoyed that the Chancellor had made a galactic wide announcement he was interested in her romantically as she'd been hoping he'd have gotten the message by now. Obi-Wan wondering if Buffy was telling the truth about not going to the underwear store with other Jedi, and feeling suspicious as Nick Fury had become very excited at spending time in Buffy's company recently.

Count Dooku, meanwhile, was contemplating whether or not he should call in person at the news office to give the reporters and editor a piece of his mind. As Count of Serreno he held a lot of influence throughout the galaxy, perhaps it was time to use that influence to enhance his apprentice's sadly abused reputation.

Andrew Wells's brain was simply buzzing that he'd made the news in the Star Wars dimension and hoping that his friends from the sci-fi con's could somehow see it as they'd be so jealous, especially if they knew he kept Darth Vader's helmet in his bedroom.


	76. Obi-Wan gets emotional

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Buffy shakes Obi's world

Obi-Wan took a huge gulp of Corellian Brandy. The strong fiery liquid burnt as it flowed down his throat but he neither savored the feeling nor winced, instead he stared directly ahead towards the colored display of drinks in front of him, his mind on other things. This was his third one so far, the normally potent drink doing nothing to numb the odd sensation in his body and the feeling of being completely unbalanced in the Force.

He couldn't help wondering if Master Yoda had the right of it. That Buffy was an evil Sith Lord out to take down the entire Jedi Order and create a reign of anarchy throughout the galaxy. Which led to the uncomfortable thought that the Jedi High Council was prepared to sacrifice him to find out... But no, he didn't believe Buffy was a Sith. His research led him to believe the Sith were far more civilized and Buffy was something much more lethal. There was, however, a good chance she was one of those Vengeance Demons she was always on the look out for, and if she wasn't, she really should become one.

The day had started off very promising. A visit to Dex's had given them the tip that one of the Security guards from Coruscant's lower levels might have some interesting information for Buffy regarding a body found drained of blood. Dex said the man frequented a well-known club in the entertainment district, and that he'd be there that evening and answer ready to answer any questions they had.

The Outlander Club was one of the biggest and most well-known clubs in the district, catering to a wide range of clientele and Buffy had been shocked when Obi-Wan admitted it was an old haunt of his. She'd looked at him as if he'd grown an extra head and he'd had a hard time not laughing at her face. To tease her further he told her that he was going to attend wearing his Jedi robes and listened, hiding his mirth, as she nagged him about how he'd destroy her reputation if he insisted on going to a Club wearing his bathrobe and pajama set. He'd been very stubborn about it for quite a while until he finally relented and said he'd go undercover. Unfortunately, he'd given the game away by chuckling and then been forced to admit he'd only been teasing. She'd become really cross with him at that point and she'd even pulled out the killer pout, the one that turned his insides into jelly and completely messed with his head.

Perhaps it was his earlier teasing that caused this situation? Although he'd a feeling it was more to do with how he encouraged Sid to go and tap on her fresher door when he'd visited her apartment, she'd sworn to get revenge on him several times for that. But what if it wasn't revenge she'd had in mind at all? What if she'd done it for another reason entirely?

He tried to stop his mind going to where that line of thought led, as even thinking about it wouldn't do him any good, yet it still made his breathing hitch and that tingle of awareness to appear once more. Obi-Wan drank the last of the brandy and quickly ordered another.

He'd worn what Buffy called his Zorro outfit to the club, believing they needed to blend in with the crowds. Andrew hadn't tried to blend in, he'd worn his multi-colored shirt that looked like someone had vomited on it, which for some reason known only to him, thought enhanced his looks. While Buffy had gone all out on dressing to stand out, eye-catching dramatic make-up and wearing a very short and tight silver dress with matching thigh-high boots under her long black duster.

Confused why she hadn't worn her Ninja suit, which in his eyes was far more appropriate for blending in and hunting, he'd asked her about her choice of clothes. Buffy replied that demons liked girls who looked stood out and looked tasty. His face must have shown his doubts as Andrew came over, pulled him to one side and whispered that Buffy had dated more Master Vampires than anyone he knew, and so was talking from vast experience. Which again, was confusing. Obi-Wan thought her destiny of being the Chosen One meant she had to slay creatures of darkness not choose to have them as her boyfriends.  
When he pulled her to one side and asked why she'd even want a Vampire as a boyfriend she'd scowled at Andrew and said, 'someone's got a big mouth,' and then walked off without answering what he'd thought was a reasonable question.  
Maybe that's why she'd sought revenge on him, or maybe not.

Once inside the huge Outlander club, the three of them had circled around each floor looking for possible demons, they'd had a moment of excitement when Buffy thought she got a blip on the spider senses but it had turned out to be an extremely drunk, huge, red skinned and horned Devaronian alien who was causing trouble at a Sabacc table.  
Buffy had watched him for a good while but admitted she couldn't slay him, as although he might look like he could be a demon, and was clearly obnoxious, he couldn't be classed as evil.

They'd made their way to the huge central bar where they met up with Dex's contact, a guard in Coruscant's Security Force who patrolled one of the lower levels. Over a round of drinks, he and his two friends told Buffy of the different types of creatures who were believed to roam the very lower levels of the city. The huge and mysterious Ogres and of the eyeless Troglodytes who thrived in the continual darkness and feasted on the flesh of captured victims. There were many deaths and unresolved murders in the lower levels of the planet and few in authority cared if the murderers were ever found. In fact, the most common cause of death in those virtually lawless regions was 'death by misadventure'. However, the guard who'd found a woman's body completely drained of blood thought there was something unusual about it and although it too had been marked down as death by misadventure he'd mentioned the strangeness of it to his colleagues.

Buffy had become excited. She said it all sounded promising and was determined to look into it. She'd gone on to advise the guards that any similar bodies should be cremated and the guards assured her that bodies always were, there were no burials on Coruscant. The three security guards also reminded her to take plenty of weapons if she wanted to explore the lawless regions of the planet and to make sure they take breathing and protective equipment. The lower levels air was thick with pollutants from decomposing rubbish, chemicals and all manner of debris and a human wouldn't last long down there without oxygen.

When one of the green Twil'ek males began flirting with Buffy, flashing his sharpened teeth at her and moving his head tails in what Obi-Wan recognized as a very suggestive manner, Obi-Wan decided that the meeting should be brought to a halt. Not that he disliked people flirting in front of him, even if he was a Jedi and not allowed any. It was simply having worked, lived, and trained with the Slayer he'd become attuned to Buffy's body language and had spotted the slight tension and the way her eyes flashed, as she assessed the man for slay-age potential.

So, aware of the true predatory nature of the Slayer he'd decided to step in before the situation became heated. He'd politely thanked the guards for their help and all but dragged a bristling Buffy and goofy Andrew up to a higher floor saying he wanted to dance. They'd been a bit surprised by that, he could tell they thought it was a lame excuse, but he hadn't been lying.

Obi-Wan really loved to dance. Not many people knew it, only a few of his closest friends from the Temple, but he found pleasure in the sensation of dancing to a beat, immersing himself in both the sound of the music and the Force at the same time. Not that he'd had that much opportunity to dance these last couple of years, life as Qui-Gon's padawan had become very hectic and tonight he'd been determined not to miss out on the opportunity.

He wondered if it was his enjoyment of dancing which made Buffy decide it was the right time to exact her revenge on him? Or was it not done for revenge? Whatever her motive, it was a move she should not have made, not to him, not knowing he was a Jedi Knight and especially not in a public place where anyone could see, but that certainly hadn't stopped her.

Obi-Wan stared at his drink. This sort of thing went on, he knew it did. The Jedi rumor mill buzzed with such stories but nothing like this had never happened to him before. Despite everyone thinking he was blind to temptation, he wasn't. It was simply he'd always thought his future was clearly mapped out in front of him and didn't look for trouble. His path might be a harsh one in many ways but he was a Force User, a Jedi and not a Sith, and he'd never step away from the path he was on, even for a moment. Or so he'd always told himself.

Things had changed on Naboo. Buffy had arrived along with Andrew, who'd spotted him and immediately demanded his autograph, and if that wasn't odd enough, Buffy had gotten involved in the fight with Darth Maul. They were very strange people and from the beginning, she'd tested his patience in many ways.

As a Force Void Buffy often got under his defenses, time and time again she'd managed to take him by unawares, and she also seemed to have an uncanny way of sensing when he attention had wandered. What she'd done tonight though had been totally shameless, with no thought or care that he was a Jedi and many others had witnessed his subsequent... distress.

Whatever her motives, she'd left him feeling highly unbalanced in both mind and body. Obi-Wan took another sip of brandy, letting the fiery liquid trickle down his throat and with any luck nullify the sizzling in his blood as he thought about what she'd done to him.

......

There were a number of dance floors in the Outlander Club, each playing a different style of music to cater for the many species who frequented the place. Buffy had pulled her face at a number of them, saying 'no,' and 'no way,' a number of times. Eventually she found a style of music she seemed happy with and as it had a great dance beat Obi-Wan didn't complain.

The three of them had gone on to the dance floor, moving through the dancers until Buffy found a spot she was happy to stay in. Anticipating the beginning of another track Obi-Wan closed his eyes, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet and as soon as the music began, lifted his arms in the air and spun around, his feet moving, dancing to the rhythm, listening to the sound of the music, feeling the energy and emotions of those dancing around him and finally letting himself drift off into the Living Force. He'd danced happily like this for a good while before it occurred to him that he was not here with his friends from the Temple, who knew all about how engrossed he became with dancing, but here with Buffy and Andrew and, as Force Voids, it wasn't that easy to sense them in the crowds.

Another thought hit him. An uncomfortable and jarring one... What if they'd looked at him, decided he was dancing like a Nerd and gone off in disgust?

He quickly opened his eyes, and was relieved to see they were both still dancing besides him and how both gave him a friendly smile when he looked at them. Relieved he'd neither been left alone or mocked, he closed his eyes once more and danced on. It had been a good night until then. Interesting information on a case and an excuse to hit the dance floor. He'd been relaxed and happy, even when Andrew spotted his friend from the Temple, Rayne with some other Temple workers, and went off to talk to them. It left Obi-Wan alone with Buffy but she seemed happy enough dancing to the music just like he was, so he closed his eyes once more, letting the sound and the Force flow through him and his attention drifted off...

Not long after that, things changed.

Obi-Wan sat on his stool at the bar and took another drink of brandy as his heart rate speeded up as he thought about what Buffy had done to him. It wasn't as if it was the first time she'd destroyed his Jedi peace and wreaked emotional havoc on him so he really should be used to her antics by now, but this time was different. This time her actions had sent him right over the edge into uncharted territory, leaving him feeling adrift in the Force and at odds with the Jedi Code. It was no wonder Yoda thought she'd a lot of Sith-like qualities and continually lectured him to be wary of the Dark Side saying once he faltered from the path there'd be no way back for him. He bet even the Grand Master would have been left floundering if she behaved like she had around him.

Obi-Wan gripped the brandy glass in his hands and stared down at the liquid that he normally drank very little of, one glass perhaps, never more than two. He'd a feeling twenty glasses wouldn't numb how he felt at the moment.

After Andrew left them he'd continued dancing with Buffy, his eyes closed, lost in the sensation of the beat until the Force warned him he was becoming the center of attention on the dance floor. On opening his eyes the first thing he saw was Buffy dancing extremely close to him, moving her body in a way that was most unusual, sliding herself along in his personal space in an erotic manner, her hips moving provocatively towards his, her arms in the air, almost touching him but not quite, and an odd expression on her face that he'd never seen before. Around him he sensed the heightened interest of males and quite a few females of different species as they assessed her as a sexual partner before going on to assess him too...

It was a mating dance she was doing.. In front of others! To him! A Jedi who wasn't allowed any! And what was far, far worse, was the way his body happily forgot it was a Jedi and responded to her mating dance...

Ashamed of his loss of control he'd blurted out the first thing that came into his head, “I've got to GO!”

“Huh?” she asked. The soft seductive expression on her face now changing to one of confusion at his comment. She was dancing so close to him it sent a wave of heat through him even though her body never touched his.

His face and neck flushed red. She'd done this on purpose and he was making it worse but he had to leave her. How could he stay when he was a Jedi and she was trying to make him behave in a way he should not?

“I'm going for a drink.” His voice had come out more formal than he intended but he was striving to keep his dignity in the face of her dancing.

He'd escaped to the bar and ordered the strongest drink he could think of that he knew wouldn't kill him. Buffy had gotten her revenge on him alright. She'd danced, he'd responded as a man and not a Jedi and now every emotion he'd been keeping a lid on around her was exploding inside him.  
Sitting on a stool at a bar, in the middle of the busiest club on Coruscant, Obi-Wan knew he was dealing with a potentially life changing event and he'd no idea what to do about it. What made it worse was that he didn't even know if she liked him or was just being a Vengeance Demon and playing with his feelings.

Obi-Wan stared at his drink for a long time before gulping the remains down and ordering another. It was going to be a long night and he had no intentions of moving from his spot at the bar.


	77. A Template For Trouble

Andrew Wells leaned against a pillar inside the Outlander Club happily chatting to Rayne and a couple of other Temple employees as they watched a pod race being broadcast from one of the Outer Rim planets, when Rayne tapped his arm. Leaning close to Andrew he whispered, “Is your friend alright? He's been drinking an awful lot since he got to the bar.”

Andrew looked over, past a group of chattering Zabrack girls to where Obi-Wan sat alone, swaying on a bar stool, staring at nothing and drinking what was probably Correllian brandy. He looked both sad and drunk... Obi-Wan drunk? And where was Buffy?

Telling his friends he'd rejoin them shortly he pushed his way through the crowds of revellers to the main bar and slid onto the empty seat next to the Jedi, noticing straight away that Obi-Wan ignored him merely stared off into space stroking his upper lip as if lost in thought. Knowing he was a Jedi and was one with the Force, Andrew knew he was probably more aware of things than it looked to a casual observer. He'd seen him doing this in the films, perhaps he was setting up a trap, waiting for an assassin to approach him, then, when they came within striking distance he'd whip round and remove their arm or maybe their head with his lightsaber. To see Obi-Wan Kenobi in action at close range so early on in his career was amazing, if only Buffy would let him start filming again, all his friends would be jealous!  
Then again there were an awful lot of empty brandy containers in front of the Jedi Knight.

“You okay?” No reply.

Tapping Obi-Wan's arm to get his attention, he tried again with a different question, “Where's Buffy?”

Obi-Wan took a swig of brandy and jerked his thumb over his shoulder, towards the dance floor where the three of them had been dancing earlier. “Down there, dancing. No idea who she'sh with. Don't care.”

Andrew stood up and looked over the top of peoples heads. Buffy was dancing with two blue skinned Chiss men and a Chiss woman, laughing at something they said as she danced around to the music.

“Buffy always seems to make friends easy. I thought the Chiss were generally stand offish? She's got three of them dancing with her,” remarked Andrew with interest. It was the first time he'd seen Chiss outside of the Star Wars movies, and it still felt like every time he spotted a new species he was ticking them off a mental list, a bit like trainspotting... And thinking of Trainspotting led him directly back to the man in front of him.

“She'sh probably doing the mating dance to them,” The Jedi slurred. “Make lots of new friends with that kind of dance. Doesn't work on Jedi...” he paused and stared into his glass. “Shouldn't work on Jedi.”

Sitting back down, Andrew leaned forward and peered at Obi-Wan in confusion. “What? What mating dance? She's only dance...” he tailed off as a horrible thought occurred to him.

“Did Buffy do a provocative dance to you?” He looked glumly at the Jedi, feeling annoyed Buffy would try to embarrass Obi-Wan like that. Was nothing sacred to her? First she pulled the head off his Princess Leia action figure and now she was dancing provocatively to Obi-Wan, who'd obviously become offended, run off and got drunk he'd been that sick of her. Which was so not cool. Everyone knew Obi-Wan Kenobi was totally subservient to the Jedi rules and would never, ever, succumb to the temptations of the flesh - no matter who did the tempting.

“Does Buffy like me?” asked Obi-Wan, pinning him with his famously perceptive, intense blue eyes.

“Like you? Of course she likes you.” replied Andrew tersely, and then his eyes widened, “Oh you mean.. you want to know if she likes-you likes-you. Er... I'm not sure if she thinks you're Xander-shaped.”

“What's Xander-sss..shaped?” The Jedi slurred again, his eyes never left Andrew's face.

“ Xander-shaped means like a male friend.” Andrew took in the doleful expression on Obi-Wan's face and winced. If the Jedi had developed feelings for Buffy it wasn't going to end well. Jedi's with romantic feelings rarely got happy endings and if Buffy only thought of him as a friend it might send him all dark and snorty. Obi-Wan had already tried on the Darth Vader helmet and cloak – not only did it fit him much better than it did Buffy but he'd appeared to like it as he'd kept looking at himself in the mirror - that sort of thing made Andrew nervous.

“Obi-Wan you're a Jedi. I don't have to tell you emotional attachments are against your code, so you really shouldn't be interested in Buffy that way. If she wants you as a man, as a Jedi monk what could you even do about it?”

The glare Obi-Wan threw at him made Andrew slide off his stool and instinctively step away with a gulp. The slanted dark look from under the lashes, the tousled hair and scar across his right eye all combined to make his features look far more like Anakin Skywalker's than Obi-Wan Kenobi's.

“Sick of being Jedi,” he growled, scowling menacingly at Andrew, frustration pouring from every pore. “Gonna be a Sith. Sith boys have more fun and no one stopsh them having girlfriends.” He remembered how Buffy had pushed him away after he kissed her at the ball, no doubt horrified at his ineptness. “I bet they don't kiss like a Nerd either.”

Andrew shook his head. “No, you're wrong there. Well I'm not sure if they kiss like Nerds or not.. I know the Sith code talks about passion but it's not the kind of passion you have in a relationship, it's about power. That's all Sith care about, being in control and power...” He paused, thinking about how Sid in this dimension was totally infatuated with Buffy, Anakin was wanting her not Padme, and Count Dooku had gone all protective over her.  
Scratching his neck with frustration, he continued, “Okay, maybe the Siths would be interested in Buffy as well as having the power, but normally they aren't into healthy, long term relationships. They go around killing their wives, slaughtering their friends and either end up with metal legs or at least a crinkly face no one wants to look at. Obi-Wan you can't become a Sith Lord. Listen to me, I was once an Evil Mastermind, walking the Dark Pathway to Tragedy and Loneliness, and it's really not for you...”

He stopped and lowered his eyes, feeling embarrassed. In the normal Star Wars dimension Obi-Wan future was one of betrayal, tragedy and loneliness, and it hadn't been him doing the betraying. Maybe Obi-Wan was better off being a Sith rather than go through all that. Buffy would freak out though, not to mention Obi-Wan was his hero or should be his hero.

“Obi-Wan you're ...” Andrew broke off abruptly as he caught sight of the dark haired man with a scarred but handsome face who'd gone over to dance with Buffy. “Oh.. Fuck! Why of all the clubs in the entire galaxy does he have to walk into this one, and zoom in on Buffy!”

Obi-Wan perked up on hearing Buffy's name, turned around too quickly and fell off his stool.

“Who's that?” he asked from the floor.

“Freakin' Jango Fett dancing with Buffy!” Andrew felt like banging his head on the bar counter. “I've no idea how she's managing to attract them. It's like she's a magnet for every Big Bad player in this dimension... She'll probably have Jabba the Hutt slithering round after her next, asking her to be his Queen and offering to buy her shoes! Oh shit, I hope I haven't jinxed her. Don't tell Buffy I said that.”

“Who's dancing with her?” asked Obi-Wan, who was now crawling up his bar stool, grabbing at his lightsaber on his utility belt, which he wasn't wearing, and at the same time trying to see who Buffy was with.

“Jango Fett dancing with Buffy,” repeated Andrew, watching the bounty hunter smiling at her and laughing at something she said to him.

“He's dangeroush?” slurred Obi-Wan, who'd managed to sit back on top of his stool but still couldn't work out where he'd hidden his lightsaber, he was now checking all his pockets frantically, thinking he might have dropped it.

Andrew stared first at Buffy, then at Jango and then Obi-Wan, who'd finally found his lightsaber in an inside pocket and was looking relieved.

“He's....amazing. Probably the best fighter this galaxy has ever seen.. A Mandalorian bounty hunter and an extremely dangerous man, although maybe not to her. Going off the others he'll probably either want to start dating her or give her weapons training..... Look, I'll get Buffy for you. I'll go over and tell her you need to go back to the Temple as that will get her away from Jango Fett. You'll be okay on your own with Buffy won't you? I want to stay here and hit the sabacc tables to increase the Shmi fund.” He looked across to where Rayne stood waiting for him on the edge of the dance floor and waved.

“Yesh, be fine. I'll have another drink while I wait. If Jango Fett is a demon and tries to hurt Buffy I'll be ready to plunge my stake into his heart or use my lightsaber on his neck.” Obi-Wan smirked very darkly at Andrew, as if letting him into a secret. It caused the blonde watcher to gulp and rush off to where Buffy was dancing with the famous bounty hunter and template of the clone army as fast as he could. Darth Obi-Wan was not something he wanted to deal with.

......

Obi-Wan sat watching the half hidden mirrored panel behind the bar as Andrew interrupted Buffy on the dance floor. Andrew gestured towards the bar, saying something into Buffy's ear, causing her to turn and look over to where he sat. For a moment he could have sworn her eyes looked directly into the mirror and locked onto his, before she turned back to the dark haired man she'd been dancing with, say something and then walk towards the bar area alone.  
The Jedi continued watching the Bounty Hunter in the mirror, noting how the man kept his body language neutral, yet there was an intense alertness to him suggesting there was more to this than a casual meeting between two people on a dance floor. The Jedi's eyes flicked away to watch Buffy's progress towards the bar, and when he looked back to the spot where the Mandalorian had been the man had vanished into the crowds.

Aware Buffy was rapidly approaching the bar area, Obi-Wan quickly ordered another brandy and looked down at the colored drink. In fact he was so busy concentrating on his drink, determined not to turn round until Buffy made the first move, that he wasn't aware of the young drug dealer who'd moved up along side him trying to peddle death sticks.

“Oi!” came the irate voice of Buffy, “Step away from the drugs, Obi-Wan!”

Surprised, Obi-Wan wobbled in his seat as he slowly turned round. “Drugs? I wassh not going to..” only to be interrupted by Buffy, pushing between him and the death stick dealer.

She wagged a finger into his face. “Do not even think about going down that route again, Obi-Wan! You stay off the drugs now you're with me!” She scowled at him. “No buying death sticks!”

Obi-Wan swayed slightly as he shot her a perturbed look, his brow creased in puzzlement, “ But I.. wassn't buying death shticks.”

The drug dealer prodded Buffy in the shoulder, asking in a surprisingly low squeaky voice, “He's not buying death sticks. Do YOU wanna buy death sticks?”

Buffy rounded on the man, taking in the odd caterpillar eyebrows and the antenna sticking out the top of his head. Using her extra-intimidating Dark Force Slayer Glare she waved an admonishing hand at him. “I don't want to buy death sticks. You don't want to sell me death sticks. What you need to do is go home and think about getting a new career.” Then she added, because she was a Slayer and not a Jedi, “If you know what's good for you.”

The young man, carefully backed away, visibly gulping at the darkness and violent threat of imminent death in the Slayers eyes, before scuttling off, quickly getting lost in the crowd. As he went he mumbled to himself he needed a change of career, selling death sticks was far too dangerous when it came to dealing with some of the weird aliens that were around these days.

Obi-Wan, still feeling unbalanced by Buffy's dance and the annoying fact he might be Xander-shaped, missed the interchange as he was too busy taking a swig of brandy. He also ignored Buffy who was hovering next to him and giving him a pointed look. Instead he did what drunks did in many bars across the galaxies, he stared at the bottom of the glass with the hope that the answer to all his problems might be written there. Until that glass was yanked from his fingers. He looked on in surprise at Buffy as she swirled the odd colored liquid around the glass, sniffing it suspiciously before taking a drink from it, and making a scrunched up yuck-face.

“Ewww, that's strong. You know you shouldn't be drinking to excess Obi-Wan, not with your past history of doing the drugs.” She took another drink of the brandy to see if it got better taste-wise, shuddered and put it down on the bar.

“Not took drugss,” sulked Obi-Wan, feeling peeved Buffy had robbed the majority of his drink and was now scolding him for a non-existent drug problem. Defiantly, he picked up the brandy again and took a gulp of it. His eyes met Buffy's over the rim of the glass who wore a 'you can't fool me,' look on her face and he sighed. “Okay, okay.. Me.. and Quin tried a death shhtick between us when we were fifteen but it was ... experimental.”

“Obi-Wan!” She rolled her eyes at him and tutted. “I should've guessed Quin would have something to do with it! What is it with you two? It's like you get together and compete for the Goof of the Year Competition!”

He shrugged, simply started fiddling with his glass and wondered if they went back to the dance floor she'd insist on doing the mating dance again. His legs were a bit wobbly so maybe he should sit here for a bit longer but he didn't want to miss out on dancing

“Do you want to go dance again?” he asked. On the periphery of his vision he became aware Jango Fett was still watching Buffy and the bounty hunter's interest in her made his hackles rise. Turning his head carefully so as not to alert him, the Jedi picked up the highly skilled way the man negotiated his way through the crowd, using them to provide cover for his movements yet keeping his target in view. The Force was telling him to be mindful of him but from this distance it didn't explain him why Buffy held the man's interest so much. Was it professional or pleasure? He was too far away to pick up on the man's emotions so had no idea if hate or lust was coming from him. Either way... it almost felt as if he was coldly hunting her...

“Why did you run off before?” Buffy asked out the blue and pouting.

Obi-Wan pulled his attention way from the bounty hunter and focused instead on Buffy. He waved the now empty glass at her with one hand and leaned back against the bar counter to stop himself from loosing his balance.

“You know why,” he replied, and raised an eyebrow at her. “You were doing a... a mating dance to me.. you did it on purpose.” He pulled a pout of his own at her. “Jedi boy not Sith boy. You know I'm not allowed any. Came for a drink.” He looked down at his empty glass morosely and added, “Sith boys have more fun.”

“Oops, sorry about that,” Buffy lowered her eyes and looked at him from under her lashes. Maybe she'd pushed things too far seeing he was a monk and not used to seeing things like that, let alone having them done to him. Still, she'd got to see the pink sparkles before he'd decided his monkhood had been offended and he'd run away to wallow in strong alcohol. She gave him a half smile, the one Willow always thought had a positive effect on the guys. “I might have got a bit carried away with the dancing. You're way better looking that Ewan McGregor, and I liked how you danced. Most guys aren't into the dancing like you are.”

Obi-Wan beamed back at her, and she inwardly smiled as a few stray pink sparkles radiated from him at her praise.

“I like dancing!” he replied excitedly. “Was Ewan McGregor one of your demon boyfriends? I'm glad I'm better looking than he is. We can have another drink and go dance again...” he turned around on his seat too quickly, wavered, grabbed for the bar, missed and fell off his stool once more. He sat there on the floor smiling happily, looking up at her saying, “It's nice down here, I have a good view.”

Buffy noticing the attention from the gathered crowd of aliens around the bar, sighed. “No more drinks! I've never seen you get like this Obi-Wan, and its a bit worrying.” Pulling the drunk Jedi to his feet, she pushed him back on his stool. “Andrew wants to stay with his friend and do the gambling so I get to take you home. Honestly, you're worse than me when I turned cave girl.”

Feeling the prickles on the back of her neck, Buffy turned and spotted the dark haired guy, Jay, watching her. She'd known he'd been watching her earlier, long before he'd made a move on her and as he was cute and definitely human she gave him a farewell wave. Putting her arm around Obi-Wan she pulled him to his feet. She expected him to resist her attempt to take him home so was rather surprised when he slid his arm around her waist, pressing her close against his side and walked willingly from the club with her.

Intent on making their way through the packed crowds of club goers Buffy didn't notice Obi-Wan look over her shoulder to where Jango Fett was still intently watching them, nor did she noticed the unJedi-like smirk Obi-Wan gave the scowling bounty hunter, as they left the club together.


	78. The Facts of Life According To Count Dooku

Obi-Wan held Buffy against his side as they navigated their way through the crowds of aliens and humans outside the Outlander Club. When they'd walked a good distance from the Club, and Obi-Wan was sure the bounty hunter hadn't followed them, he pulled himself free of Buffy's supporting arm. Staggering sideways as he did so, almost falling into a group of small blue feathered aliens who made angry bird-like noises at him as they scattered.

Ignoring the insults being thrown at him, he swayed on his feet saying, “I don't want to go home yet, let's go to another club.” He pushed his hair from out his eyes and gave Buffy a wide smile. “We could have another drink as you stole my last one and I want to dance as it feels good. You can do your mating dance again and I promise not to run off this time. I can control myself now.”

Buffy snorted, grabbed his arm and gave him a push. “There's no more drinking or dancing allowed.”

Remembering what Andrew told him he pouted down at her. “Is it because I'm Xander-shaped?

She came to a halt at his words, watching a group of uniformed guards walk past her and enter one of the brightly lit bar entrances, before turning her head to look at him. “Andrew told you what Xander-shaped means, huh?”

At his nod she looked him over thoughtfully. He was her bossy, nerdy friend who drove her nuts but he was also cute, had some mean fighting moves and kept producing those pink sparkles that gave her slayer senses a very pleasant tingle. Of course he was a monk and, pink sparkly tingles or not, that should make him off-limits. Not that being off-limits ever stopped her in the past when she set her mind on something or someone.

“You aren't Xander-shaped.” she replied softly, waiting for his reaction and for him to make a move.

His face lit up at her answer. “Good, that means we can go to another club.” He tugged at her arm intending to steer her towards one of the nicer clubs he knew in the area, causing her to sigh in frustration at the Jedi. Tutting, she dragged him along to where he'd parked her speeder.

Pushing Obi-Wan against the TX-11, Buffy looked at him, expecting him to produce the key. He stared back at her with a bleary expression.

“The key Ubi! You got the starter key? I'll drive us back.”

“No, I'll drive,” said Obi-Wan, holding on to the door with one hand to stop himself from falling over. He knew his legs might be a bit wobbly but his head was clearing fast.

“Absolutely not! You can't be doing the drinking and the driving, that's bad. I'll drive...”

“My drunk driving is better than yours sober,” The smirk he gave her reminded her of Spike, except this guy beat the vampire hands down for smirking.

“Huh, no chance! Give me the key now!” Of course he ignored her, as if she'd give in and let him drive the state he was in. He was one stubborn guy and liked getting his own way as much as she did. Stepping closer to him, she grabbed his coat and began searching each of his pockets trying to find the speeder key. She could have sworn she'd seen him slip the piece of plastic into his inside coat pocket but it wasn't there.

“Obi-Wan, what have you done with my speeder key? Have you lost it?” Buffy, having felt through all his coat pockets, was eyeing him trying to work out where he could have stashed the key.

He grinned at her once more and tapped his nose. That drunken grin was starting to drive her mad. Frowning, she pressed him up against the speeder, and with one hand on his chest to stop him falling, pushed her fingers down into his front trouser pocket.

Obi-Wan's grin vanished. His eyes became very wide as he realized exactly where Buffy's probing fingers were attempting to explore. Grabbing at her hand he wagged a finger in her face. “No Buffy! That's very naughty! A Jedi isn't allowed any, and you're definitely not allowed any of mine.”

“Ugh! I'm only looking for the key,” huffed Buffy. She put on a good show of glaring at him, her hands on her hips, although she was fighting not to laugh at the affronted look on his face.

Obi-Wan's confidence reappeared once she was no longer trying to explore the contents of his trousers. He leaned back against the speeder, folded his arms and raised a knowing eyebrow. “Yes, that's what all girls say when they try to get in my trousers.”

For a moment her jaw dropped, then she laughed. “Oh yeah? Who? Dish the dirt, I need to know more about these other girls.”

He gave her a smug look, pulled the key from his front trouser pocket and climbed in the speeder. By the time Buffy reached the drivers side he was already unconscious in the passenger seat, his neck bent at an odd angle and head pressed against the door. Thinking to herself at least he wouldn't be able to complain about her driving, she pulled him into a more comfortable position and took off for the Temple.

...  
Back at the Temple, Buffy used her sneakiest slayer abilities (ones that would freak Yodel out if he'd seen her) to slide a quiet Obi-Wan past the Temple Guardians who roamed the corridors. After a scary moment, when he'd tried to get out the elevator on the wrong floor and almost gotten caught by Nick Fury, she finally got him to the right level. As she propped him against his doorway and pressed the 1-1-1-1 code to open his door she let out a relieved sigh.

Obi-Wan must have heard her as he came to life, looking first at the familiar doorway and then at her questioningly. “Are you going to come into my bedroom and... and try to seduce me?”

Buffy blinked at the question, taking in the expression on his face and noticed it was part eager, with an undercurrent of apprehensive.

“I bet the Sith boys are all trained in it,” he pulled a face, “the most we Jedi get is a file on anatomy as we aren't allowed any.”

Buffy couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She'd no idea how much he'd drunk but he was going to feel terrible in the morning especially if he remembered this conversation, and if he claimed he didn't she was sure to remind him.

Shaking her head at him, she said, “Honestly Obi-Wan, as if I'd take advantage of you in your state. Not that you'd be any use to me as you wouldn't be...”

“Miss Summers!” Count Dooku's voice rang out from the bottom of the corridor. “Do you need assistance?”

Buffy groaned slightly, and rolled her eyes. Trust the Count to turn up on one of his midnight patrols. Leaving Obi-Wan propped up against the wall she turned in the Count's direction and waved. “We're good, Count. I'm putting Obi-Wan back into his apartment and then I'm going to mine.”

Obi-Wan on hearing the older man's voice immediately did his best to sober up and stand straight, but without either Buffy, or the wall for support, only succeeded in sliding into a heap on the floor.  
As a giggling Buffy began trying to hoist him up, Obi-Wan made a concentrated effort to stay where he was.

“ I shall sleep here tonight,” he announced, he gave the patterned tiles a loving stroke. “Nice floor, never knew it was so comfy.”

“You can't do that! Yodel will say it looks untidy having drunk bodies littering the Temple corridors,” Still giggling, Buffy went to lift him again but was beaten to it by Count Dooku who grabbed his right arm and roughly dragged him to his feet.

“ I shall see to Kenobi from here, Miss Summers. There is no need to trouble yourself further.” The Count gave her a polite, “Goodnight,” and without waiting for a reply dragged the young knight into the apartment and shut the door.

“You must remember your position as a Jedi Knight! Even when undercover a Jedi should never drink to excess!” Count Dooku roughly threw the younger man onto the bed and loomed menacingly over him. He snarled, “The reek of strong alcohol hit me as soon as I got out the elevator. I am disgusted with you and ashamed that my own padawan Qui-Gon Jinn failed to teach you such behaviour is an utter disgrace!”

He glared at Obi-Wan fighting the urge to Force Slam him hard against the wall. The only thing stopping him was knowing hurting Kenobi would upset his apprentice. For some odd reason she'd a misplaced loyalty for the knight, and he'd no wish to hurt her.

The Count took a deep breath, allowing his anger to dissipate into the Force before continuing in a more moderate tone. “Your condition not only puts my apprentice under unnecessary stress but also in danger. I hardly think Andrew Wells, wherever he's vanished to, would be able to put up a spirited opposition to a Vampire attack. Have you also forgotten her recent kidnapping? Miss Summers is relying on yourself for back up, yet clearly you are more a liability than an asset in this condition. If I ever see this disregard for my apprentice's safety again I shall speak to the Council regarding your suitability of continuing to protect her, and suggest they find someone more fitting to the task.”

Obi-Wan winced at the tongue lashing. There could be nothing more sobering than having the formidable Count ringing a lecture over your head, not to mention the threat of disclosing his drunkenness to the High Council. “I'll apologize to Buffy in the morning. It won't happen again, Count.”

He began to pull off his boots, tossing them onto the floor rather than placing them in careful alignment next to the door as he normally did. Lying with his arms behind his head and his gaze on the ceiling he decided to make a full confession to the older Knight.

“ I don't know how to behave around girls.”

The Count curled his upper lip in distaste. “I have noticed.”

Lost in his own thoughts Obi-Wan continued, “I.. there was a girl...a beautiful, crazy girl who broke into my bedroom one night. I told her a Jedi wasn't allowed any. Ever since then what could have been haunts my nights and days...”

Dooku watched him from his place by the door for a long moment, before finally tutting and shaking his head. “Really Obi-Wan Kenobi, you disappoint me. I'd heard such good things about your skills from Qui-Gon, yet it seems you haven't the slightest idea about young ladies. Has no one explained the facts of life to you? If a young lady takes the initiative to break into a Jedi's bedroom then he should look upon it as his Jedi duty to be of service to her in any way he is able. “

Obi-Wan sat up, open-mouthed. “What?!”

A small condescending smile appeared on the Count's face at the young man's surprise. “Qui-Gon should have explained all this to you, as I did to him when he was my padawan. Having watched you at close quarters recently I suspect he didn't as you're... well.. uptight, overly officious, pedantic, boring...” The Count waved a dismissive hand at him and gave a little sniff of disdain. “Definitely what my apprentice likes to call a Nerd. Now, since that type of personality puts off most normal, sane females, Qui-Gon Jinn obviously thought the situation would never arise with you, and hence, no need to tell you.”

Count Dooku gave a dark little chuckle at the younger knight's expense. “ I digress... If a young lady, knowing you are a Jedi, desperately requires your assistance in that area, you should do your utmost to assist her. It isn't as if you are forming an emotional attachment, after all. She knows you are Jedi, you know you are Jedi, it goes no further and you are both free to continue with your lives in the morning. I'm sorry to have to tell you this Obi-Wan but in your case it's highly unlikely the situation will occur ever again. ”

Obi-Wan lay back onto his bed. “What would it mean if, despite her being crazy, I wanted to keep her?”

“Then you're not a proper Jedi and have no business being a knight.” Count Dooku shook his head at the idiocy of the younger man. As he turned to leave a terrible thought occurred to him. “Do I know this young lady?”

Intending to interrogate the younger man further he was met by the sight of Obi-Wan curled up on his side with his eyes shut tight and his mouth open, snoring. Curling his lip at the young Jedi, the Count walked out of Obi-Wan's apartment and stood in the corridor for a moment, thoughtfully looking at Buffy's door. Then he walked off into the night, his long dark cape swishing out behind him as he turned the corner and continued his nightly stroll through the Temple corridors.

…..........


	79. Confliction

Despite the previous night's excesses, Obi-Wan woke very early the following morning. He made his way to one of the Temple's deep meditation chambers and, after a couple of hours of solid meditation, managed to clear his hang-over and regain his balance in the Force. His usual Jedi serenity was proving much more elusive to regain. No matter from what angle he viewed the situation he knew he'd allowed himself to become emotionally attached and wasn't sure of the best way to deal with it.

Should he seek advice from Qui-Gon as he'd always done before? It was his first thought but he hesitated. He was a knight now, no longer a padawan seeking his Master's guidance on a simple problem. Could he ask for advice from a more experienced knight? There was one he'd worked closely with, especially over the past few months.

The formidable Count Dooku.

Even before their interaction the previous night Obi-Wan would have hesitated in approaching the renown man. To do so now and confess to having developed a forbidden attachment to the man's lightsaber apprentice made him wince at the thought. The Count was highly protective over Buffy, believing even the rich and powerful Palpatine wasn't good enough for her, never mind a penniless Jedi who should not have that kind of feeling.

Obi-Wan, therefore, found himself falling back on his Jedi training of careful assessment of every situation. Was his emotional state blinding him to more pressing questions? Could he be focusing too much on what he could not do, rather than what he could? Hadn't his old master always told him to concentrate on the Living Force, the here and the now, rather than worrying about the future?

Buffy had already been kidnapped once before, and now a well-known bounty hunter had taken great interest in her at the Outlander Club. Why? Jango Fett was a hardened bounty hunter who'd willingly take on any target, including Jedi, for the right money. He was also young, male and would no doubt find Buffy attractive. What motivated the man the most? Her face or financial reward? If for a reward, how did the bounty hunter know where she'd be? It wasn't a regular haunt of hers, which meant he'd either followed them from the Jedi Temple or he'd previously planted a locator device on her speeder.

With all those questions in mind, he decided to put excess energy into productive use and investigate Buffy's speeder in the hope of gaining answers. As he lay beneath the machine surrounded by tools, he took his time, checking the machine over and looking for any suspicious components or additions that had no place on a TX-11. After a while he zoned out, his mind occupied with the task at hand until he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

“Is that my old friend Obi-Wan with his head exploring the innards of a speeder?” asked Quinlan Vos.

Obi Wan looked around and seeing his friends boots next to the speeder slid out from under the machine. He grinned at seeing Quin back once again at the Jedi Temple.

“You're back! In one piece too, and from the smile on your face it must have been a successful mission. Oh, and in good time to do me a little favor too,”

Quin gave a theatrical groan. “I should have known to walk past you without saying anything! You haven't brought me gifts from a Sith tomb have you?” He gave Obi-Wan a sly look. “Although if I remember rightly I did find more of your thoughts than anything from that lever and very entertaining ones they were too...”

“That's because you live such a boring life Quin, you need to rely on me for all your fun and excitement.”

“Ha, ha, not every Jedi has their mind full of escaping fireballs and slaying zombies with small, ferocious blonde girls. Talking of which, has Buffy gone back to her own dimension yet?” Quin leaned back against the speeder before suddenly realizing what it was he was leaning on. Stepping back and turning to gaze at the sleek black machine in wide-eyed admiration.

“Whoa! Who owns this TX-11? Surely its not the Temples? If so I want to drive it!” Quin let out a low whistle. “It looks like the newest model too... What are you doing dismantling it? Is the owner going to be annoyed or are you on a new mission?”

“It's Buffy's or should I say our new Lord Vader's since the Senate gave her that title along with the speeder. And no she doesn't know I've been dismantling it, although I'm sure she won't mind as long as I put it back together again,” he replied and couldn't resist smugly adding. “She even lets me drive it.”

Quin was leaning into the speeder now, examining the control layout and the high-quality finish of the powerful machine. He muttered something about Obi-Wan, 'having all the luck,' and Obi Wan grinned before explaining what he was looking for.

“I've been searching for something that has no business being there and sadly I've found it. Buffy was kidnapped a while ago and overheard the kidnappers mention a 'He' who was going to pay for her but we never found out who that person was. Then last night while we were demon hunting in the Outlander Club...” Quin raised an eyebrow and gave him a knowing grin. “No, honestly, we were meeting a contact and hunting for demons in there...”

“If you tell me you didn't dance with Buffy I won't believe you. Even you wouldn't turn your nose up at that opportunity.” Quin folded his arms and leaned against the speeder. He'd spent many nights with Obi-Wan in the Outlander club and knew he'd not be able to resist the lure of dancing.

Obi-Wan noticed how Quin used the words 'even you' and reddened. A conversation with Quin about him being a nerd and Buffy's dancing was not where he wanted to go right now. He'd an uneasy feeling that removing himself from her vicinity was the only option open to him as a Jedi, but the Force was whispering to him she needed him here.

“Yes, there was dancing going on but never mind our dancing,” he confessed, knowing Quin would keep up that line of questioning until he admitted everything. “The important fact is at the club Buffy attracted the attention of a notorious bounty hunter whose interest in her came across as... intense. I want to know why. So far I've found two trackers on her speeder besides the standard issue manufacturers, and the Jedi Temple's tracker which, as you know, is fitted to all the crafts in their hangars.” He gestured to the floor where two flat devices lay. “Can you pick anything up off them. Besides me that is...”

Quin noticed with interest that his friend had become pink again, meaning this use of his retrocognition talent was going to produce some interesting Obi-Wan memories. Maybe next time his friend would learn to wear gloves when handling any object before handing it to him. He looked down at the two trackers on the floor.

“One looks quite high tec and the other is more basic,” he remarked, looking at the two small devices Obi-Wan had taken off the speeder.

“Yes, I thought the same. I wondered at first if one had failed and so a second one was added but both seem to be emitting a signal. The speeder was a gift from the Republic to Buffy. However, we all suspect Chancellor Palpatine engineered the gift since he's quite besotted with her. It would not surprise me in the least if the man had a tracker installed as I'm sure he'd be interested in her movements whenever she left the Temple.”

“Hmm, it does look like something the Republic would use on their official transports. I can tell you now the other is sold on many different planets; planetary range, cheap, and does the job,” said Quin. “I've come across similar once on a mission with my master. You'll not find much about that unless I pick something up from whoever installed it.”

Picking up the cheaper tracker thoughtfully, the tall Kiffar walked off to find a quieter place inside hanger to use his skill.

While his friend was busy concentrating on his task, Obi-Wan slipped back under the speeder and started to reassembling the parts he'd removed in his search. The new problem of who'd ordered Buffy's kidnapping and possibly set a hardened bounty hunter onto her playing on his mind. He owed it to her, himself and his mission to the Council to protect her. There would be no walking away from her now, even if he wanted to.

.......

A short while after Quinlan left, Obi-Wan had zoned out once more as he'd become engrossed in rebuilding the speeder when someone, completely out the blue, kicked at his legs and screeched, “Oi! What you doing to that speeder!”

He jumped, cracking his forehead on the machine's undercarriage. That was going to leave an ugly egg shaped bruise, and he was lucky he didn't have concussion as he'd jumped so high. He slid from under the speeder and met Buffy's rueful expression.

“Oh sorry, Ubi. I didn't know it was you under there.” Buffy gave him an apologetic smile. “I realized I'd left my favourite lipstick inside the speeder, and when I came up to get it, I just saw the legs.”

“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” He touched his forehead and checked his fingers to see if there was any blood. It appeared he hadn't broken the skin which was lucky, he already had one scar over his eye due to Buffy and didn't need any more facial scars.

Buffy took in his pale face, the dark shadows under his eyes and the red lump rapidly growing on his forehead. “Yeah, you don't look so good,” she said with the smugness of someone who hadn't drowned themselves in alcohol to someone who had.

She reached out to touch his forehead and Obi-Wan recoiled away from her, her causing her to raise an eyebrow at his reaction.

“Did you have a bad night?” she asked innocently. “You didn't drink too much, did you? Start asking innocent girls if they'd like to come into your bedroom and seduce you? Not to mention hiding the key in your trouser pocket and then accusing them of trying to get at your...”

“No!” squeaked Obi-Wan in panic, shaking his head in denial at the same time. Aware his voice had become high pitched he coughed, before continuing in a more normal voice. “I don't remember anything like that happening at all.” Without thinking, he waved his hand to implant a suggestion in her mind. “You don't remember anything like that either.”

“Oh don't worry, cos I do,” Buffy relentlessly continued, with a gleeful expression and spark of mischief in her eyes as she registered the hand-wave. “ I knew you'd pretend to have forgotten but some of us didn't drink as much as you did and remember all sorts of things...

“What sorts of things are those?” asked Quin, coming up behind them a wide smile stretched across his face.

“Mr Gold Stripe!” Buffy squealed before throwing herself at him.

Quinlan Vos caught the small blonde slayer easily, swinging her around and hugging her to him. He found himself secretly pleased at the way she bounced up and down with pleasure at seeing him, his return to the Temple never usually created this much excitement amongst his friends. Normally they groaned and said trouble and mayhem were returning to their peaceful existence.

“Quin! You're back, how long are you here for? We're going demon hunting in the lower levels, wanna come with?”

Quin looked thoughtful as if considering and weighing up the possibility. “Er, let me see... After the last time, I went demon hunting with you? The time when my mind was taken over by evil Sith Mages who wanted to torture me continually until I begged for death. Oh, and I nearly forgot the important bit, I was going to die from extreme blood loss. Do you really think I'd want to repeat that experience?”

“Oh great, you're in then,” Buffy gave him a cheerful grin. She'd rather have Quin than Andrew going down to the dodgy levels with her. Andrew was bound to fall in some radioactive goop or cause something weird to happen as he had with the green idol in the Sith Tomb. Maybe she should find him a babysitter for the evening or ask him to give her Darth Vader helmet a good polish to keep him occupied.

She looked from Obi-Wan, who was watching her narrowly, to Quin who was holding what looked like a machine part in his hand, “So are you guys gonna tell me why I've found you happily ripping parts off my speeder?”

Obi-Wan replied in a cold formal voice. “It occurred to me after your encounter last night with a bounty hunter that..”

“Huh? What Bounty Hunter?”

“Andrew told me that the dark-haired human man you chose to dance with is a notorious bounty hunter.”

Buffy wrinkled her nose trying to think who he meant. “Do you mean the guy from Australia or maybe New Zealand? Said his name was Jay? You sure he's a bounty hunter? He told me he was with The Jangly Feet and I thought he was a professional dancer with a group at the club?”

Obi-Wan shook his head solemnly. “It seems he lied to you in regards to his profession. In this case, Andrew is correct and he is indeed a bounty hunter. Have you any idea how Andrew would even know that? I had to dig deep into the Archive files to get the information and even then it was very sketchy.”

Buffy quickly shrugged, falling back on the usual 'deny all knowledge and admit nothing' approach when asked awkward questions. “I don't know. It was probably a video on YouTube. He's always been a mine of useless knowledge has Andrew.”

“Well, in this case, his information is not useless. My own research confirms the man is a bounty hunter and I believe he is either a Mandalorian or has very close allegiances to them. I would like to speak to this Jango Fett and question him further regarding his... is something wrong Buffy?” Hyper aware of her he'd noticed the slight widening of her eyes at the bounty hunter's name.

“Er, no. I'm a bit surprised about his name,” Buffy stared evasively at her speeder rather than Obi-Wan. They didn't have a mind-bendy bond but he wasn't that easy to lie to, and she felt guilty when she had to lie to him.

Most of her Star Wars knowledge came from Andrew rather than watching the movies. Half the time they'd been playing she'd been busy doing something else, and the rest of the time she hadn't got a clue who was who and what was going on in them. That name though. Yeah, she remembered it. She could remember fixing something to eat and talking on the phone in the kitchen when Andrew had begun shouting at the tv, getting all excited as a Jango Fett guy and his Mini-Me were trying to kill Obi-Wan in the rain. She hadn't even bothered looking, only yelled at Andrew to shut up and carried on with what she was doing.

Still... there was an unwritten rule, no one touched The Slayer's boyfriend. Or whatever the hell Obi-Wan was. Her eyes flicked over him, taking in his troubled eyes with the dark shadows under them from lack of sleep, a red lump on his forehead where he'd banged it, the smear of oil next to his mouth that she was dying to kiss again, and she still thought he looked cute... So that rule held where Obi-Wan was concerned. No one threatened her 'pink sparkle producing more-than-a-friend monk,' and got away with it.

“Do you think he was after me?” She hesitated, before asking delicately, “Or was he after killing you, Obi-Wan?” Both men appeared surprised she'd even consider Obi-Wan to be the target so maybe she hadn't asked delicately enough.

“Me?” asked Obi-Wan, his brow creasing in consternation. “Why the blazes would I be on his hit list?”

“Umm, in case you found him and asked him too many questions?” Buffy winced, better change the subject. “So you think I was his target? If so, why did he not try with the assassinating there and then?”

Quin interrupted, “That's obvious. Buffy, he wanted to gain your trust and either persuade you to leave the nightclub with him or arrange a meeting where he could take you out at a convenient time, and place for him.”

Obi-Wan slowly nodded and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “ I agree, much easier to kidnap or kill you at close range and at his convenience. I believe he used a tracker to follow your speeder, Buffy. That's why I was under there when you surprised me. I've found four of them..”

“Four!”

Obi-Wan quickly explained how one was fitted by the manufacturer, another by the Temple, possibly one by the Senate (either at Sid's sly request or officially) and the fourth mystery device which Quin had been examining to see if he could pick up an imprint of the owner.

“Ah, well I picked up several of your memories again, Obi-Wan.” Quinlan grinned at the panic on his friend's face but decided not to tease him in front of Buffy. When he'd found him under her speeder he'd looked unhappy and all the memories he'd picked up were to do with some sort of conflict between the pair of them. “I also found something very interesting. I think this was fitted by someone from Naboo as the place featured heavily in the memories left there.” he gave the pair a long look. “You were both there during the conflict,?” At Obi-Wan's nod, he continued, “ There were battle memories, nothing firm, simply battling droids but there was also something else... Underground caverns and a word I've come across before... Resurrection.”

“RESURRECTION!” Screeched Buffy. When a couple of Jedi at the other side of the hangar stopped and stared over at her she lowered her voice. “That's what you got off the lever from the Sith Tomb.” She gave the eavesdropping Jedi a Slayer Dark Force glare until both looked away and quickly walked out the speeder hangar.

Quin nodded, while Obi-Wan stared at the ground lost in thought, rubbing his chin and upper lip as he mulled over several different theories.

“I think we need a meeting of the Scoobies,” Buffy said. “What about we meet up in say an hour? That will give me time to find the Count and Andrew?” At Obi-Wan's nod, she looked at Quin. “You doing anything later Quin?”

The Kiffar seemed surprised at the invite. “Am I a Scooby now Buffy?” he asked. He'd been on the mission with her to investigate the Sith Tomb but he wasn't sure if Mace Windu had asked for him to be included to make up the numbers.

Buffy stood on tiptoe and touched the gold facial tattoo that ran across his face with her forefinger. “You bet your gold tattoo you are!” She smiled up at him and watched him grin back at her, happy to be included in her Jedi-Scooby club.

“Are we meeting at your apartment, Buffy?” Obi-Wan asked coldly, breaking the couple's closeness.

Buffy thought for a moment. “Oh, no. Scooby meetings are traditionally held in the library and that's where we'll meet. I'll grab Andrew and Dooku, Obi-Wan you can bring the drinks and Xander... I mean Quinlan, can bring us snacks.” She spun and pointed at Obi-Wan, who was obviously going to start panicking about the librarian Jocasta Nu and wondering if it was unhygienic to take food into the library. “No it's not unhygienic, and I'll deal with Mop Head if she causes trouble.”

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise, they had no Force bond that he knew of… yet how the Force did she know what he was going to say? Both Jedi watched her walk from the hangar before Obi-Wan dropped back down onto the floor, preparing to go under Buffy's speeder once more.

“You know, I think Buffy has a thing for me,” Quin leaned against the TX-11, looking down at his friend with a self-satisfied smirk. “She's definitely interested in me and not just as a Jedi. Did you see how her eyes lit up and the way she threw herself into my arms when she first saw me? She wants my company on her demon hunts and now wants me to be part of her Scooby gang. Maybe the Council will let me work alongside her full time if this works out.”

Not getting any reaction from Obi-Wan, he pushed it further. “It's the gold tattoos, I've noticed before the girls find them irresistible and Buffy is no exception. I often think how much fun I could have if I wasn't a Jedi, they'd be throwing themselves at my feet. As you saw yourself Buffy threw herself onto me and didn't want to let go.”

Knowing how territorial Obi-Wan had been last time around Buffy, the sight of a wide grin splitting his friends face had Quin confused. “What's so funny?”

For a moment he thought Obi-Wan wasn't going to answer him but it seemed he couldn't resist sharing. “She called you Xander.”

“Yeah, so?”

“That means she thinks you're Xander-Shaped.”

With that cryptic remark, Obi-Wan slipped back under the speeder with a smug grin and refused to answer him, no matter how many time Quin asked him what for Force sake being Xander-Shaped was all about.


	80. Scooby Meeting

Buffy was running late for her own Scooby meeting which was not going to down well with her new gang, The Jedi Scoobies. Both Obi-Wan and the Count were sticklers for being on time, most likely Ubi would be having a panic attack and Count D would be grinding his teeth in frustration. She'd no idea what Quin would do, maybe take a nap? She'd heard he'd often been found asleep in the library by Mophead in the past.

This time being late was not her fault. After letting the Count and Andrew know of the meeting she'd gone back to her apartment, changed her outfit, done her nails and still been on time for the meeting. She was on her way down to the Archives when Nick Fury accosted her in one of the corridors and dragged her off to the Jedi Council Meeting Chamber in the Tower of Doom.

There she met an almost life size blue holocron image of Chancellor Palpatine making pleasant chit-chat to Yodel.

“Approaching now, she is,” pronounced Yodel, as if he was giving a dire prediction of impending disaster.

Hi Yodel,” she called out to annoy him. Considering he was a favourite with Star Wars fans he wasn't very polite - at least not with her. If he saw her in the corridors he dropped his ears and virtually growled, which was like having a mean, green chihuahua frog as your enemy. She kept thinking he might jump off his flying lid, run at her and bite her ankles.

“Greetings Slayer,” Yodel gave her a slanted smile, before resting his eyes on the Sith lightsaber hanging off her belt.

“Lord Vader! Buffy!” called out Hologram Sid, and waved pleasantly. She waved back, she was polite like that even if she knew he was a Sith and trying to lure her to the dark side of his bed.

“Did you enjoy the piece on CNN and my interview?” Sid asked with a happy smile. “ I steered the reporter away from your slaying activities after you said you preferred that part of your life kept under wraps. I 'suggested'...” Sid gave her a little conspiratorial grin, “...he ran with the romance between us. There's nothing the paparazzi and public love more than a bit of juicy gossip, they'll talk about it for weeks and weeks. Did you see the part about your underwear? I thought getting the shop assistant involved was a nice touch.”

Buffy tried to keep the horror out of her voice. “I saw it. I kinda don't like any publicity though, especially when it involves my underwear. I keep getting funny looks when I go out.”

“Hmm, I didn't think of that.” Sid tilted his head, giving her a dark hooded look. He then muttered, as if thinking out aloud, “I don't like the thought of other men wondering about my Vader's erotic underwear. I find I dislike it immensely in fact.”

Behind her she hear Nick Fury making choking noise and was aware Yodel's ears were flapping up and down in stress at the underwear discussion. Feeling on the stressed side herself she changed the subject.

“So Sid, how was the Senate today?”

Sid rolled his eyes and tutted with frustration. “Honestly Buffy, I could do with letting loose a vampire in there, it might wake them up or shut them down, one or the other.”

“I've no idea how you cope with them bickering all day long. I'd have to slay them,” Buffy grinned. She couldn't resist. Knowing Yodel was staring at her thinking she was Sith while Palpatine stood, with a red lightsaber up his sleeve, looking like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. She might have pushed it too far though, as now Sid was gazing at her with a faraway expression as if living out a private fantasy.

After a moment he gave himself a visible shake. “Umm, yes. I occasionally get that urge but I'm far too nice for my own good.” He gave Yodel a quick sidelong look (he was blatantly listening in to their conversation). “Buffy, I wanted to ask you to the opera tonight as I'll be there officially and I have urgent information regarding your safety.”

“Well, I was going out demon hunting with the Scoobies...”

“This can't wait, Buffy. I don't want to say anything over this link as I am not sure how secure it could be.”

And so she'd ended up agreeing to meet him at the Opera House later that evening, which was not going to go down well with Dooku or Obi-Wan, especially when she told them they weren't invited into the Supreme Chancellors box and would have to wait outside.

….....

Buffy turned down the corridor that led to the library and spotted Obi-Wan pacing about outside. She couldn't help wondering if the evil librarian had thrown him out for taking drinks in there. Obi-Wan would be upset, although she thought it would do him good to break a few rules. And she knew which rules she'd like him to break first.

“What's the sitch?”

“Thank the Force I managed to catch you before you went in there!” Obi-Wan took a quick look into the library as if expecting someone to spring out at them.

“Is NuNu Mophead causing trouble? If she is...”

“No Buffy. It's Anakin Skywalker, he's in there having a class with his tutor. I sought to warn you.” Ubi's concerned blue eyes looked into hers, making her stomach do a little flip-flop. “ He is sitting there looking very bored and we knew if he saw you he'll try to gate crash our meeting, however,” he gave her a little smile, “I had a wonderful idea of smuggling you in without him spotting you.”

“What's this wonderful idea?” Buffy looked at Obi-Wan's smile. It looked a conniving type of smile, of the dark smirk variety.

“Oh, it's very simple. I shall lend you my robe, you put the hood up and I shall sneak you in.”

Buffy rolled her eyes, talk about trapped between a rock and hard place.

“Brown is SO not my colour,” Buffy complained as Obi-Wan fastened his robe around her.

“Yes you have mentioned it... once or a hundred times in the last few minutes. I really don't see what the problem is. The Temple is full of people wearing a similar type of robe and this is a simple way to stop Anakin from identifying you and thus coming over to harass you.”

Buffy could see he was smirking as he pulled the hood over her head completely obscuring her vision, and started to carefully fold back the sleeves so she wasn't swamped. Although he wasn't the tallest guy he was taller than her and as he'd a tendency to wear his robe two sizes too big, rolling the sleeves up didn't do much to improve the swamped look.

“What, you want me to walk in blind now?” she pushed back the hood so it still hid most of her face but left her able to see. She peered at him curiously, noting the odd look in his eyes. “You know, I think you might have some kinda fetish for me wearing your clothes.”

He chuckled, a bright gleam of mischief clearly visible as he looked her up and down. “I must admit it intrigues me to see you as a Jedi.”

She snorted, as if that would ever happen. “I would have been thrown out for rule breakages long before now. If you think I'll wake up one day and conform to the Jedi Order, start bowing to Yodel...”

“Indeed not,” a wisp of sadness cross his face. “ Which reminds me. I owe you an apology for my behaviour last night. I behaved as a Jedi should not - in many ways- thus putting you in grave danger.”

“Oh.” Had he been told off for not conforming to some Jedi rule-age about getting drunk? The Count had become annoyed with him last night. She seen it in the way he'd grabbed Ubi's arm and roughly dragged him off.

“Did the Count give you a hard time for the drunkenness?” she asked, and he nodded in reply. She felt sorry for him. It seemed every time he tried having fun one of the older Jedi came along and belittled him. The kill-joys. They were worse than the Old Watcher's Council for rules and Obi-Wan was like Willow used to be, a rule follower not a rule breaker.

“You're not a emotionless droid.” she said firmly. “You shouldn't apologize for being human and wanting to let off steam once in a while.”

“He was right to lecture me on my behaviour. If you'd been attacked by the bounty hunter I would have been a burden to you not an asset...”

Buffy lifted a finger and interrupted him, “I don't want to hear any more about it. Nothing happened. We had a fun evening together, and I'd like to do it again some time soon. Maybe don't get so drunk that I need to carry you into the Temple, it was hard work dragging you past the Temple Guardians without being seen.” She smiled at him as a thought occurred to her. “C'mon let's sneak past Anakin, before Xander, I mean Quin, eats all the snacks.”

Obi-Wan returned the smile, the twinkle back in his eyes at the mention of Xander eating the snacks. “Oh, I need to warn you about Quinlan's snacks. He's brought Anderran bird eggs to eat for some odd reason. I've never known anyone to willingly eat them but him and I'd advise you to give them a wide berth as they are very hot. I tried to eat one once and lost all the skin on the roof on my mouth....”

The two of them walked into the library, sneaking past Anakin who looked at them suspiciously before being told off by his tutor for not keeping his eyes on the screen in front of him, and then up the stairs into one of the private rooms.

Count Dooku gave her an odd look until she took off Obi-Wan's bathrobe and handed it back to him

“Thanks for the loan, but I felt like a freakin' Dementor wearing that.”

“Anakin Skywalker is still in the Archives, I presume?” the Count asked with a grimace. He couldn't see any other reason why Buffy would want to wear Kenobi's robe other than to disguise herself.

Buffy nodded. She felt kind of sorry for the kid, even if he was a nuisance following her round or lingering about on her apartment floor whenever he got the chance. He'd a lot to deal with in the Star Wars world, with being taken from his mom, then Yodel telling him he was too nervous and too old to train. Now he was getting a reputation as a stalker which would be hard for an adult to deal with, never mind an insecure nine year old dealing with his first crush.  
She sat down with Ubi on one side of her and Andrew on the other. Dooku and Quin on the opposite side of the table.

“Sorry I'm late guys,” she said. “The Council guys called me into the airport control tower to listen to a holocron from Sid. Says he's got urgent information and needs to speak to me tonight at the opera house. Refused to say why, claimed it was an insecure link but then Yodel was lingering around with his ears flapping behind me so it could be anything.

Count Dooku and Obi-Wan regarded her with resigned expressions. Neither of them wanted her to have anything to do with Sid but it wasn't as if she could ignore him, plus she wasn't a naive Anakin Skywalker being groomed for Sithy stuff. She knew exactly how bad Sid could get if she didn't find a way to keep out insidious-ing him.

“I shall accompany you to the Opera, Miss Summers,” Dooku was saying. “They might refuse me entrance into the higher circle but I shall wait outside for you with Kenobi.” He gave the younger knight a dirty look. “That is, if he manages to stay sober long enough.”

Obi-Wan flinched, went a bit pink cheeked, but didn't attempt to defend himself.

Buffy rolled her eyes at the byplay between the two men and said, “I called the Scooby meeting as Obi-Wan found trackers on my speeder this morning. Do you want to explain?” she looked at Obi-Wan who nodded.

Rather shame faced Obi-Wan explained how he'd felt it necessary to check Buffy's speeder over after he'd been alerted by Andrew to the bounty hunter dancing with Buffy the previous night.

Andrew grinned, “Yeah, I spotted Jango Fett straight away. He's like famous for killing loads of Jedi with his bare hands and is totally cool with a massive fanbase...” he looked round at the Jedi sat around the table glaring at him and realized his mistake. “He's not gained fans as a Jedi killer! Fans love him as he's the best fighter this galaxy has ever seen, there's no one to draw with him and he was the best tem..” he stopped again. He couldn't say template for the clone army as that hadn't happened, so he shrugged. “I've seen him in action on YouTube, whenever anyone puts clips of him up he gets lots of hits.”

“I wish we had access to this YouTube,” said Quin, popping a birds egg in his mouth he slowly chewed it. He offered them round the table but everyone quickly refused. “From what you've told me it's like the Jedi Archives but with a more inter-dimensional access.”

Buffy nodded. “Yeah, and it's got some great vloggers on there who do nail and make-up tutorials. I like watching those. I can't find anything similar in this dimension and I got Andrew to search for me. He can usually find all the weird stuff.. and the totally normal stuff like make-up tutorials,” she added quickly.

“I've heard of Jango Fett,” Count Dooku said, ignoring the YouTube discussion. If it wasn't available in this dimension he didn't see the sense in wasting time discussing it. His face grew pensive as he remembered the events surrounding his introduction to Jango Fett. A rather dark memory and not a good one for the Jedi Order as a whole.  
“The man is a ferocious and extremely talented fighter, I wish there were more like him... to fight along side us, of course.”

Another line of thought occurred to him and he added, “Then again a droid army such as the Trade Federation's can be just as lethal, especially if properly organized and led by a talented, cunning and charismatic leader.”

To those watching he seemed to blank out for a couple of minutes, before giving himself a mental shake and, seeing Andrew's face gaping at him, turned his attention back onto Obi-Wan.

Resting his piercing dark eyes on the younger knight, an expression of strong disgust on his face, he leaned across the table until he was in Obi-Wan's face and snarled, “Andrew told you this man was a Bounty Hunter and yet you allowed him to annoy Miss Summers? Is your alcohol problem so bad that it consumes all your waking thoughts and the Force no longer alerts you to danger? If all you can think about is when your next drink going to arrive, you should allow the Council to find a replacement for the important task of guarding Miss Summers.”

“He came over when Obi-Wan wasn't with me.” Buffy jumped in before Obi-Wan could reply or receive more abuse. “That's the first time I've seen Obi-Wan touch alcohol and he's put his drug problem behind him now, so there's no need to worry Count. ” She gave Obi-Wan a reassuring smile as he was looking worried again, the telltale crease had appeared between his eyebrows.

“I've never had a drug problem,” Obi-Wan quickly said. “Buffy keeps confusing me with someone else.” Count Dooku's glare had become glacial and he didn't need the older Knight scathing rebuke for a drug addiction he'd never had. It was bad enough the older knight was making constant jibes about his liking for alcohol.

Buffy gave Obi-Wan a long considering look and wrinkled her nose, making him wonder if she was going to come out with something he didn't want to hear. Finally, she came out with one of her cryptic remarks. “Yeah, sorry about that. I keep forgetting you're not Scottish, it must be the red hair...”

A crease of confusion appeared once more between Obi-Wan's eyebrows but he found he didn't dare to ask her to elaborate. Not with the entire group staring at him.

Then she gave him smile and her next words created a warm glow inside him. “I'm happy to have you with me, Obi-Wan. You've been very helpful to me and Andrew.”

Turning her attention back to the Count she continued, “Yeah, as I was saying, this good looking guy came over when I was dancing on my own. He was polite, introduced himself as Jay, and I thought he said he had The Jangly Feet and was part of a professional dance group.” Seeing the Count's expression of disbelief, she explained, “The music was loud and I wasn't listening properly as I was thinking about... other stuff going on at the time. Anyway, he didn't make like an octopus, my Slaydar wasn't being pinged, and as he was tall, dark and very tasty it never occurred to me he might be dangerous.”

“Tasty!” Obi-Wan spluttered. “It's highly likely he intended to lure you into some sort of trap, if not kill you... no matter how 'very tasty' he appeared.”

Obi-Wan's face had a sour expression to it again. Touching the bruise on his forehead he addressed the rest of the table, “As I was saying, whilst investigating Buffy's speeder I found four separate tracking devices. One the manufacturers, one Temple issue and the third one had been officially fitted by the Senate. When I contacted them they confirmed a tracker had been installed, the details apparently had been mislaid instead of being sent over...”

They all agreed it was probably Sid who'd had it installed to keep a devious eye on Buffy and that's why she'd never received the official documentation announcing it's presence.

“So what about mystery tracker?” asked Dooku. He felt uncomfortable at the amount of trackers on his apprentice's speeder, it appeared she was attracting a lot of attention. “Are we to presume it's one of Jango Fett's?”

“What if Jango was attracted to Buffy in a boy meets girl way? It might have been a coincidence him being in that Club. That tracker could have been put there by someone else.” Andrew suggested, folding his arms, his lips turned downwards. He'd no idea if the Mandalorian had Buffy on his kill or capture list but seeing every other Big Bad in the Star Wars galaxy was knocking on her door Jango could easily be looking at her as girlfriend material.

“Then we stick the tracker back on and take the speeder out for a spin, see who turns up,” replied Buffy with a shrug.

Quin put both his elbows on the table and leaned forwards. “I didn't pick anything up from the tracker to suggest a Mandalorian bounty hunter planted it. What I did pick up were strong images of Naboo, random images of fighting droids, underground caverns and the word Resurrection.”

Obi-Wan and Dooku both asked the same question at the same time, “The Gungan underwater cities?”

Quin shrugged “Nothing conclusive. Only whoever planted it had strong ties to that planet, while the underground caverns and the word Resurrection might link them to the Sith Tomb.”

“Could it be Sid? ” Andrew asked. “He's from Naboo, infatuated with Buffy and although I can't see him sneaking around doing it himself, he could have had a second tracker planted by someone from his home planet as insurance in case you removed the Senate one. I wouldn't put it past him having the Sith tomb plundered either.” He exchanged a meaningful look with Buffy, he'd explained the meaning of pyramid shaped holocrons to her and how they were often found in Sith tombs.

Buffy nodded. “I asked Sid if he'd a hand in kidnapping me after I'd slayed the Senate vampire. He got annoyed and said no. Not that he was gonna admit it. I don't think he'd anything to do with putting the vampire in the closet as..” She glanced at Count D, knowing he'd be annoyed if she admitted she'd gone into Sid's bedroom after all his warnings but she couldn't see Sid putting a vamp in the closet as it spoiled his chance of having a quickie with her. “..er it would discredit or endanger him having a vampire jump out at my Lord Vader party.”

Count D wasn't buying it, Buffy could tell but she couldn't admit to the bedroom thing. The Count would be so disappointed in her, he might get the urge to attack Sid in defense of her honor turning his lightsaber red in the process. He was very old fashioned like that. She decided to change the subject. “What we going to do about the drained body they found on the lower level? I thought we were going to check that area out tonight?”

Obi-Wan said it was more important to find out if the bounty hunter was following her and until they discovered that it would be better if she left off the exploring of lower levels until they'd set a trap for whoever planted the tracker.

Buffy thought for a moment before saying. “I'm seeing Sid tonight why not put the tracker back on and you can all follow me in different speeders and see if he turns up?”

The Count nodded. “ A good idea Miss Summers. Andrew can accompany Master Vos and I shall be with Master Kenobi. Try not to drive dangerously, the idea is for you to be followed not to lose the bounty hunter through your highly erratic driving which I have had the misfortune of experiencing first hand.”

Buffy gave him a quick glare and muttered, “Worse than driving Miss Daisy.”

The renown Jedi Knight, however, was not to be intimidated by slayer glares or slurs and instead began to suggest a detailed plan of action for the coming evening.

............................


	81. Anticipation

Andrew bounced up and down on his toes as he followed his new partner Quinlan Vos to the speeder hangar. Tonight he was taking part in a real live stake-out at the Opera House and with any luck Jango Fett would turn up and try to kill Buffy! That Wish he'd made was the best thing he'd ever done! If he'd not made it he'd still be trailing round after slayers, being shouted at, or sitting in his room doing demon research (playing with his friends online), and searching Ebay for cheap action figures. Now his whole existence had changed for the better and he was living out his fantasy in the Star Wars dimension.

Walking in front of him right now was the unflappable Obi-Wan Kenobi and the enigmatic Count Dooku. He could just imagine all the fan envy he'd have if anyone knew where he was. A chance to observe Dooku and Kenobi working together, this was totally the best thing that had ever happened to him. Andrew had seen the films, and watched countless YouTube fanboy videos about the enigmatic Count Dooku. He knew the Sith Lord had a good deal of respect for Qui-Gon's former padawan Obi-Wan, even when he'd captured Kenobi on Geonosis, hung him up in a rotating force field and then thrown him into a gladiatorial arena to die.  
In this dimension, under Buffy's influence, Count Dooku had stopped his descent into Sithdom, yet somehow along the way the Count's respect for Obi-Wan had also disappeared. Andrew suspected it was because he'd come across the younger man drunk in the corridor the night before and now believed Obi-Wan had an ongoing drink problem and was showing far too much interest in his apprentice. That was so Buffy's fault.

As Obi-Wan opened the drivers door he was stopped by the Count's hand on his shoulder. “Do you think your alcohol levels have dropped sufficiently allowing you to drive safely? I don't want to risk my life with an alcoholic in the driving seat.”

Quin came to a stand still in front of Andrew, his dark dread-locked hair spinning around him, both eyebrows raised, as he stared over to Obi-Wan's speeder in the next row.

Obi-Wan quiet reply was inaudible and the Count shrugged, before going round to the passenger seat. As the Count began tucking his cloak around him he called out again in a voice that rang clearly across the hangar. “Will your hands start to shake if you don't get a drink?”

Andrew poked Quinlan in the back to get him to move, “ Don't get involved, Quin. Obi-Wan got upset by Buffy and drank too much last night. The Count found him slumped in the corridor and had to drag him into his apartment as he was gonna sleep on the floor. It was totally not his fault. I know what Slayers are like, especially Buffy and she pushed him into it.”

The Jedi frowned, casting a worried look at his friend, “That's not like Obi-Wan. He's far too self-conscious to act like that.”

“Yeah, I know. I'm telling you it's Buffy, she's not easy to deal with. I've learned that the best way to deal with Slayers is to either keep your head down or provide chocolate, lots of. C'mon.”

The Kiffar Knight hesitated for a moment watching his friend. Since Obi-Wan appeared to be ignoring Dooku's jibes and making ready to take off once Buffy appeared (she was late again), he took Andrew's advice and made his way to their own speeder. Their job was to fly to the Coruscant Opera House, land on a concealed ledge where they'd watch for Buffy's arrival. The Count and Obi-Wan would be following Buffy's speeder at a discreet distance and parking elsewhere.

Once they'd landed on a shadowed ledge opposite the brightly lit Opera House, the tall Kiffar jumped out the speeder and made a quick check of the area. Satisfied with their position he came back to Andrew.

“What do you know of this Jango Fett?” asked Quin, crouching besides the airspeeder and using the shadows cast by the machine and the building to hide him. Andrew noted he'd brought a set of electro-binoculars which he was using to watch the buildings entrance and scan the darkness of the Coruscant night.

Andrew shrugged at the Jedi's question. Buffy would go nuts if he started revealing the plot of Star Wars but he guessed he could explain some of it. “I've seen him mainly on YouTube and maybe in other places.” Best not say the cinema and Buffy's tv. “He's a Mandalorian with all their crazy armour and wicked fighting skills. I've seen vloggers on YouTube say he's got his own moral code but, from what I can make out, it's a case of pay him right and he'll do a professional job and keep his mouth shut.”

“And he's killed many Jedi?”

“Oh yeah, he totally hates them.” said Andrew with a grin. “He's not only killed Jedi with his weapons but with his bare hands too. I'm telling you the guy's got some seriously cool fighting moves that would be hard for a Jedi to beat...” Andrew broke off at Quin's glare. “Umm, he works with a shapeshifter called Zam sometimes. I didn't see her at the club last night so maybe he's here for Buffy on his own. Buffy would make a great Mandalorian, I could see him appreciating her fighting skills and trying to recruit her.”

“You said he could be attracted to her?”

Andrew crouched next to Quin, squinting down towards the entrance since there was only one set of electrobinoculars. “If he isn't going after her for a bounty it wouldn't surprise me if he wants her for his girlfriend, it was like he couldn't take his eyes off her in the club. She's getting a lot of attention off all the wrong people in this dimension.”

“As in...?”

Andrew curled his lip, his attention on the Opera House but thoughts on the evil Sith Lord who almost drooled when he saw Buffy. “Palpatine. Even Buffy doesn't realize how dangerous that guy is, he's the worst of the worst.”

“Why?” Quin turned his attention from the walkway below, to focus entirely on Andrew. “Why is he dangerous, and why is he the worst of the worst?”

Andrew took off guard by the question found himself shifting uncomfortably under the Kiffar's unmoving gaze. “Ummm, he's a politician, they're all bad aren't they? He's manipulative and.. and old, and no good for Buffy. If she wants a boyfriend she could find someone in this galaxy much better than a Si..Sid. Although at least he's got a heartbeat so I guess he's got that going for him.”

Quin gave a snort of laughter. His attention on the brightly lit Opera House once more as a group walked in through the doors. “He's also very rich, and, from what I've been hearing via the Temple grapevine, he'd lay the galaxy at her feet if she asked him to. I've also noticed many in the Jedi Temple are regarding him with suspicion these days.” His focus changed from the Opera House to stare intently at Andrew once again and asked, “Why is that?”

Andrew squirmed, “Umm...”

Quin continued thoughtfully, “It seems very strange to me how Buffy managed not only to gain but hold this man's interest despite her refusal to marry him. And that proposal in itself is odd. Palpatine with all his money could have virtually any woman in the galaxy yet chooses to pursue a reluctant Slayer from another dimension. Why? He's hardly a womanizer. In fact the only thing he's ever expressed this level of interest in before is furthering his political career. Palpatine is deeply passionate about power and position. What does he want Buffy for?” He gave a lopsided and knowing smirk, “Besides the obvious that is.

“Er, umm,” Andrew stammered. “I think it's because she is er... The Chosen One. If I had to guess.. I think that's got him confused, he thinks she's his Lord Vader and he can teach her the ways of the.. er, politician. Buffy says he thinks he's the Dark Side's gift to women, and he just wants to lure her into his Austin Power's bedroom for a quickie on his shagpile but I totally think I'm right and he's...” he trailed off as the bored Jedi waved his hand and cut him off.

Quin had spotted Buffy's speeder dropping out the nightsky and began to watch with interest as she hunted for a parking space up and down the walkway below them.

“Ah, there she goes, trying to leave her speeder in place it's illegal to park.” Quin grinned in delight as he watched her arguing with a security guard, who was shouting at her and trying to get her to park elsewhere. She said something to him, put her hands on her hips and the man held up both his hands and backed away slowly. They watched her gesture at the speeder, point at the man and he nodded eagerly before she walked off towards the main doors of the Opera House.

“What now?” asked Andrew.

“Now we wait and see if anyone makes a move on our Slayer.”

They both crouched next to the speeder, Andrew wondering if he could persuade Quin to let him use the really cool electro-binoculars. While Quin wondered if he got the opportunity to test his fighting skills against the notorious Jedi killer, Jango Fett he'd appear on YouTube in Andrew's dimension.

…………………………………………………………………………………..  
Assignation 

The Coruscant Opera House was a very strange place. At least to Buffy. She'd never been an opera goer in her own dimension, but she guessed most there didn't have aliens strolling about inside them.

This place not only had fancy red carpets (to show people how important they were to be here) but was chock-a-block with upper class aliens in some amazing outfits.

Walking behind them, Buffy mused that, if she'd been back home, they would be cast members dressed in costumes ready to put on a performance. In this dimension, they were only members of the general public on a night out.

Everyone here was also making her feel a tad under dressed. Not that she had any compulsion to comb her hair into a four foot high tower and stick a fluorescent plastic lid on the top, but she could have worn a long evening gown instead of trousers. Then again, if there was slaying to be had, long elegant gowns weren't the best thing to wear when kicking peoples heads off. Even if the skirts didn't hamper her kick-assery, the bloodstains were always harder to get out of fancy fabrics. She gave a little nod to herself, yeah, better off sticking to trousers and leave the floaty fabric to normal people – and not-so-normal aliens.

Wearing something a little more glamorous though might have stopped the Opera House's security guards from harassing her every freaking level she climbed up though. They seemed to think she was a gatecrasher, especially since she didn't have a ticket.

“I'm Lord Vader and here to see the Supreme Chancellor,” she kept saying, and they'd give her a suspicious look. Finally, it would dawn on them that they'd seen her on CNN. At that point, they'd tell her they knew the shop where she bought her underwear from, and ask if she and Palpatine were getting married any time soon. And wasn't that getting old fast...  
Buffy was beginning to understand why the original Darth Vader had a reputation for being evil tempered. He'd gotten annoyed with personal questions about his love life and used being a Sith as an excuse to go all slashy and chokey on people's necks. She was starting to feel the temptation herself.

Finally, Buffy reached the private box of Palpatine's and the guards standing outside recognized her and let her in, which was such a relief. As she stepped through the door, her first thought that this high up she'd have a great view of the stage. Her second thought was 'what a pity some idiot had put gigantic wailing bubbles in the way' and then she cheered herself up with the thought it was most likely the intermission, and the droning noise was the orchestra warming up.

Sid, wearing an over-sized, ornate robe (that did nothing to enhance his looks) sat in a high-tec theatre chair, his focus on the stage below. He looked over at Buffy before turning to the variety- pack of aliens sitting alongside him.

“Leave Us!” he snarled. His friends scuttled from the box without further encouragement.

Once they'd gone, Sid gestured for Buffy to take a seat on the vacated chair besides him. As she slid gracefully into the non-comfy chair, the Dark Lord of the Sith begin to bob his head, and tap his foot to the droning noise the bubbles were emitting.

“I like this one,” he said. “It's one of my favourites.”

Buffy frowned, and wrinkled her nose. “Is this part of the show? I thought it was like, the commercial break. What's that horrible noise?”

Sid rolled his eyes, he must have thought she had poor taste. “What sort of music do you like?”

Buffy looked down at the bubbles and bits of cloth spinning about inside them. “I like music with a beat, something I can dance or sing along to. I was in the Outlander club last night and they had some fun music going on in there.”

Sid gave her a narrow look, but she missed it as she was too busy trying to work out what was going on with the bubbles.

“Will you be out demon hunting later tonight?” he asked.

“Maybe,” she replied, she didn't want to mention she was hoping to trap a bounty hunter in case he was working for Sid. The others would be outside now, watching from strategic positions to see if Jay was following or hanging about looking for an opportunity to snatch her.  
“Everyone says if we are going to the lower levels we need protective clothing, so have to pick that up first. I'm hoping to find something down there to slay.”

Sid smirked darkly at her. “The Jedi council would be making a great mistake trying to hold you back and curb your natural inclinations.”

“Yeah, I think they've given up. Obi-Wan tried harder than anyone to turn me into a pacifist and even he knows its not going to happen.” Buffy fidgeted with the hem of her top, she wished Sid would get to the point and tell her why he needed to see her so urgently. The loud droning noise was giving her the wiggins not to mention hurting her slayer hearing.

“You know you can't rely on or trust any of the Jedi, don't you? Especially Squeaky Clean Kenobi who is no doubt spying on you for the Council.” He gave her a long meaningful look. “I don't trust them you know.”

Buffy shrugged. “Yeah, I sorta guessed.” She knew Obi-Wan had to keep seeing the Council every so often and no doubt they were asking him about her. Saying that, she was pretty certain that she could rely on him to leave a lot of things unsaid. They were a lot closer than they had been and Obi-Wan was cute, especially when he'd been drunk.

Sid gazed at her. “Search your feelings... you know, don't you?”

Confused, she looked over at him. “Huh?”

“Have they made, or asked you to do something that made you feel dishonest?” Palpatine hadn't taken his eyes off her but Buffy had the feeling he was miles away.

“Huh?” Buffy wondered if she'd been hypnotized by the droning noise and missed something. The Jedi council hadn't asked her to do anything dishonest.

“Have they asked you to spy on me?” He gave her a meaningful look.

She snorted. “They trust you, it's me they can't stand. I think Yodel wants to bite me and give me rabies.”

But the Supreme Chancellor was on a roll and without listening, continued, “Remember all who gain power are afraid to lose it, even the Jedi. The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way.”

Buffy screwed up her nose, this conversation wasn't making sense. “Huh? I guess they are, cos both do that Forcey thing but if they were at Hogwarts the Sith would be all Slytherin while the the Jedi are more Gryffindor. Look Sid, is this speech the one you're supposed to give ...”

Palpatine ignored her, seeming to be off in his own world following a script she couldn't see. “Have you ever heard of the tragedy of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Plagueis the Wise?”

Buffy sighed and crossed her arms, wishing he'd get to the point of this conversation, he'd lost her, he really had. “Who freakin hasn't,” she muttered, feeling annoyed.

“What? You've heard of him?” Sid's head spun round so fast she thought he was in danger of snapping his neck.

She gave him a questioning look. “Did he have the bad skin complaint and spend most of the time hiding under a blanket?” Seemed like that was a common occurrence for Sith Lords and Sid would be as well watching out since he was going to have the same problem.

“He was a Dark Lord of the Sith who could manipulate midichlorians to create life itself...” he watched her to see how she'd take such spectacular news. Maybe he thought she'd faint?

“Yeah, sounds like those monks who made my sister.” But he didn't hear her he was too busy talking.

“The dark side of the force is the gateway to many abilities some may consider to be 'unnatural'... he had such knowledge of the Dark Side he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying...”

“And that sounds like Willow. I died and they buried me, months later brought me back to life. Didn't have the brain to dig me up first though, I had to bash my way out the coffin and dig my way through the soil with my bare hands.” She gave him a big smile to show him that it wasn't only Sith's who had dark knowledge, Willow did too. Not that it had been a happy part of her life, part of her wished they'd never bothered but how many people got second chances? Eventually she'd seen it for what it was, an opportunity to live again.

She'd gotten his full attention now.

“What? You... you were dead?” he asked.

He didn't look as if he believed her, most people would think she was lying. Not that she went round telling everyone she'd been dead and scratched her way out her own coffin.

“I got better!”

“But, but... you look...”

“Still pretty? No decomposing or bits dropping off? Healthy with good skin and hair? That's what happens why you have a witchy friend who won't let you rest in peace.”

“Did she come with you?” Now Sid's gaze was like a laser beam pinning her to her chair.

“Sadly no. I got Andrew instead.”

Palpatine grimaced and she sighed, “Yeah I know. So Sid, apart from telling me about Darth Plague Face the Wizened what other news have you got for me??”

“Are you intending to stay and watch the rest of the show with me?” he hedged. “I know a nice restaurant we could call in later, and then I thought I could take you back to mine and show you around my penthouse. I've a room I'd like to show you that brings me much pleasure.”

Palpatine had a dark gleam in his eye that made her want to shudder. She didn't want to even think what Sid's pleasure room looked like.

He continued, “It's full of interesting artifacts I'm sure you'll find interesting and I wouldn't mind your opinion on. Some to do with... demonic orgies, I believe,” his eyes fixed her to her seat and she could feel the sway of Dark Force power as he tried to mind bendy her into accepting an invitation to his Den Pervyness.

She gave him a big smile. “Sorry, I have a date later with this guy. Well he doesn't know its a date and he might not show up so it's a maybe date.”

Sid's face instantly darkened. His eyes changed to black, then to glowing red and finally took on a deep yellow colour. “A date?” he growled.

Although he didn't move in his seat he drew power towards him and the Dark Force bubbled dangerously around him. Even his shadow seemed to lengthen, and the area they sat in grew darker and darker until the entire box was engulfed in one large shadow, effectively hiding them from curious eyes. As the perverted tendrils of Dark Force bore down on Buffy the temperature dropped, causing a shiver to run through her. Usually Palpatine didn't even cause a blip on her slaydar, possibly because he was still human, but now her inner slayer was freaking out. Sineya was screaming 'danger, danger,' and almost clawing at her to slay whatever was in front of her.

“WHO. IS. HE?” Palpatine hissed, his rasping voice sending a chill down her spine at it's creepiness. His face was almost unrecognizable, the lines around his mouth and eyes deepened as a look of pure hatred and rage transformed it. “YOU,” his voice a low snarl. “You told me you weren't ready for a relationship! Over, and over again, you turn me down, telling me that..”

“It's not that kind of date, Sid,” replied Buffy warily, watching his fingers in case he leaped up and went to electrocute her. It seemed that Darth Sid was a very possessive kind of guy, maybe it was a Sithy thing since Darth Vader also had that kind of problem with his wife.  
Quickly, she added, “It's more of a slay-date not a smooch-date, I'm hoping for.”

Palpatine looked towards the stage where the large bubbles, bits of waving cloth and the odd droning noise were still doing exactly the same thing as they had been earlier and people were clapping as if it was wonderful. Buffy had no idea what was going on but the temptation to throw a stake at the bubble to see if it burst and the droning noises stopped was still there. This was all getting on her nerves, the stupid bubbles, the clapping, the droning noises and Sid going Sithy. Her inner slayer was getting really ansty about killing something - preferably the Supreme Chancellor from Naboo.

Palpatine took in a deep breath, and then exhaled noisily through his mouth. Around him the dark shadows dissipated along with the Dark Force power and the chill in the air vanished, along with his warped and twisted face.

“Slay dates I can live with, any other kind will have someone joining the Force prematurely,” he murmured to himself. His words clearly audible to her keen Slayer hearing.

He turned his chair fully towards hers and bestowing a calculating, lopsided smile on her, reached out, to run his fingers lightly along her cheek. They made her shiver and not in a good way.

“You must tread warily, Lord Vader,” he warned her.

Buffy gritted her teeth and held herself still, knowing it wouldn't go down well with the Republic if she let out her inner slayer and attacked their Supreme Chancellor while he was at the opera enjoying his bubble drama. As his thumb moved across to caress her lips she lifted her head and nodded causing his hand to fall away although his eyes remained on her lips as if he was contemplating kissing her.

Palpatine licked his lips and began to talk. His voice still holding a low raspy note that she noticed occurred after he'd drawn on his dark force power.  
“I have information regarding the kidnapping you underwent. The one you accused me of having a hand in...” his lip curled slightly and his eyes became hooded. “You were correct in believing it was not an opportunist crime. My agents have uncovered someone is offering a sizable bounty for your capture but have yet to discover the identity of that person.” His eyes, now back to their normal colour, flicked to hers thoughtfully. “My rise to power has made me many enemies over the years and, although most of them have... disappeared over time, there are always those who seek my downfall. It could be that an enemy of mine, knowing of our intimacy, seeks leverage by taking you as hostage, or then again there is the possibility your own slaying activity has gained you an enemy..”

Turning his attention on the bubbles once more he continued, “As for the vampire in the Senate. Despite the most rigorous investigation I have not uncovered the identity of the one who turned the Mirialan Senator into a Vampire, nor who left him inside the closet. It appears someone with high level access inside the Senate managed to wipe all the security files, including the service droids which suggests this treachery stretches deep into the Senate. One of the other Senators perhaps with links to vampires if that is at all possible?” he gazed back at her to watch her reaction. That was until something on the stage drew his attention and he looked away towards the stage clapping enthusiastically.

Buffy still had no idea what the heck was going on down there that anyone could find remotely interesting and frowned, both at the bubble drama and Sid's information. Her inner slayer was quiet now Sid wasn't summoning the Dark Force or touching her and she scrunched up her nose as she thought over the new information he'd given her.  
Were there two mysteries going on here or was the same person behind all this? And what was Whistler doing lurking around in a closet with a vampire? She knew Palpatine was definitely not to be trusted in any of this, he was devious enough to create a complex scheme to obtain something and it seemed the thing he wanted most was her.

“You get Master Vampires working with people or other demons occasionally,” replied Buffy answering his question. “Big Bad Vampires like Dracula have minions and then you always get some weirdo like Andrew or his brother thinking turning Dark will get them more power...”

Sid looked at her out the corner of his eye.

“... Not that everyone who embraces the Dark is a weirdo. Andrew and Tucker are so weirdos, but you've seen Andrew and believe me his brother was much worse for the weirdo-ness.” She gave the Dark Lord of the Sith a mega-watt smile to show she didn't think he was a weirdo, even if she did, she didn't want him thinking she did. Perhaps it was time to leave, before she shot herself in the foot and got zapped.

She stood up and prepared to leave. “Anyway, I've got to go. Going to see if my... slay-date is about.” she gave Sid a Valley Girl smile again, to show she was harmless, but knowing he didn't buy it as he thought she was a Sith.

“Don't forget, tread warily, my Vader,” his voice rasped, and to Buffy it held a threat as well as a warning. “Remember, the Jedi are not to be trusted and since we fight on the same side we should endeavor to work together far more intimately. You KNOW I'm right. ” He gave her a speaking look, before adding, “ My door will always be open to you day... or night.”

With that he waved his hand in farewell and turned his attention back to his bubble drama.

Buffy took her time leaving his box, not wanting to seem as if she was in a desperate rush to leave his company, although she really felt like running as he gave her the wiggins. Outside in the corridor she stood, allowing his waiting alien friends to pass her and return back to their seats, taking a moment to calm herself and gather her thoughts. It seemed to her with each interaction Sid was becoming not only more Sithy but also more dangerous as she refused his advances. He was going to get tired of playing the waiting game soon and start seeing her as a threat, either that or create a devious scheme to turn her into his Sid-Queen once and for all.


	82. Trepidation

Once Buffy reached the foyer of the Opera House she found a quiet position in the shadows of the grand staircase to com-link Obi-Wan. From this position she was close enough to the main doors to spot Jay if he made an appearance, yet far enough away that she wouldn't be the first thing he saw if he walked through the door.

“Buffy, did the meeting go well?” asked Obi-Wan, as soon as he picked up the call.

She knew Count Dooku would be besides him, no doubt leaning over his shoulder listening in to their conversation. Dooku had a strong dislike of Palpatine, he seemed to be able to sense the man's dark interest in her and was forever warning her to stay away from him. In fact, he'd wanted to be at her side during the meeting with Sid but she'd told him it was more important to stay outside and check for anyone following her speeder.

“Well enough.” she replied. It was best not to mention how dangerous Sithy Sid had gotten when he'd thought she was going on a date with another guy. Or how he'd wanted to take her back to his place to show off his room of perversion. Neither of those things would go down well with the Count, she couldn't see Obi-Wan liking them either, but it was the Count freaking out and sending his lightsaber red she worried about the most.  
“Sid told me it wasn't some random grab when I got kidnapped. There's a bounty being offered for my capture but he doesn't know who's offering it.”

“Interesting that he provided you with this amount of information at this point.” She could hear the suspicion in his voice. Her slayer hearing picked up Count Dooku in the background mutter “.. don't trust that man with my apprentice.... manipulative qualities and playing a deep game.”

“Sid also said his enquiries into the Senate vampire drew a blank as all the security camera files had been wiped by someone. He thought it must be someone with high level access, like another Senator.” Buffy explained.

She leaned back against the wall and watched a group of rowdy humanoid aliens with facial markings making their way down the stairs towards the bar area. One of them stared at her, nudged his companion and mutter something that sounded like 'CNN'. Buffy quickly turned away.

“Which tells us precisely nothing.” replied Obi-Wan, sounding frustrated.

“I'm not sure if he knows more and he's keeping it from me or if he's telling the truth. He did ask if it was possible someone was working with a vampire in all this.”

“And is that possible?” asked Obi-Wan, sounding doubtful.

Buffy shrugged, then realizing he couldn't see her, said, “It happens. How's the watching going?”

“Our surveillance has not yielded any results so far. You'll need to continue on to the Outlander Club level as planned and we'll follow you in the hope he makes an appearance. I presume you're still in the Opera House? Quin's been watching the main doors and hasn't seen you leave.”

“Yeah, I'm in the foyer. Gonna leave now.” Even though she wasn't looking in their direction she was aware the striped faced humanoids were walking towards her, probably going to ask if she was Palpatine's girlfriend and if she really bought her underwear from that boutique in the Retail District. She'd been asked those questions too many times already tonight and she wasn't in the mood for playing nice.

“I shall alert Quin.” said Obi-Wan and closed the com-link. She pocketed it and without looking over at the striped faced aliens, walked out the main doors and off down the walkway.

As she walked along the thoroughfare towards her speeder she kept her slayer senses on alert. Generally she knew when demons were in the area; it was a skill that had taken her a long time to master on her own world and in this dimension things were different again. Darth Maul had given off a peculiar vibe her inner slayer hated and Sid at his Sithiest was the same. The rest of the time she mainly got a human vibe from Sid and nothing more which suggested he'd either cloaked himself or if dormant he failed to give off a warning ping.

The Jedi also pinged her spidey sense with a shiny vibe which she guessed signified Light Force use. Other aliens gave off completely different vibes but she was too new to this dimension to work out who was really bad and who was plain peculiar. She was getting lots of those peculiar type pings as she walked along. There was a familiar shiny vibe from above so she guessed Quin was up there somewhere, watching her.

When she took off in her speeder , she felt something else. Not on her spidey sense slaydar, this was more the old fashioned prickle on the back of her neck and, as she doubted it was either Andrew or her Scoobies, opened her com-link once more.

“Is someone tailing me?” she asked Obi-Wan. He was following; she could hear the whine of his speeder engine and caught interference caused by other traffic as he flew along.

“Not that we have... hold on a moment.... I don't see him but I do sense something through the Force.”

In the background she heard the Count mutter again but his voice was too low to hear over the hum of her speeder. Obi-Wan relayed his message. “Count Dooku also senses something and is warning you to remain alert. Continue slowly to the Outlander Club but don't go inside the club. Instead I want you to go to the speeder car park and then go to the 9th level. Wait around next to your speeder and we shall see if he makes a move. Don't do anything to alert him and cut this com-link.”

“Will do.” Buffy closed the link, slowing a little, pretending to fluff up her hair in the mirror but really looking for anything suspicious behind her. She was itching to know who was following her and what they intended to do. Her Jedi-Scooby plan hinged on the bounty hunter approaching her, she was to put up a token resistance to delay him, allowing the Jedi to run in, grab and question.  
It was a role causing her inner conflict, although a Slayer often played the role of bait to lure a demon to her before slayage commenced, Jay wasn't a demon he was human. What if she accidentally used too much power and crushed him? For too long she'd been a weapon against the creatures of darkness, it would only take one slip. Look at Faith...

She parked on the 9th level and took a seat on her speeder hood, doing her best to look innocent and grabbable. Doing innocuous girly stuff like checking her lipstick in the mirror, doing her hair, she even took out her datapad and started fiddling with it, as if waiting for a message to arrive. As she sat there scrolling at a blank screen,her senses alert, a small movement caught her eye - making her look downwards.

”Ewww!” One of this dimension's crawly-bugs was trying to make it's way up the speeder towards her. This one looked more like a centipede than one of those rat sized roaches she'd seen in the lower levels of the Temple.

“Get off!” As she went to kick the bug off her speeder, she heard Dooku's urgent shout coming from behind her.

“DON'T!!”

A moment later the Count was besides her, his green lightsaber humming as he swung, cutting the Kouhan arthropod at her feet in half with his lightsaber, before killing a second crawling across the hood and only inches from Buffy's hand.

As a surprised Buffy watched the Count slaying the crawly-bugs ( wondering if he had some kind of bug phobia), Obi-Wan ran past using Force enhanced speed. The fabric of his tabard panels twirling around his thighs like a skating skirt at the ice rink as he spun past her speeder. Up he jumped. Both his feet landing on the wall surrounding the speeder park, pausing, his head turning as he scanned the area around him. For a moment his profile became silhouetted by the colorful glow of Coruscant's advertising signs, the blonde streaks in his auburn hair highlighted, before he leaped from the building

Buffy's heart dropped as he fell from sight. A heartbeat later he rose back into view, his hands gripping a flying droid that must have been hovering within range of the building. The droid rose higher, it's flight unhampered by the extra weight, before speeding off between the brightly lit, high rise buildings of Coruscant with Obi-Wan dangling dangerously under it.

Without a moments thought, Buffy was in her speeder and taking off. She didn't see Count Dooku's startled face as she flew past him, she didn't see him drop the Kouhuns he'd been carefully examining, or see him run to his own speeder. Buffy's mind was only on Obi-Wan. She knew from personal experience the results of falling from a great height on a human body and she didn't intend to let it happen to her crazy Jedi Knight.

But she needed to find him fast. Very fast. Before he lost his grip on that droid...

Andrew's pov

Once Buffy entered the illuminated doors of the Opera House, Quin began a careful scrutiny of the venue doors, the well lit walkway below and used the electro-binoculars to scan the surrounding area for suspicious speeder activity. Despite the Jedi's vigilance, and the use of his Force sensitivity Quin didn't spot anything untoward and it appeared the stake out was a bust. After a while Quin's com-link beeped, and Andrew overheard Obi-Wan's precise voice explaining Buffy would fly to the Outlander Club speeder park and they'd follow her in the hope whoever planted the tracker would make an appearance.

“She's coming out the door now, “ Andrew called over. He'd finally persuaded the tall Kiffar to let him use the electro-binoculars and spotted Buffy's blonde head as she sauntered down from the doors onto the walkway below, pausing only to fiddle in her purse for the speeder key.

Jumping into their speeder, they followed her at a distance, hanging back and allowing several vehicles between themselves and the Slayer. On a higher level above them in the nightsky Obi-Wan's speeder followed a parallel flightpath. They hadn't been flying long before Obi-Wan com-linked once again to say both he and Dooku sensed someone trailing Buffy.

Andrew's wide-eyed gaze fixed on Quin, as the Kiffar closed his eyes, took a deep breath, before replying, “I feel him! He's here, and his interest is... intense. I'd say this is a professional hit.”

The calm voice of Obi-Wan came clearly out the comlink, “I agree. I believe it to be the Mandalorian as I noticed a similar level of of intensity coming off him at the club. Keep a look out from outside the speeder park, Buffy will be on level nine. Dooku and I shall park inside.”

Andrew bounced around in his seat unable to keep still. The Bounty Hunter was at large and on the hunt for Buffy! If only he could film this. It was killing him not being able to record this epic moment for posterity. He decided he was going to get a new camera and never miss an opportunity like this again. Did it matter if Buffy made good on her threat to break his arm off if she saw him filming her again? In Star Wars there was always the option of getting a cyber one fitted if she snapped it off, he'd seen a fancy one with different hand attachments.  
And what was an arm anyway, in comparison to filming all this Star Wars stuff? If they ever got back he'd send the footage to George Lucas and see if he liked this newer version. Or he could show it at a sci-fi convention and become world famous. The Star Wars dimension was Real! He felt like screaming and screaming at the top of his voice. He was here and it was all so much fun!

As they made a fly-by past the speeder park Quin's keen eyes spotted a droid hovering in front of the building. He pointed downwards to Andrew and pulled out his com-link once more. “I've spotted a spy-droid hovering near the speeder park. It's found what it's looking for on the 9th level. I suggest you check it out.”

If Obi-Wan replied Andrew didn't hear it. He'd undone his seat belt and was leaning right over the speeder door trying to spot the assassin's droid down below. A few air-speeders shot past below him their thrusters whining, their headlights blinding him but once they'd gone he spotted it. It looked like Zam Wessells' assassin droid from Attack Of the Clones! This was so Cool!

Quin maintained the speeder's position, both watching the antics of the droid below them. Andrew could see it darting forwards and backwards, transmitting images back to it's owner.

“Whoa!” Andrew screeched suddenly. “Obi-Wan's thrown himself off the building and grabbed the ASN-121 assassin droid! LOOK! He's holding on but it's trying to shake him off!”  
This was so much better than the movie. Andrew bounced up and down so high in his seat with anticipation of what was to come he nearly fell out the speeder. Heart banging, he grabbed for the seat belt.

“Follow him!” he yelled to Quin, as he buckled himself in. “Go! Go! That droid's going back to the assassin and we can snatch Zam while she's focused on shooting the droid Obi-Wan's holding!”

Before Quin could reply, Buffy's black TX-11 shot out the speeder park, her long blonde hair blowing out behind her and a grim look of determination on her face as she gave chase to Obi-Wan and the droid.

“This is so cool! Look at her go, she's relentless, she's better than...” Andrew paused, best not say Anakin Skywalker, “... a Jedi.”

Besides him Quin gave him a black look, before turning the speeder nose upwards to a higher level and began to follow Buffy's twisting chase.

“Look over there!” Andrew pointed. “It's Jango not Zam! He's standing on the ledge over there in dark clothing. See, next to that huge sign for ladies perfume and toilet cleaner! He'll shoot the droid, jump into that little black air speeder and we can chase him!”

Andrew squealed happily, bounced up and down in his seat and clapped his hands together, causing Quin to give him a suspicious look. A moment later Jango's shot smashed the assassin droid into pieces sending Obi-Wan into free fall through the city levels.

“He'll be fine, Buffy will pick him up. We'll chase the bounty hunter.”

Besides them Dooku appeared and Quin pointed in Jango's direction, both following the Mandalorian who'd flown up to join one of the sky lanes. As they flew Andrew leaned over the side, as far as his seat belt allowed him, his gazed fixed on the speck that was Obi-Wan free falling down through the levels. He hoped Buffy would be able to grab him, that looked kinda scary from this angle.

…

As they joined the stream of traffic Andrew could see ahead to where Jango flew his open top speeder, so far he hadn't noticed their presence, and Quin, determined not to lose him began to close the gap. Gradually the Kiffar knight overtook his way around the Coruscant air traffic until they were only a few vehicles behind the bounty hunter.

Jango must have been watching the lanes behind him, as he suddenly dropped out the speeder lanes, down into the brightly lit levels of Coruscant, making a fast left, a harsh right and even slipping between two slow moving metrocabs in an attempt to hide from them.

With a calm, dogged determination that made Andrew drool, both Quin and Dooku continued their pursuit, relentlessly following and closing in on their prey once more. Then, just as it seemed they were about to draw level, Jango turned in his seat and gave Quin a feral smirk, before the Mandalorian's thrusters kicked in, propelling him forwards even faster than before.

Quin swore softly, but matched the bounty hunters speed. Jango's air-speeder took a sharp left, twisting sideways to cut through a narrow alleyway between two high rise buildings. Quin followed without hesitation, flipping his own speeder sideways to fit through the narrow gap. Over the scream of the thrusters in the small space, Andrew shrieked loudly as he slipped, grabbing at the door in case he fell from the machine. He looked across at Quin to see his face calm, fully focused as he followed the bounty hunter. Was the Force showing the Jedi the Mandalorian's moves before he even made them?  
Heart banging, Andrew fumbled with his his seat belt tightening it as they flew from the alleyway. Then, just as they began to close in on the bounty hunter, a small one seater air-speeder cut across them from their right. Quin's sharp reflexes had their speeder rising sharply, thrusters screeching before spinning upside down to avoid colliding with the obstacle. As he hung upside down Andrew caught a brief glimpse of the alien drivers shocked eyes looking upwards, then they were past, and the right way up once more.

“I feel sick!” yelled Andrew.

“Swallow it,” snarled Quin, and Andrew stared at him shocked.

Trying to take his mind off the way his stomach was threatening to puke, Andrew risked a quick glance behind them to check on Dooku. There was the Count, right on their tail, matching their twists and turns, with an almost synchronized formality. It seemed neither knight wanted to give up on this chase.

Ahead of them, the Mandalorian was looking down in the passenger seat, fiddling with something out of sight. Andrew's eyes narrowed then widened as the bounty hunter rested the barrel of a blaster rifle on the back of the speeder. Driving one handedly he began to fire on them. His blaster bolts dodged easily by both Quin and Dooku, who's Jedi reflexes meant they could avoid the blasts with almost no reduction in speed.

“I could use this,” Andrew pulled out a blaster pistol from under his coat. It was one he'd taken from the dead Falleen, the ones who'd wanted to use him as a sex slave. “Shall I shoot his speeder? I don't want to kill him. Buffy told me I've not to go round shooting people with it and if I kill anyone again she'll get me.”

“Are you a good shot or are you liable to miss and hit some innocent person?” asked Quin, watching the blonde watcher waving the blaster round with apprehension.

“Umm, I'm not sure. I've only shot it twice.”

Quin made a beckoning motion with his hand. “Pass it to me then.”

Andrew hesitated for a moment until the Kiffar gave him an intimidating look and he passed the weapon over.

Taking the blaster in one hand, Quin closed the gap between them and Jango. His machine on autopilot, once more the bounty hunter turned to reel off a number of shots. Quin dropping and swerving before firing Andrew's blaster back at Jango. One shot came so close Andrew could smell his hair burning. He swore, slid down into the footwell as far as he was able, his heart thumping in his chest. He could get his brains shot out!  
Peering over the dash he saw Quin blaster shots hitting the bounty hunters speeder several times but doing little more than dent the panels. Was the pistol not strong enough? Or was Jango driving a modified speeder?

Continuing the chase they dropped down fast through seven or eight levels, when Jango brought out another weapon from his arsenal. This time he'd locked onto his wrist an anti-personnel rocket.

“What the Fuck?” Andrew dived down in his seat again as a rocket whipped past his head. Quin threw the blaster back at him, and Andrew grabbed for it, missed, fumbling as it dropped to the floor.

Over the next few minutes a blur of rockets screamed past them, Quin swinging the craft from side to side, ducking and dodging, while from behind around them came the sound of rockets hitting buildings. Andrew turned to see a holosign bearing Palpatine's face sparking, and dangling from it's one remaining hanger, while close by chunks of masonry broke off and fell downwards to the lower levels.

“That must be his Type-12A rocket launcher made by Locris Syndicated Securities!” shrieked Andrew, as he recognized the device. “ I saw this on YouTube! I wonder where he bought it from!”

Quin gave him an odd look, before yelling back, “He's getting desperate if he's using one of those!” He pulled the speeder out of a roll to avoid a newly launched rocket, “He doesn't care who dies during this chase as long as he gets away.”

“Watch out another rocket!” Andrew screamed. He knew now what his socks felt like in the dryer with all this spinning. He'd no idea how he'd managed to keep from yakking for this long.. It was probably because Quin had told him to swallow it and he might hit him if he puked over the side of the speeder, or worse over Quin.

Out of nowhere, a bolt of jagged blue lightning shot from above them, shooting past their speeder and striking the back of Jango's vehicle. The lightning hit and a plume of dark gray smoke rose up from the underside of the Bounty hunter's speeder.

“What was that?” asked Andrew in awe.

The Kiffar, gave a dark smile. “Looks like the Count released some Force Lightning onto our friend Jango Fett.”

“I thought that was like, bad?”

“Depends,” was the Kiffar's reply and Andrew noticed with horror the dark smile still lingered on his face.

The Mandalorian might have been hit but he was far from defeated. He reloaded and turned once more to fire another set of rockets at those tailing him. This time one found it's target. From behind Andrew and Quin came the sound of metal screaming, there was a bright pulse of light and the acrid smell of smoke and fire. Turning in his seat, Andrew caught sight of Dooku's speeder spinning out of control. The Count desperately pulling against the paddle while around him orange and black laced flames shot from the speeder sides.

“Dooku's down! Dooku's down!” Andrew screeched, as he watched the Jedi's speeder begin to plummet.

Quin glanced behind him and cursed. Halting his pursuit, he turned his speeder's nose downwards and followed the Count's flame lit speeder. While above them Jango Fett's Force lightning damaged speeder flew off very slowly into the night.

...................................


	83. Desolation

DesolationFeeling very much out of her depth Buffy flew through the exit of the speeder park and turned the machine into the direction she'd last seen the droid holding her crazy Jedi Knight.  
How had she got into all this? She was a Vampire Slayer, she was a weapon against the creatures of darkness, she wasn't meant to be a Jedi and be part of Star Wars. How was she going to find Obi-Wan? What if his grip slipped and he fell off that droid? Even now he could be crashing through the levels below her...

Aware she was panicking she took a long - if ragged - breath and tried to focus. She wasn't a Jedi, she had no idea how to use or even sense the Force, but she was a Slayer. Her slayer abilities enabled her to assess her surroundings rapidly for potential enemies, weapons and escape routes.

Could she use those abilities to find Obi-Wan?

There! Those building looked like the ones she'd last seen him fly past. He'd gone that way.... She flew in that direction and allowed another of her slayer abilities to come into action. Her spidey senses could pick up Obi-Wan's special brand of shininess, she only had to focus and feel outwards.

Weaving her way through skylanes of slowly moving Coruscant traffic, cutting upwards and out of one set of lanes before she came to an abrupt halt in another. He'd vanished off her slaydar!  
Reversing rapidly downwards into oncoming traffic she ignored the blasting of horns and stopped several blocks down the line. Her senses suggested she'd missed a right turn so she flew into that direction and hovered once more. She looked from left to right, downwards and upwards.

He was above her! She turned her speeder nose upwards again, leveled out, to almost crash the speeder into a building as she spotted Jay across from her, standing on a ledge in the process of raising his rifle and taking aim. He fired.  
And she watched, horrified, as the spy-droid holding Obi-Wan was blown apart. With nothing holding him the Jedi dropped, tumbling in midair and free falling through the levels. Knowing all too well what a fall from a great height led to, she rammed the nose of her highly responsive speeder downwards and dived.

Below her she could see the body of Obi-Wan picking up speed as he dropped into the depths of the planet.

He fell through a busy traffic intersection, a Coruscant metrocab narrowly missed crushing him, it's braking system screaming as the shocked driver instinctively braked hard but the Jedi had already gone, disappearing from view below the skylanes.

Then she was hitting that intersection herself, spotting the smallest of gaps, slicing her speeder through two rows of traffic, aware of one driver she passed cursing, his harsh braking sending his airspeeder sliding sideways in her wake. Another gap, and another driver coming close to ripping the back of her speeder off, his larger vehicle skimming a hairs breadth away. She was through. Behind her fists were being waved, there was the sound of horns blasting, and her enhanced hearing picked up the yells of alien obscenities.

Which wasn't anything new.

Down, down, she dropped, gaining speed until she passed Obi-Wan's falling body, positioning herself underneath him, trying to match her speed to his. Her head whipped back and forth, her hair flicking into her face and getting in her eyes as she tried to gauge the speed and direction of his fall. Obi-Wan was grabbing hold of the speeder fins, - and held on! He began to crawl along the trunk, one hand reaching out for the seat, his foot slipping on the trunk panel, falling sideways until she reached back, grabbed his collar and yanked him forwards. Once he was safely inside she brought the machine out the dive, steering the machine back upwards in the direction she'd last seen the bounty hunter.

Obi-Wan folded his arms and scowled. “What took you so long?”

“Oh, shut up,” she said. Her heart was hammering in her chest, she'd no idea how he'd even managed to grab the speeder and pull himself towards her so quickly. In her mind she kept imagining finding his body broken, bleeding and lifeless lying at the bottom of a building somewhere...

He gave her a sideways look, but didn't say more until she almost flew into another air-speeder coming from the opposite direction. She grappled with the controls, her heart rate speeding up again, pulling the speeder nose up at the very last second, the high pitch whine of her thruster system hurting her slayer ears as she did so, and breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't crash.

Obi-Wan was holding on the door and making exasperated noises at her driving skills. “If you spent as much time honing your flying skills as you do your lightsaber skills...”

“Shut up!” Buffy's heart was still racing, she hadn't noticed the oncoming speeder until almost too late, she'd been too busy picturing his dead body and imagining funerals...

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, but refused to keep quiet. “You have a lot to learn...”

“SHUT UP! Just... shut up!” On the steering paddle her knuckles whitened as her grip tightened. She forced herself to relax, if the steering paddle shattered she'd be left with no way to steer this thing. Her hands were shaking, she could barely concentrate on the traffic and Obi-Wan was making things worse by trying to make light of his death-dive with his idiotic banter.

He'd fallen and hadn't died but... Didn't he realize how close he'd been to dying? Didn't he realize how much pain you felt when you fell to your death? She knew first hand what that excruciating pain felt like from her dive into the portal, and dying, that hurt – a lot.  
And now, now she'd seen it from Dawn's point of view. Knew how it felt to see someone you cared for take a death-dive. If she'd found him dead she'd... Nausea hit her, her stomach heaved and she fought the urge to puke all over the speeder.

He was glaring at her now. “What the blazes are you shouting at me for?”

She didn't answer and he frowned, leaning forward in his seat and, in spite of her best efforts to look away, got a good look at her face. Taking in the the sheen of sweat coating her forehead, the odd colour to her lips and white knuckles gripping the steering paddle.

He quietly said, “Pull over on to that ledge.”

The speeder had barely docked before Buffy sprung out. Rushing round the corner, away from him, to crouch over and begin vomiting. Then she didn't care Obi-Wan had followed her, didn't care he'd think she was weak compared to a Jedi, didn't care if Yoda found out and said she was full of fear and it was all a sign she was headed for the Dark Side.

Instead, playing inside her head on some kind of nightmarish loop, was that horrendous night fighting Glory, her farewell to Dawn, and then her own run and leap from the tower into the portal. Remembering the sensation of launching herself through the air, knowing her friends were watching and she'd only moments to live, falling, falling, then an excruciating, and what felt like never ending pain, until that blissful moment she'd been released from life.  
Memories... memories that she'd tried to suppress for so long, brought back by Palpatine's earlier questions, seeing Obi-Wan jump.... and his fall. It could have ended very differently...

The nausea hit her once more, and she threw up again, and then again until there was nothing left inside her. When her retching finally came to an end, she became aware of Obi-Wan standing behind her, watching her uncertainly.

“Are you well enough to come back to the speeder?” he asked gently.

That was one thing about the Jedi, they weren't prone to freaking out and always radiated a certain level of calmness. The only time she'd seen Obi-Wan freak out was when she'd purposely pushed him with her provocative dancing. He'd go to war facing overwhelming odds without raising an eyebrow, but send a girl to dance near him provocatively and he'd be running for cover. The secret to winning the Clone War, send in the dancing girls.  
It made her laugh. A short, harsh laugh making him eye her warily. Did he think she'd become hysterical? Think she'd freak out, scream, claw his eyes out, or something weird?

Determined to show him she was neither mad nor weak she rose unsteadily to her feet. Her legs wobbled, and she quickly grabbed hold the side of the building for support. Oh yeah, she was high up. Everything in Coruscant was high up. She couldn't get away from heights or maybe, in her case, drops. Closing her eyes she felt Obi-Wan put his arm around her, tucking her into his side, into the calming scent of him, and she leaned in drawing from his strength. Opening her eyes she looked into tranquil blue eyes and he took in her haunted green ones.

“What's caused this? Did the Kouhun... the insects touch you? Have you been hurt?”

She shook her head. “No, it was... something else. If you help me back to the speeder I'll explain...”

Once they'd taken off she began to speak. She didn't look at him. She didn't want to see the pity in his eyes but she wanted him to know the reason behind her epic freak out. “Remember I told you I died? The one where I was buried and brought back to life five months later?”

“Yes.”

She still refused to look at him, couldn't look at him, his one word reply had been quietly said and took a few seconds to arrive so she guessed he'd nodded first.

“There was a Hell Goddess called Glory who wanted to return to her own dimension and to do that she needed to kill my sister. I fought her but the ritual had already started and the only way to stop it from destroying everything was if Dawn died.” Her voice cracked at the memory, and she swallowed determined to go on. “I... I couldn't let her die so I took her place. I told her to live for me and I ran. I ran before my friends could stop me, and I jumped, like you did. Then I fell, like you. Except... I died. I had to die but... it hurt so much! I've never told anyone that before.” she took another ragged breath. “I don't regret dying in Dawnie's place but the thought you might die in the same way...”

Buffy, swallowed, she felt nauseous again, but as there was nothing left in her stomach she was able to bring it under control. She massaged the spot between her eyes. She didn't want to remember this, didn't want to dig these memories up, those horrendous times... Even back then the subject was avoided, her friends sort of swept it under the carpet and pretended it hadn't happened. Out of all of them only Spike listened, and understood. She needed to tell Obi-Wan though, especially after how badly she'd reacted. She felt his hand on her shoulder, trying to send her calming vibes.

“I didn't realize..” he broke off, unsure what to say to her. It wasn't exactly a normal conversation.

“I'm sorry for the freak out but I thought I was going to lose you. I thought you were going to die.” She swallowed, her mouth both dry and tasting vile. “It's not as if my friend Willow's around to rip you out of heaven and bring you back to life for me.”

She gave him a sidelong look and saw him doing the same to her.

“I have the Force to help me,” he answered calmly. “If you hadn't appeared I'd have grabbed some other vehicle. The Force would provide.”

“And what if the Force didn't provide? I'm sure there's been a lot of Jedi deaths because they said the same thing,” she argued. She knew he'd an almost religious belief in the Force but she wasn't stupid, Jedi died regularly.

“Then I would be at one with the Force,” he replied. He met her eyes saying, “I wouldn't have jumped from the building onto the droid if I didn't have confidence in my own abilities...” he reached out to briefly touch her forearm, “ ...and your abilities too, Buffy. As I fell I knew you'd come to rescue me, which is why I waited for you. The Force told me to place my trust in you.”

Buffy gave him a long look, unsure how to reply to that weird comment. He regarded her placidly, as if his statement was a normal one but she wasn't a Jedi, she hadn't a clue how the Force worked. Perhaps it was time to ask for his help and see if she could find out.

She took a couple of deep breaths to steady herself and changed the subject. “Well, I'm guessing The Force is telling us we should find the others.” There, she'd even managed a hint of a smile to show she was back in control of herself once more.

Obi-Wan didn't look reassured but nodded anyway. “I think you're right. It's important we find out who's the mastermind behind all this and why he wants you so much. Until we discover that your life is in jeopardy. Com-link the others. Let's see if anyone has captured this Jango Fett and have the answers we need to solve this puzzle.”


	84. Vexation

Vexation Obi-Wan flew Buffy's air-speeder back through the levels towards the ledge Jango Fett had shot the droid from. The ledge was empty, the bounty hunter long gone. Buffy com-linked Andrew again, and this time her watcher answered.

“Buffy!” he squealed. “Count Dooku's crashed! His speeder burst into flames after being hit by a rocket! You should have seen it spiraling out of control before smashing down into the level below! It was totally cool!”

Buffy heard him take a deep breath, but before she'd the chance to speak, he was babbling on again happily.

“Dooku was moments from burning to death and dying from horrific injuries. Quin walked through flames to rescue him, and then carried him out with all these explosions going off in the background. It was ace to watch. I wish it had been in slow motion, or I'd filmed it so I could watch it all again. He reminded me of The Terminator! Totally relentless! Not the Terminator from the first film, although he was relentless in that too, but I was thinking more of the second one. The one where Arnold Schwarzenegger came back to help John Connor as a kid, and he robbed a motorbike, and wore that cool leather jacket, and the shades. It was a freakin' classic!”

Buffy opened her mouth and closed it a couple of times, anxiety for Count Dooku robbing her voice. Next to her Obi-Wan was listening to Andrew, and casting worried looks in her direction. He was no doubt thinking she was going to have another panic attack and start yakking up again.

It was then Buffy's Slayer hearing picked up the Count's rich, deep voice in the background grumbling, “... worrying people needlessly. Not to mention being insensitive, and over dramatic with your descriptions. If you continue upsetting my apprentice with your blatant lies I shall....”

“Count Dooku wants a word.” Andrew said. “I think he wants to let you know he isn't dead. Hang on.” Buffy heard Andrew passing over the comlink to the Count.

“Are you all right Count?” If the Count was giving out acidic lectures, surely he couldn't be badly injured?

To her relief the Count's voice sounded as strong as ever. “Miss Summers, ignore your Watcher. That boy is a complete idiot and I've no idea how he's managed to stay alive as long as he has. My speeder was hit and Master Vos was good enough to help me out, but I at no point was close to death. I've a couple of minor injuries. The Temple are sending a med team to collect me since Master Vos left to continue the chase, and I find I'm without transport. If you'd please pass the com-link over to Master Kenobi, then I can let him know the direction Vos flew in and you can continue with the pursuit.”

Buffy shook her head. “No Count. I'm coming to you. Where are you?” She wouldn't feel right until she'd seen him with her own eyes, and assessed his injuries herself.

They came across the wreckage which was still burning. Andrew stood with his hands in his pockets, watching the flames while a group of Rodian kids were skipping around it, and poking at different sections trying to get it to explode. A short distance away Count Dooku lay propped up against a wall, looking pale and watching their antics with a sour expression.

When he saw them land, the Count waved his hand at them. “Ignore me. Follow Master Vos, he's on the bounty hunter's trail and may require assistance...”

“I'll stay with the Count if you want to go after,” said Buffy to Obi-Wan. She knew Andrew had been on a basic first aid course but he wasn't all that reliable. He'd be the type to wander off and start looking at unusual speeders, or follow a group of rare aliens, rather than making sure an injured person didn't bleed to death, swallow their tongue, or become the victim of a mugging.

Obi-Wan didn't argue. He asked Dooku what direction Quin had taken, jumped back into her speeder and flew off without glancing back. The speed he left made her think he must either be desperate to capture Jay, or the puking incident had totally put him off her.

Kneeling down besides Count Dooku, Buffy did a quick visual examination by the light of a dozen advertising signs hanging above him. There was a patch of blood staining his trouser leg that came from a large cut on his thigh and a shallow cut to his cheek, both had stopped bleeding after an application of bacta-powder. She couldn't see any signs of burns, but his left arm hung at an odd angle, and from what she could see looked likely to be dislocated.

“What happened Count?” she asked, trying to gauge how much pain he was in and if the blood loss affected his memory.

“During the chase the bounty hunter began firing rockets at us. One of them caught the underside of my speeder, my navigation system was destroyed and caused me to crash. I created a Force Pocket to save myself from the flames but it was not enough, hence my injuries.”

“The whole speeder was on fire as it went down!” Andrew commented happily. He'd wandered back over as the flames on the speeder had died out, and it didn't look as if it would explode again. “Vos dived right in and pulled him out, I've no idea how they both weren't burned to death, it was really intense with flames everywhere, and it was so hot I singed my eyebrows and I was standing right back! That Force Barrier thing is really cool. And you should see the Count's Force Lightning. It was totally evil! I can't believe how lucky I am to see it in real life!”

Buffy pulled a face at Andrew to tell him to shut up, and turned back to the Count, giving him a reproving look. “I hope you haven't sent your lightsaber red with this Force Lightning thing you did?”

The Count glared at her. “I certainly don't need a lecture regarding the colour of my blade from someone who brandishes a crimson lightsaber called Mr Sparkly. However, if it puts you at ease, I learnt the technique from Master Yoda many years ago. True, it's not something you should use without a lot of forethought but be assured I've no intention of becoming the next Sith Lord.”

“So why did you use it then?”

The Count looked sheepish.“ I found that Jango Fett extremely annoying. The audacity of the man, approaching you in a club, stalking you, setting a nasty trap, blasting at Kenobi and then going on to fire rockets at myself and Vos. He...” Dooku stopped, a horrified expression appearing as Buffy began running her hands over his arms and legs. “What are you doing Miss Summers?” he asked, squirming under the pressure of her hands.

Buffy pushed him down as he was trying to wriggle away from her. “Stay still, while I do an injury check.”

“I've already used bacta-powder and the Force to stop the bleeding, and ease the pain. I would appreciate it if you didn't run your hands over me in that over-familiar manner,” Dooku said tersely. “Your motives might be pure, but I won't have an apprentice of mine touching my body in such an inappropriate way.”

“Ugh, what is it about you Jedi freaking out, and thinking I'm after your virtue whenever I go near the trouser area?”

Dooku gave her a sharp glance, but she was too busy checking his injuries to notice.

“I'd say your leg is broken as well as that dislocated shoulder. I can pop that shoulder back in for you, it'll only take me a second. Andrew can sit on you and hold you down, while I give it a pull.”

The Count quickly shook his head. “No, no. Not that I have any doubts in your skills, but I would prefer it if you left it to the Temples medical division who surely must be on their way right now. I know I also have at least one broken rib.... Miss Summers, that is not an invitation to undo my tunic! NO! Do NOT do that! There is absolutely no need for your hands to be inside my clothing! Stop that at once! Doing that sort of thing in front of people,” he grumbled, batting at her hands with his uninjured arm before glaring at her until she sat back, and held up her hands to show she'd given up checking him for injuries.

Once he was sure she wasn't going to attack his clothing again, the Count gave a loud sigh of self pity. “The doctors will no doubt force me to suffer the indignity of a bacta tank for a number of days....

“Can I come and look?” asked Andrew, regarding him with renewed interest. “I've never seen one in action. I wanted to see Qui-Gon floating around in his, but the medical staff shouted at me and sent me out.”

“I'd rather you didn't,” replied the Count tersely. “ In fact, I'll leave strict instructions that if you even attempt to enter the facility in order to gape at me you will be thrown out,” he gave Buffy a dark glare. “That includes you too.”

Buffy blinked, it seemed Dooku wasn't going to be an easy patient. Since she could see him becoming agitated, and was worried he might start the bleeding off again, she decided to change the subject.

“Do you not like insects, Count?” she asked.

Count Dooku frowned and looked about him uneasily. “That seems an odd question to ask an injured person lying on the ground.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess it does.” Buffy gave a short laugh. “ I was thinking about those crawly-bugs that were sneaking up onto my speeder, and how you reacted. I mean, insects creep me out too, especially when there's a big spider in the tub trying to climb up the sides with it's hairy legs. There's nothing to be embarrassed about if you dislike insects that much you need to slay them all with your lightsaber.”

The Count shook his head. “Indeed not. I've no problem with most insects but those things crawling on your speeder were extremely poisonous. I recognized them as Kouhuns, a weapon often used by assassin's. No doubt they'd been dropped by the hovering spydroid Kenobi jumped onto. One bite from them is fatal which is why I stopped you from kicking it away.”

“Eww! That means sneaky Jangly Feet wanted to kill me with his bugs. I hope he crashes into a building and turns into one big, gory blood splat for that!”

“Well in fact the creatures he'd set on you had their jaws modified, so were unable to bite and no doubt starving,” explained the Count. “They were, however, still capable of of using the sting on their tails to render you incapacitated which I believe was his plan. You'd become paralyzed and he'd use the opportunity to take you prisoner with little fuss or bother, until such time as an antidote was administered. I believe their sting is excruciatingly painful...”

“That guy really needs to find himself splatted on the side of building for causing all this trouble.” Buffy answered angrily. “I wish I'd known what he was up to when he came over in the club. I know slayers don't slay humans normally but that won't stop me causing pain and multiple injuries to people who intend hurting my friends.”

They talked of the duplicity of bounty hunters until the Temple med-speeder appeared and began loading the grumbling Count. Andrew and Buffy were about to go with him, when they spotted Quin and Ob-Wan's speeders, dropping down and landing not far away.

Buffy ran across to them both, scanning each Jedi for injuries as she did so and giving an inward sigh of relief at seeing none.

“What's the what?” she called over.

“What?” replied Quin, wondering if he'd missed part of her sentence.

Obi-Wan answered her and Buffy could hear the annoyance in his voice. “We weren't able to capture him.”

Obi-Wan jumped over the speeder door, and flounced over to her. Folding his arms inside his robe, he explained, “Quin had picked up his trail and followed him to where he'd been keeping his ship by the time I found him. We even saw him running from his speeder into the docking yard, and yet he was able to evade us both by sneaking onto his ship and taking off before we could stop him. He's hit deep space and where he's gone will be very difficult, if not impossible, to discover.” Meeting Buffy's eyes with a faint look of embarrassment, he apologized. “I'm sorry Buffy, I've completely let you down.”

“Do you not carry a tracker in your pocket?” Andrew asked. “You could have throw it onto his ship enabling you to follow him at a later date.” He'd seen Obi-Wan do that in the movie. He'd been very impressed with the foresight of a Jedi who carried around tracking devices in his pocket on the off chance they might need to be thrown at something.

The Jedi gave him an arched look. “I hardly make it a habit to carry long distance trackers around in my pocket, on the off chance they come in handy at some point.”

Andrew sighed with disappointment. “Oh, that's a shame. He could be anywhere by now.” He looked across at Buffy and his face brightened. “With any luck he'll come back and try to kill Buffy again.”

“Oi!” said Buffy, and slapped Andrew in his arm just above his elbow. She'd held back her strength but the blow made him yelp.

“I don't want you dead!” he explained, as he rubbed his arm and sulked. “I mean if he comes back we get another chance to capture him, and find out the identity of the Big Bad behind all this.”

The familiar urge to choke Andrew, rolled over Obi-Wan, but he managed to control it. “I dislike how you enjoy using Buffy as bait,” he said to the Watcher, “but I do agree this is all going to become far more difficult if he doesn't return soon.”

His attention returned to Buffy and eyed her face, still pale from being ill earlier. “We need to be extra vigilant from now on. There'll be no demon hunting in the lower levels until we have more information regarding Jango Fett.”

“If there's a Vampire down there I'm not gonna wait around. I'll go and slay it.”

“You will not. I shall stop you if you even try to attempt it!” Dumbfounded at her blatant disregard for danger after seeing the chaos the bounty hunter had caused, Obi-Wan took a step towards her his face tense.

Buffy mirrored his step, her inner slayer outraged at being denied a hunting trip. “Oh yeah? How do you intend to stop me? Use The Force to tie me up? Mind bendy me into doing your bidding? Chop me up with your lightsaber?”

“I'll use whatever means I think necessary to protect you.” Obi-Wan fought to keep his temper. She didn't even know if a vampire was roaming the lower levels, her hunt could easily wait until they had more information. “Your safety was charged to me by the Jedi High Council, and I'll follow their directive in carrying out my mission. Whether you approve of my methods or not...”

“So that's all I am to you, is it? A mission forced on you?” She was toe to toe with him now, her face in his.

“I.. You're..” His brain stuttered, and then stalled completely as her words knocked his line of thought sideways. The frustration and irritation he'd been feeling vanished in the face of her question.

Across from him, he was aware of Quin watching - seeing too much- and he sent him a silent plea for help in calming Buffy.

The Kiffar picked up on his request, but not in the way he hoped. “I'm sure it'll be safe for Buffy to explore the lower levels as long as she's got us for back-up. However, I suggest we first regroup, find out the extent of Count Dooku's injuries and speak to the Council.”

Buffy stepped away from the aggravating Jedi in front of her, and grimaced at the mention of the Council causing Quin to smirk.

“ I know you don't like them,” Quin continued, “but they have to be informed of what's gone on tonight and we need their advice.”

Obi-Wan, rubbed his hand through his hair and nodded. “Quin's right. We have one Knight with serious injuries, a Temple speeder in a smoking heap, and a notorious bounty hunter attempting to abduct one of the Temple's residents.” He stepped back, watching the emotions play across her face. “We do need their guidance on this, Buffy. First thing in the morning I shall request a meeting with them.”

“Huh, I hope you don't expect me to come into that meeting with you.” Buffy huffed. Freakin' Councils poking their noses in, they were the bane of her life everywhere she went. She could imagine all their faces staring at her, as she tried to explain about Jay and his Jangly feet, crawly-bugs, crashed speeders, and Dooku freaking out and going all electrocute-y.

She gave Obi-Wan a dark look, and decided since he thought of her as a mission forced onto him, he could go and explain it all. This was one Jedi meeting she was going to enjoy getting out of.

>>>>>>>>>>


	85. Jedi Dreams & Slayer Demons

Obi-Wan squirted Iron-O spray onto his tunic and began pressing the pleats. He glanced up a few times as he did so, looking in the direction of Buffy's apartment. She was in there. He could feel the unique swirl of darkness in the Force that was her, and he'd no doubt she'd be sulking at him.

It was only a couple of days since Jango Fett had made his attempt to capture her. Count Dooku was still floating in his bacta-tank and the Council were deliberating on the entire event, yet already she was pestering to go down to the lower levels of the planet. What was the urgency? The bloodless body found down there was hardly a recent find and no new ones had turned up since. Yes, he was quite prepared to check out the place, but not yet. Not until they had more information on where Fett, or as Buffy insisted on calling him, 'Jay' (he felt his lip curl) could be hiding out.

He knew she was obstinate, and very single minded when it came to hunting vampires, but he'd thought she'd listen to common sense on this. Only that morning, while at breakfast, he'd delivered her a highly detailed and well thought out lecture on the dangers of being a mark for a bounty hunter. She'd obviously switched off, and not heard a word he said, as at the very end when he'd asked her a question she'd looked at him blankly and said, “Huh?”

It was all very well claiming he was, 'worse than Giles,' and 'trying to kill the brain cells with word-age', but as a Jedi Knight it was his job to know all the facts. She should heed his advice and not call him stupid names like Obi-Doing-My-Head-In.

Obi-Wan grinned. He'd gotten his own back - a little- he'd started calling her Bossy instead of Buffy, and from the way her lips tightened and how she'd marched off down the corridor, she hadn't liked it. Maybe she'd think twice about making names up for him from now on.

So how was he going to keep her safe from Fett without her realizing? Could he ask the Council to send her somewhere on the pretext demons had been seen in the area? Maybe not Master Yoda, he'd been more concerned over the crashed speeder than Buffy, but Master Nick Fury and Master Ki Adi Mundi had been quite put out Buffy was the target for a vicious bounty hunter. They might help with a bit of subterfuge if it meant keeping her safe.

Naboo was quiet now the war was over. They could go to the Lake Country which was one of the remotest regions on that planet. He knew there were several ancient tombs there which they could explore; she'd enjoy poking around the ruins searching for the undead.

A smug smile appeared on his face. That idea might work. They could even disguise themselves as tourists on vacation. A gentle image of them both enjoying a picnic in a pleasant meadow alongside a dramatic waterfall, came into his mind. Then, out of nowhere, the image graduated into a heated fantasy of them rolling around together in long grass, their bodies entwined.

Obi-Wan paused, his iron held up, feeling quite shocked at the strong imagery that had appeared in his head. Where had that come from? It was extremely vivid and detailed for a daydream... But even Jedi Knights were allowed an occasional daydream, as long as it went no further. He gave his tunic pleats an extra squirt of Iron-O, and smiled as he began to relax and enjoy the odd fantasy playing out in his mind.

They'd go on picnics in picturesque meadows during the day. He'd ride a wild animal, fall off, and when she came running over to check on him he'd pretend he was unconscious, which would lead to lots more rolling. The fantasy changed as a more realistic image of Buffy came into his head, of her drawing her sword, chasing the wild beast and slaying it for being evil. Well, they could roll after she'd slayed it. He was fine with that.

Their evenings would be spent in front of a roaring fire. Buffy would wear something similar to the dress she wore at Palpatine's ball. The one that pushed up her... chest in such an interesting way. Buffy would say she couldn't stop thinking about the kiss he'd given her, (as he was the best kisser ever and didn't kiss like a clumsy nerd) and then she'd go on to declare her love for him.

He squirted his last pleat with Iron-O, before continuing ironing and daydreaming... After Buffy declared she loved him, he'd admit how he felt too. At this point, he'd say he was a Jedi and wasn't allowed any...

Pausing mid-press, he frowned, staring at the fabric under his iron. From what Count Dooku told him, other Jedi were finding ways to sneak around the non-attachment laws. There might only be him in the entire Temple who hadn't had any, and no one had bothered telling him.

Putting the annoyance to one side, he went back to his private, if strangely vivid, daydream. Where was he? Oh yes...

They confessed their love, he'd say he was a Jedi, Buffy would tell him she was a Slayer and they'd agree they couldn't have a relationship. No, that felt wrong... Buffy would say she didn't care, and as far as she was concerned Yodel could go and drown himself in his swamp.

They'd have a secret marriage service on a picturesque balcony, with a stunning backdrop of the sun setting over a lake behind them. It would be witnessed by only a couple of droids. He wasn't quite sure of the significance of the droids but it seemed important to the scene. Then she'd drag him onto a bed (a large one, with lots of white gauzy drapery surrounding it which blew in the evening breeze) she'd jump on top of him, shower him with kisses, then she'd begin tearing at the fasteners on his clothing, desperate in her haste to get him naked and once she'd...

There was a scream of outrage from Buffy's apartment.

He paused, iron held up in mid-air and listened. It was most likely Andrew causing trouble... Although wasn't Andrew at Dex's today? Obi-Wan turned his iron off and put it down in a safe place before walking over to the interlinking wall to listen more closely.

“I'm gonna tear your ribs out!” He heard Buffy shout followed by the sound of heavy furniture being thrown.

A moment later he was outside her apartment. Surprising himself by using an over-powered Force Blast to rip off the door, he charged into the room with his lightsaber ignited, expecting to find bounty hunters waging war in there. Instead, he saw an unarmed man being decapitated by a Sith lightsaber.

He gaped, wondering if she'd finally succumbed to her darker nature and gone from being Lord Vader, Protector of the Republic, into Darth Vader the Sith Lord, and then panicked, wondering how he was going to hide it all from the Jedi Council...

This was followed by a wave of shock and confusion as he realized the lethal blade had failed to decapitate the man.

That Was Strange....

Obi-Wan had never seen that happen before. In the past when he'd seen a lightsaber blade pass through a neck it had always resulted in the head dropping off. Even the man appeared surprised his head hadn't dropped off. If the way he raised his hand and tentatively felt for a cut through his neck suggested.

“I warned you, Whistler, I'm gonna rip out your ribcage and make myself a hat! You can't even get here on time! Turn up months too late delivering bad news and expect me to nod, and smile. What sort of inter-dimensional, time-traveling demon are you? You don't even know what day it is!”

The strange man opened and shut his mouth a few times before saying, “Is it not the same day?”

“No, it's not!” Buffy screeched.

She turned off Mr Sparkly, pulled out Mr Pointy, and launched herself at the demon in an attempt to stab him. Falling straight through him, she landed on the floor with a resounding smack. Obi-Wan was beginning to suspect this Whistler was a Force Ghost.

“Sorry kid,” said Whistler, shrugging and looking anything but sorry as he was wearing a large grin. “ You know what the inter-dimensional time difference can be like, 100 years here, an hour there and it's not as if the Force is easy to bypass. But, hey, I'm here and that's what counts in all this. The PtBs move people along and it's my job to welcome them. I'm sort of traditional, like Santa Claus at Christmas...”

“I don't know why you bothered!” shrieked Buffy. “Santa Claus turns up on Christmas Eve, not at freaking Easter!”

Whistler ignored her; taking a piece of paper from his pocket he unfolded it. “I have a speech prepared especially for these occasions. I'm sure you will enjoy hearing it and think of my words of wisdom many times over the coming months.” Clearing his throat, he began, “ ...The bottom line is, even if you see 'em coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their lives to change, not really. But it does. So what are we, puppets? .. arrrgh!” Impaled through his chest by a magical sword, the demon's big moment speech came to an abrupt end.

“Puppets? You're the freaking Muppet, Whistler,” said Buffy, with a small smile at having found a way to hurt him. “No one wants to hear any of your speeches, especially late ones.”

Whistler stared down at the sword in wonder, then blinked out of existence leaving behind a swirl of dust. The sword impaling him fell to the ground with a loud clatter. Obi-Wan gazed at the sword for a moment, before darting off to do a fast, yet thorough, sweep of the apartment for further Ghosts, Demons or Whistlers who might be lurking. Only after assuring himself the place was Whistler free, did he turn off his weapon.

Flouncing back into the living room he asked, “What was the Whistler creature doing here, Buffy?”

Only to realize she hadn't moved. Her face white and drawn, opening and closing her fists continually, almost as if she wanted to fight something but there was nothing around to hit. Was she in shock or injured?

She looked up at him then, distress written clearly in her eyes. “His name is Whistler, he's a Balance Demon. He came about me and Andrew going home...”

Obi-Wan didn't hear any more. A loud buzzing in his ears drowned out her words, and he looked down at the floor beneath his feet. He couldn't bear to look at her any more...

She was leaving.

That single thought seared itself into his mind wiping out his ability to think. There was only that one thought, she was leaving... It was hard to get his breath, almost as if an invisible opponent had gut-punched him. The world tilted under his feet, his Force bond deserted him and the strange hollowness inside made him feel physically sick.

It hadn't occurred to him for months that she might find a way to leave. Instead he'd started imagining a future where they'd work as a team searching for demons. They'd fly around the galaxy, he'd be at her side as she hunted dark creatures and turned the Dark Force purer. He'd help her kill Sith Mages, explore hidden Temples and dark places. He'd take her around the galaxy and show her all the fun, crazy things that were out there and enjoy watching the reactions play across her face. That future had disappeared. His plans wiped out before they'd even had a chance to begin. It had all been a dream and it was over.

'There is no emotion there is only peace'. He tried to hold onto that thought, to keep himself anchored, yet a rasping voice whispered into his mind, you'll never find peace again, not with the Jedi. A small kernel of anger for the Order formed in the pit of his stomach, he tried to ignore the emotion, to let it disperse into the Force but found he couldn't. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered now.

He dragged his eyes away from the floor to look up at her. To see tears on her cheeks and an odd mixture of bravery and anguish written on her face. As if she'd known loss, grief, and despair far too many times in her life already. It caused something else to break inside him. She was in front of him radiating distress and his thoughts had only been for himself.

“What did he say?” Without thinking about the Jedi rule against showing affection he pulled her to him, wrapped his arms around her and breathed in the fresh, clean scent of her.

“We can never go home.” Her voice was oddly emotionless.

He found himself hugging her with relief, before realizing what it meant for her.

“I've lost Dawn… all my friends, my home, everything. Everything I knew is gone. I had a feeling after that first week. Anya told me vengeance demons liked checking up on their work and I thought it odd we'd never seen one. But there was always hope. Now, there's none...” She broke then. A huge choking sob shook her and she clutched at him, the shock draining her strength, causing her to go limp in his arms and almost fall.

Without thinking, he swept her up and carried her towards the couch. Now, what should he do? Should he untangle her hands from his clothes and put her down on the couch or put her down and then untangle her? Or would it make things worse? He dithered, and unable to make a decision gave up and sat down. Buffy resting in his lap, her fingers entwined in his tunic, her face pressed against his shoulder and he could feel his tunic growing damp from her tears.

She visibly fought to bring her tears under control, apparently wanting to explain and, although he didn't understand everything she told him, he let her speak without interrupting her.

“His name is Whistler, he's a balance demon and… sent by the Powers That Be. They…. run things in my dimension. He told me I'd created a Slayer 'imbalance' with the girls and to level things out they were shuffling some of us around. They just used Andrew's Wish, said it was the easiest way to get us in as he already had a fixation with Star Wa.. this dimension. They think I can help with balance. There are no Slayers here, or there weren't until I arrived.” She gave a short harsh laugh that he didn't like. “Even stupid Whistler miss-timed it. Guess I was lucky he turned up at all. I never catch a break...”

Her body hitched in a sob. He pulled her closer, feeling Dark Force tendrils reaching out, drawn in by grief and shock. Feeling Buffy's fingers tightening and her nails tearing at the material of his tunic. Did she sense the Dark circling them? The way she clung, it was as if she was scared of being dragged away to a Hell Dimension.

“Buffy I'm here. I won't leave you,” he whispered, knowing it wasn't enough to set things right but it was all he had to offer.

Re-establishing his Force bond he began to channel the calming, healing power through the Force to her. Seeing it work mostly where he touched her, he lifted his legs onto the couch drawing her up alongside him. It would leave him drained, but she'd enough to deal with in her life right now. She didn't need the pressure of the gathering Dark Side working on her as well.

As Obi-Wan lay on the couch with Buffy tucked up against him, he hoped no one would notice the apartment door blown off, come to investigate, and then find him in this intimate position. An image came into his head of Count Dooku taking one look at his distraught apprentice, Force Throwing him into a wall, and then trying to kill him by dropping a section of wall on him. It was a relief to know the older Jedi was still confined to the medbay.

As for Master Yoda or another Council member appearing, he'd no idea how he'd explain what he was doing. He didn't think the Jedi High Council would be impressed with the excuse, 'a dimension hopping Balance Demon named Whistler forced me into it'.


	86. Lady In Red

“Andrew, what do you know about witches in this dimension?” Buffy asked, as she walked out the kitchen.

Her Watcher squawked in surprise at the sudden interruption to his concentration. “Ugh, I've gone and dropped the Diatium power cell now.” He bent down picking up the thin power cell and dropping it back onto the table. He was trying to build Buffy a lightsaber, so far every one he'd made failed to turn on, and he was beginning to think the crystals he'd pilfered were all duds. That, or he was doing something majorly wrong in constructing it. Buffy was fast losing patience with him, she'd already electrocuted herself twice.

“Witches?” He repeated, trying to think what he knew. “There are some on the planet Dathomir. I think Darth Maul's mom was a Nightsister. That's a witch. You get ones who use Dark magic, and ones who use Light magic.” He screwed up his face in concentration as he tried to remember what he'd seen. “Some claim there is no such thing as the Force and it's all the work of Spirits.”

“Do they have like, stripey faces?” asked Buffy, thinking about the witch she'd met in the diamond shop in the Senate.

“Yeah, I think they do. Are you trying to find a way home Buffy? Cos I told you I like it here and don't want to go back,” he said with growing alarm. The Star Wars Dimension was much more fun than his own, and it wasn't as if he'd anyone, or anything exciting to go back to.

Buffy tried to ignore the ache of loss she felt whenever she thought of home. She'd known, deep down she'd known, that the move here was going to be permanent and she hadn't needed a belated message from the Balance Demon. At least this time she wasn't dead, and there was a new life with her Jedi-Scoobies– she'd have worried about what'd happen to them without her around to keep an eye on them. So a new life it was, even if it was weird seeing aliens walking the streets, four moons in the night sky and whenever she looked out the window there was a spaceship going past.

As Andrew was still looking at her, his face stricken with terror at leaving Star Wars, she explained. “No, I'm not looking for a way back. Whistler made it clear we can't go back and I've got a part to play here now.”

She walked over to stand beside her Watcher's chair, looking down at the mess of crystals, power cells and lightsaber handles he'd gotten strewn all over the table.

“That day I was in the Senate, getting my Darth Vader helmet, I met a witch in one of the shops there. She knew I'd been sent here, but I couldn't find out any more as Sid was lurking, and she didn't like him. She vanished when he came over.” Rolling her sleeve up, she showed Andrew the amulet she'd been hiding up until now. “I got this off her. She told me it's protection against Dark Sith Magic.”

“That's so cool!” Andrew held her arm, looking at the bangle. “It's like Wiccan with Sithy elements to it as... wow! Is that Earth?” He gasped, as he touched bead painted to look like Earth in the center of the pentagram. “ How do the witches know about Earth? It's not in the Jedi Archives. Me and Obi-Wan spent hours trying to research Earth, and the solar system one afternoon when you and Dooku were training. Jocasta Nu claims if it's not in the Jedi Archives the place doesn't exist and glared at me for saying it did.”

Buffy snorted, “Why doesn't that surprise me about Nunu Mophead.” She picked up one of the clear faceted crystals on the table, turning it over and over in her hand. “I like this one it's got a certain glow about it. See if you can use it in the next lightsaber you make?”

Andrew nodded and put the crystal to one side. Maybe if Buffy formed a bond with a crystal his next lightsaber would successfully switch on without electrocuting her.

“So, do you want to come with me to this Senate Witch? She seemed friendly enough.” She'd been meaning to go back to that shop since the day she'd met her, but something had always cropped up stopping her. There were questions she'd like to have answers to. Not to mention she knew first hand it was always good to have a witch on your side in a crisis.

At Andrew's nod, she changed into an emerald green off the shoulder dress, knowing the color emphasized her eyes and a pair of high heels that made her look taller which was always a good thing. Andrew also changed into his favorite sweater, the stripey one he'd made his Wish in. The one he called his Lucky Sweater. Buffy eyed it with distaste and wondered if she could accidentally lose it down the garbage chute next time he was out on a cookery lesson at Dex's.

That's where he'd been that day. The day Whistler showed up...

She'd been lying on the couch watching a CNN report on the problems of garbage disposal at one of Coruscant's lunar holiday resorts, when the Balance Demon materialized in front of her.

He'd grinned when he'd seen her, and said, “You'll never guess Buffy, but you're in another dimension now.”

She'd replied, “No kidding Sherlock.”

Whistler nodded. “I've got news for you kid, and I bet you won't believe me, but the Star War's Dimension is real and you're in it....” and then he'd cheerfully told her how the Slayers being activated had broke the balance, and the only way to stop her world from been tipped into Darkness forever was by moving her to a new dimension where she was the only Slayer.

That's when she'd completely lost her temper, grabbed the coffee table and tried bashing his head in with it. When the coffee table slid right through him, she'd tried to chop his head off with her lightsaber, and stab him with Mr Pointy but it had taken the magical sword to finally exorcise him.

She'd freaked out in front of Obi-Wan (again), only this time with less shameful vomiting, and more of the embarrassing sobbing. Obi-Wan had put his Jedi aloofness to one side, simply being there when she needed him and proving yet again what a good... friend he was. Unfortunately, she'd been too upset to find out how friendly he could get, and not long after Andrew came in caught them lying on the couch together.

Andrew had stared at them both with suspicion (mainly her). As for Obi-Wan, he'd gone into mad panic at being caught in such a non-Jedi like position. He'd jumped up so fast that he'd nearly thrown her onto the floor. Then gave her an embarrassed look, before rushing off, claiming he couldn't remember if he'd turned his iron off. When Buffy had caught sight of herself in the living room mirror as he ran out the door, she thought it was more likely he couldn't bear to look at her. Her eye make-up was smeared with crying, and those red puffy eyes made her look as if she'd stepped out of a horror movie.

Once he'd left, and she'd wiped her face, she'd sat Andrew down and explained all about Whistler. How they were stuck here for good and that he'd never see his family again.  
All Andrew said was, 'Oh, Cool'. Then he'd gotten up, righted the coffee table, tidied around and asked if she'd like a caff. Babbling on saying he'd been run off his feet waitressing at Dex's as Flo was off sick with a dodgy wheel, and there'd been no time for a lesson.

“Is Obi-Wan coming with us to see the witch?” Andrew asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

“He's busy today.” Buffy dragged open the table drawer, stirring the contents round and round until she found her speeder key which she put in her purse. “I heard Yoda asking him if he'd teach a class to the Jedi kids. I'd rather speak to the witch on our own, anyway. She was skittish at seeing Sid, might be the same with Obi-Wan.”

Andrew nodded. “Yeah, those Dathomirian witches don't like men. I've heard they keep them in compounds as warriors, slaves, and breeders and don't have anything to do with them. Do you think she'll be okay with me?”

Buffy glanced at her plump, nerdy Watcher in his stripey sweater. “Oh, I'm sure she'll make an exception to you Andrew. You're special and she'll know it.”

Andrew took it as a compliment and went pink. “Thanks, Buffy. You're special too.”

Her eyes slid over to him, “Yeah right. That's why I'm here. C'mon lets brave Sithy Sid's lair. I'm glad we don't need to sign in when we visit the retail section of the Senate. With any luck we can sneak in and sneak out again without him finding out we are there.”

Inside the Senate building, the jewelry shop was as Buffy remembered it. The waterfall of diamond jewelry in the window, the rings inset with huge diamonds and the tall tiara's. Still hung right at the back of the window display the dagger with the decorative scabbard still hung, it's price tag still hidden from view.  
“Whoa, this is one expensive looking shop,” said Andrew his eyes goggling out at the display. “When you said witches I imagined them in something more like The Magic Box. I wonder what she's doing here? They normally don't leave their planet.”

Buffy glanced over as she opened the door, “I don't know. I just hope it's not her day off.”

Inside the shop, a number of affluent looking customers were browsing displays or discussing jewelry in hushed, reverent tones, all under the watchful eyes of armed droids. Without a glance at the enticing displays, Buffy made her way to the back of the shop, scanning the place for the red-robed woman. There was no sign of her, even near that place in the wall she'd vanished into the last time she was here.

Behind her, Andrew's eyes were on stalks at all the diamonds and gems on display. He came to a sudden stop, his eyes drawn to a collection of jewel-encrusted swords. His sharp intake of breath caught Buffy's ear, and when she realized what had caught his eye, eagerly followed him over to the weapons display.

Trying not to drool, Buffy slowly circled the case her eyes glued to the exquisite workmanship in front of her on display. Some of the swords were created for alien anatomy (things with more, or fewer fingers and one for aliens with no fingers), but there were a couple in there she'd love to get her own hands on. One, in particular, caught her eye, her concentration fully on the drool-worthy weapon, and intent on getting a better view she moved sideways, and bumped into something tall and hard, like a wall - if walls breathed in and out.

She looked up, and upwards a bit further to meet the golden gaze of a young male Zabrack. Younger, taller and, broader than Darth Maul, he wore a tight-fitting, red leather outfit that would've made Faith's eyes bug out with envy. Buffy stared, slightly stunned, at his broad, rock hard chest decorated in tribal tattoos, before her eyes flicked across to his huge biceps, and then up once more to the crown of horns decorating his head. This guy's body would have Faith's eyes bugging out, as well as his outfit. There was definitely plenty of it bulging. She'd accidentally touched a lot more of it than she'd intended to when she'd collided with him.

“Do you like what you see?” his voice was deep, his upper-class Coruscant accent completely at odds with his dangerous appearance.

“Umm, yeah the swords are gorgeous.” Buffy wondered if he worked there. He wasn't kicking off her slaydar, but he was definitely registering as a strange ping on her spider senses. She took a couple of steps backward so she could see his face rather than looking directly up his nose. He was paler in color than Maul, his tattoos fewer and they zigzagged across his forehead, cheeks and eyes in a different pattern.

He tilted his head, his eyes sliding over her body, and then back to her face. “I didn't mean the swords,” he said with a sly grin, “I meant me.”

“I prefer swords, they're sharper.” But she softened the jibe with a smile, wondering if he was a customer trying to pick her up or if he worked there, and knew the lady in red.

“You aren't one of them, and you're not one of us either. Despite that, you're very powerful.” His head was still cocked like a bird's as he examined her. “Are you looking for my Nan? ”

Buffy scrunched up her nose, and asked, “Who's us and who's them? If your Nan wears a red robe and disappears into walls I'm looking for her.”

“Tenacious! Stay away from her! She's not here looking for mateling!” As if by magic, the pale witch appeared from behind the mountainous Zabrack, giving him a sharp prod in the ribs as she moved past him. “Back to work, nothing here for you.” Turning to Buffy she rolled her eyes in exasperation. “I was blessed with two daughters, but cursed with one grandson.”

Buffy wasn't sure what to make of that comment, so she merely looked at the huge Zabrack and wondered what he'd done to irritate her. Perhaps he'd a bad habit of coming on to female customers too strong, and annoying them.

Tenacious didn't move and his Nan ignored him, instead, she gave Buffy a short bow. “I am Mother Ta'la, I believe you look for me?”

Buffy gave her a polite nod, “It's nice to meet you Ta'la. I'm Buffy, and I wanted to ask you...” her voice trailed away as the two people in front of her turned their attention to Andrew.

Her Watcher had slunk up, a geeky fixated expression on his face which made him look extra-stupid. Buffy knew exactly what that particular face meant. It was his, 'I love Star Wars' expression and he was going to do, or say something extra Nerdy and embarrass her. Luckily for Buffy, the witch in front of her put a block on Andrew's nerdism.

The red-robed Nightsister looked him up and down before she gave a scornful sniff. Her gaze on Buffy, a finger flicked in Andrew's direction she said, “Is that your pick? You better off with Dark One than that.”

Tenacious, began to laugh – a loud, insulting laugh - causing customers to look over and wonder what the joke was.

Andrew scowled, and puffed out his chest. “I'm Buffy's Watcher! Watchers are almost as important as Slayers in the fight against demons and vampires. Tell them, Buffy! Tell them how important I am!”

“This is Andrew Wells. He's my Watcher, part-time demon summoner, and also the nerd who makes wishes when he should be keeping his mouth shut. But that's Andrew, and he's harmless – mostly.”

The pair of them regarded Andrew steadily, while Andrew goggled back,

“And what of Jedi who shadows you? He lingers, but I see trouble coming for him.” asked the witch.

Buffy noticed the woman's silvery gaze had become a thousand-yard stare. “Huh?” she asked. Her brow creased in confusion. She hadn't brought a Jedi with her. “Is this something your witchy magic is telling you?”

“No, we have security camera on front of shop. I see him on screen over there,” explained the woman, gesturing to a banking of screens behind a counter and making Buffy feel like an idiot for not noticing them before.

Andrew yelped, “That's Obi-Wan!” He frowned and lowered his voice whispering. “What's he doing wearing Anakin's outfit from Revenge Of The Sith? Have you been telling him to vary his outfits again, Buffy?” He scowled at her with annoyance.

Buffy had no idea why he found it so annoying whenever Obi-Wan changed his clothes. “What's he wearing that's so bad? The leather waistcoat? The day Whistler turned up I shredded his top by accident, so he must have gone for the leather one as it's more robust. I think it looks good on him.”

Tenacious overheard them. “I agree. A leather waistcoat can only serve to enhance the male physique.” He flexed his pectorals a few times to draw attention to them and gave Andrew's striped sweater a nasty look. His glare moved from the sweater to Andrew's face, causing the Watcher to squeak in fear, scuttling backward to hide behind Buffy.

The Nightsister sighed. Apparently she was familiar with her grandson's antics. “You want bring Jedi in? He look suspicious, security will arrest him and give shop bad name.”

….......

Buffy found Obi-Wan leaning against a railing surrounding a stairway that led down to a lower level. Andrew was right, he'd changed into a much darker, red brown outfit, with a dark leather waistcoat. She didn't recognized it as something Anakin wore but thought it looked good on Obi-Wan with his coloring.

“Hey,” she smiled, as she walked up to him. “I like your new waistcoat, and that shade of brown totally suits you, but what are you doing here?”

Obi-Wan gazed down at Buffy's mesmerizing smile, returning it with one of his own. Until he remembered he was annoyed with her for sneaking off without a Jedi escort. “Hello, Buffy. You know it isn't wise leaving the Temple unless a Jedi is accompanying you, not with the bounty hunter at large...”

“The Count's still in the hospital, Ubi. Quin was nowhere to be seen, and I didn't want to com-link him in case he was on a mission. There was no one I could ask.”

“Why the Force didn't you ask me? It was lucky I spotted you and was able to follow you.”

Buffy scrunched up her nose in confusion. “I thought Yodel asked you to teach a class today?”

Obi-Wan looked blank, then his expression quickly changed to one of alarm and dismay. “Oh, Kriffyn Snit! I forgot all about that.” He searched each of his robe pockets, frantically trying to find his com-link, before remembering he'd put it in his new waistcoat pocket for safe keeping.

Taking out the com-link he punched in the code. “Quin! Where are you and what you doing? Can you teach a class for me? When? Yes, I'm due in... umm... six minutes! I forgot all about it.... I'm with Buffy. Thanks, Quin, I owe you one for this.”

He closed his com-link, relief written all over his face at finding someone to cover so quickly. The relief vanished, to be replaced by cold, hard suspicion as his eyes narrowed on something behind her. Taking a look over her shoulder Buffy spotted Tenacious walking from the shop towards them.

The huge Zabrack, casually placed himself in between Buffy and Obi-Wan. Making sure his back was turned rudely to the Jedi he said, “ Nan says are you coming back inside, or are you going to stand here chit-chatting to the monk all day?”

“Sorry, we're gonna come now. Obi-Wan this is Ten...Ten...Tentative!” Buffy smiled, finally remembering the name.

“It's Tenacious,” growled the Zabrack. “Not Tentative.” He shot Obi-Wan a quick look before dismissing him, and turning back to Buffy. “There's nothing tentative about me,” he said, the grin he gave her bordering on a leer.

Obi-Wan bristled.

“Oops, sorry Ten. I'm not good with names.”

Obi-Wan, falling back on his long training of being meticulously polite to obnoxious people during long and sensitive negotiations, gave the Zabrack a stiff formal bow. Tenacious replied with a curt nod, before turning his back on the both of them, and strutting off back to the shop in his very tight red leather trousers.

“Who are you these people you are meeting in here?” hissed Obi-Wan. He'd sensed unusual power coming from the Zabrack and he didn't trust him in the slightest – especially with Buffy. “He looks like a Dathomirian Zabrack, they are Dark Side users and not to be trusted. Look at Darth Maul.”

“Honestly Ubi, you're such a worrier!” Buffy bumped her shoulder against his and gave him another smile to reassure him. “I've only come for a chat with a Nightsister, and as for her grandson Ten... he isn't kicking off slay vibes, at least not for being evil. Just because people are a bit Dark doesn't mean they're bad. I've met lots of demons from Hell Dimensions who only want to raise families, and have a quiet life. It's no big. Now play nice while I get the information.”

Obi-Wan didn't look convinced shades of gray existed between the dark and the light. She could tell in the way he set his jaw, the way he flounced along swinging his new dark brown robe from side to side, and if that didn't tell her, the doubtful look he gave her as he opened the shop door certainly did.

.............

“She's back with the monk, Nan!”

The deep voice of Tenacious, the tattooed Nightbrother, boomed across the quiet jewelry shop, drawing the curious eyes of customers. Since the three of them appeared far less interesting than the diamonds on display, their attention quickly returned to their own business, leaving the trio to walk through the shop in peace.

Buffy took off towards the back of the shop, Obi-Wan following her. As he walked past Tenacious, who'd politely stood to one side to allow the visitors to pass, Obi-Wan paused, looking up at the much taller man.

“I'm not a monk. I'm a Jedi,” he corrected him crisply.

Tenacious face became smug. “Same thing. You're never going to get any.”

Obi-Wan tensed, keeping the annoyance from his face, replied: “Life isn't all about that.”

“It is if you're a Nightbrother,” snorted Tenacious, flexing his biceps. “That, and the fighting.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, swished his new dark robe, and hurried to catch up with Buffy.

Tenacious followed them. His long strides soon catching the pair up, walking so close on Obi-Wan's heels he was close to stepping on the Jedi's robe. It made Buffy wonder if he was trying to stand on the hem and trip him to cause trouble. Despite the way Obi-Wan swaggered, with his robe hanging off the back of his shoulders, the crease between his eyebrows told her he was using the Force to monitor, not only the irritating Zabrack but also the rest of the store for unseen dangers. He became even more agitated when he spotted the red-robed Dathomirian witch waiting for them with Andrew.

“This is Obi-Wan Kenobi, my Jedi-Scooby knight,” Buffy said by way of introduction. “Obi-Wan this is Mother Ta'la.”

The woman gave the Jedi a flamboyant bow. Her silver bangles clinking together as her hand waved with an elaborate Dathomirian greeting. Obi-Wan, in turn, bowed with ingrained politeness. He didn't allow his eyes to leave the woman for even a moment, his instincts and the Force telling him she was a not only a Force User but one who knew the dark side as well.

Ta'la's eyes rested for a moment on the other customers, before she gestured for Buffy, Andrew and Obi-Wan to follow her. “Come, we talk private. Tenacious? Mind shop!”

Mother Ta'la glided around the counter towards the back wall. Stopping between two sets of tall display shelving, she pressed a button causing a section of the wall to slide back, revealing a hidden doorway deep in the shadows. Beyond the secret door lay a small room. Buffy took in the small kitchen area to one side, the table and chairs, and presumed it was a break area for the shop staff. The sparseness of the furnishings and the plain walls should have made it a nondescript, sterile place, but the low tinted lighting created a relaxing place away from the busy Senate Retail area outside.

The woman gestured for her three guests to sit, before taking a seat across from them all. Buffy got an odd shiver of anticipation as she looked across the table towards the mysterious hooded woman. It was as if she was about to have her fortune read; the scene only lacking a spread of tarot cards to be complete.

Ta'la's eyes alighted on each of her guests in turn before resting on Buffy. “You have questions, yes?”

Buffy nodded. Besides her Andrew's eyes were huge, whilst Obi-Wan radiated an intense concentration, like a skeptic at a séance, expecting a trick and determined to work out her artifices.

Ignoring her companions, Buffy asked the question which burned on the tip of her tongue. “When we met last time, you knew I'd been sent here. How?”

The Nightsister cast Obi-Wan a challenging glance. “I am what some might call a witch...

Buffy nodded, her Slayer senses were rarely wrong. “I've met witches before, and when I first met you I got the same magical vibes pinging my spidey senses.”

Mother Ta'la looked intrigued by her answer. “Interesting, your powers. Born of darkness.”

“Oh no! My parents were like, regular human people, not dark at all,” Buffy quickly said. “I was totally a normal teenager until I was fifteen. You know, doing the cheerleading, shopping, crushing on guys and having a regular life until Merrick visited me. Then I got the whole, 'You are the Chosen-ey One' speech....”

The Dathomirian interrupted, “I meant Slaying power. Rooted in darkness, and demons, yes?”

“Oh, yeah, that's true, but Slayers were made to fight evil.” Besides her, Andrew was bursting to give the old Giles' Watcher speech, and Obi-Wan was doing his best not to look suspicious but failing. Under cover of the table, she gave both of them a discreet prod on their leg to keep them quiet, before asking, “So how did you know?”

“My people have many talents.” She spread her hands in supplication. “The spirits sent me visions. Of evil crawling from holes, of you fighting. They tell me, give you bangle. ”

As the witch spoke, Buffy's slayer senses warned her of a change happening in the room. A swirl of growing power akin to Willow's magic sent her spidey senses a rush of wariness. She shot Obi-Wan a look to see if he'd noticed. By the crease between his brows and the tense, warning look he gave her, he was fully aware of it. Across from her Mother Ta'la's silver eyes darkened to deepest black and then shone brightly as if lit from power within.

The witch's voice lowered and she threw back her head, her arms stretched high into the air in invocation. “O' Ancient Spirits come to me! Spirits of The Storm, The Rain, and the Wind come to me! Fanged One, Winged One! Hear me!”

The room darkened, as the lights flickered rapidly on, and off, before changing to an unusual greenish glow casting an odd light upon the robed woman.

Buffy watched fascinated. Besides her, she heard Andrew give an audible gulp, while on the other side of her Obi-Wan gave an unimpressed snort.

The Dathomirian turned her eyes upon the trio, her eyes shining brightly with eldritch light.

“A Goddess defeated for a Key  
Your gift and dive were true,  
Taken from the arms of death,  
You began your life anew.  
First to last, the red blade's hit.  
The mouth became a pit.  
The balance cast, the powers threw...  
To fight the dark, and bring a light anew.”

She threw up her arms once more, her face twisted as if in pain. Her spine and shoulders stiffening unnaturally as if she was possessed. “Be-Ware!” she cried, “Be-Ware!”

Her gazed dropped once more, her voice lowered, her chant changing becoming more urgent.

“Cloaked in darkness stands One,  
who watches from beyond.  
In the mountains, high below  
where water meets the land.

Sith's Slayer and Slayer's Sith,  
The crimson blades will bond,  
A Temple's hand and the Senate's rift..”

Ta'la pulled in a long, shuddering breath,

“To rise and fall and rise again...  
….once more..”

her voice became little more than a faint whisper. “So they will it, so mote it be.”  
The woman threw her head down into her hands in an over-blown theatrical gesture, her entire body then crumpled and became limp.

The strange swirl of power Buffy had been feeling vanished from the room, and her inner slayer senses became a background hum once again.

Mother Ta'la drew in a few shuddering breaths before slowly raising her head and blinking slowly as she focused on the faces in front of her, the eerie inner light that had shone in her eyes gone now. Her eyes fixed on Buffy, the witch's long thin hand shot out, snake fast, to grasp Buffy's wrist.

“The bangle will help protect you, but have a care,” she hissed the warning, her eyes locked on the Slayer's.

Buffy nodded. The witch being a soothsayer hadn't surprised her, and the second part of her chant appeared to be some kind of prophecy for the future. Not that she took much notice of prophecies. She'd seen enough to know half the time they didn't mean what you thought they'd mean, and the rest of the time they were complete lies.

“But what about planet Earth?” asked Andrew, who couldn't keep quiet a moment longer. He leaned forward, bouncing in his seat with excitement. “On the amulet, the bead is painted to look like Earth. Who made it, and how did they know what Earth looks like?”

Mother Ta'la gave him an annoyed look at being interrupted. Releasing Buffy's hand, she caught his chin between her long fingers. “You very strange,” she said and tweaked his chin hard before pushing him away.

Andrew squeaked and quickly began pushing with his heels, maneuvering his chair backward until he was out of grabbing range.

“You wear bangle still?” She asked Buffy. Buffy nodded and pulled up her sleeve to reveal the silver bangle to the woman.

Next to her Obi-Wan took a sharp intake of breath, and leaned forward for a closer look. She let her arm lie in front of him on the table, to show she wasn't attempting to hide the decorated piece of jewelry it from him. Looking at his red-blonde head bent over as he examined it, Buffy couldn't help wondering what it looked like to him? Did he think it looked Sithy? Part of her thought it might have Sith origins, but mainly it reminded her of Willow's magic, and she felt oddly comforted by it.

Across from her Ta'la was nodding, pleased to see she wore it. “Magic of amulet shows wearers birth planet. Who made it a mystery. I have no daughters to wear it, only grandson and amulet won't answer to males. Always it chooses who it protects and will not be taken by force. Pass down to your daughter, and her daughter after.”

Buffy shrugged. “I don't have a daughter.” She didn't add she doubted she'd ever have kids. If being a Slayer with a short life span didn't stop her, there was that whole thing about being dead for months. Mulling over the information she'd been given she asked, “Any more information on the cloaked one who watches me? Any idea? It's a bit vague. ”

“I know not. I see a dark shape and know only he wants you to bring him more power. He watches, he waits. That is all I see.”

Buffy wrinkled her nose as she thought.

While her initial reaction had been a vampire, the word cloak could be important. Sid was not only well known (at least to her and Andrew) for sneaking about in cloaks, there was his ability to cloak himself from the Jedi, and even from her. Plus the dirty perv was always watching her and made no secret of wanting her to become Mrs. Darth Palpatine. It seemed obvious, but prophecies always wanted you to think the obvious, that's how they tripped you up and killed you.

“What do you know about the lower levels?” she asked. Obi-Wan groaned loudly and her lips twitched. He might be obstinate but she was an unstoppable force when it came to going on demon hunts, and the quicker he realized that the easier it would be for him.

The Dathomirian tilted her head, just like her grandson did when intrigued, “How low?”

“As far down as we can get..”

“My advice don't go,” replied the witch bluntly. “Dirty, full of poison, nothing nice down there.”

Buffy twisted her mouth in disappointment, besides her Obi-Wan tried to hold back a smirk, failed and settled for looking smug. She glanced at him, intending to give him a dirty look but he raised an eyebrow at her, suddenly reminding her of Spike, and she looked away quickly.

“There've been reports of bodies found down there,” she explained to Ta'la.

The Nightsister didn't look surprised. “Phfft, Nothing new. I would not go ...” realization dawned, along with a dark smile. “Ah, you hunt something? ” At Buffy's nod, she added. “To hunt the creatures of darkness it is always best to venture out when moons are in correct alignment. Your hunt will be most productive then. Always best way, no matter what planet - unless it has no moons and then we look at stars.”

“Cool, any idea when would that be?

She shuffled in her seat, playing with her bracelets, her eyes darting from Buffy to the Jedi next to her. “I can perform a ritual to see best time, best place to hunt. It will cost you.”

“As in?” Buffy asked. Next, to her she could sense Obi-Wan prickling with suspicion, his eyes never leaving the witch. She could almost hear him warning her to be wary.

“Something I need.”

“I need more details, Ta'la.” Buffy pressed. “Are we talking Andrew's firstborn child here or just some credits?

“In lowest of levels are evil creatures called troglodytes. They hunt all who venture there. You meet them, I want something of theirs.”

“As in?” Buffy repeated. The Dathomirian was being evasive, and she didn't need the Jedi next to her pecking away at her head to make her wary.

The Dathomirian shot Obi-Wan, who was openly gazing at her with an expression of distaste, a guilty look. “Want head and hand of Troglodyte.” She raised her hands, palms upwards and added defensively, “For rituals. Not for ornament on wall.”

“Oh cool,” said Andrew. “I've used body parts myself for summoning..” he shot a guilty look at Buffy, “ ... rituals. Do you need anything else? What about innards, the heart, liver, intestines?”

The witch regarded Andrew with new respect in her eyes. “Only head, and hand. You keep all innards. I must have fresh head and hand, not old ones you dig up, or find on floor.”

Obi-Wan shifted uneasily in his seat. His thoughts on Master Yoda's warnings, about how Buffy and Andrew's dark ways would start to become more and more apparent as they relaxed in his company, making him feel anxious.

“Hey!” said Buffy. “I can't start promising body parts in case these Troglodytes aren't evil. It wouldn't be fair to attack an innocent one, and mug it for its head.”

Obi-Wan relaxed, he should have known he could count on Buffy's morals. She wouldn't go off collecting body parts for Dark Force rituals, She'd only been trying to find out what the Dathomirian...

“...but if one attacks us, and I can slay it without it dusting, I'll get Andrew to chop off all the fresh body parts you want.”

“Buffy!” exclaimed Obi-Wan, his heart beginning to race. “You can't start dealing in sentient body parts! That type of behavior is.... extremely dark. Before you know it you'll be overtaken by the Dark Side, and then go on to become a creature of evil yourself. Master Yoda says, once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.”

He found himself being glared at by the Witch, the Slayer, and the Watcher.

Buffy, realizing he was genuinely stressed, put her hand on his forearm, and gave him a soft smile trying to reassure him everything was okay and she knew what she was doing. “Don't worry. I've collected demon parts before when Giles or Willow needed them for rituals and stuff. It's not as if we're going to start a business selling them. Although... I guess Anya would've sold anything in the shop. She was always keen on money.”

“There's good money to be made on all kinds of body parts,” said Andrew thoughtfully, “but you can't advertise them on Amazon or Ebay. When we needed anything like that Warren always went onto the Dark Web.”

Both Buffy and Obi-Wan gave him a sharp look causing him to squirm in his chair until they looked away.

“Okay...” said Buffy. “...here's the deal. Find out the best time and place to hunt demons, and IF we get Troglodyte trouble you get your body parts.”

Next to her Obi-Wan groaned in frustration, leaned back in his seat, his eyes closed, brow creased as if he'd got a painful headache, while his hands were thrust deep into his robe pockets. Buffy didn't get a head pecking sensation from him but had a strong feeling he was stopping himself from physically dragging her out of the shop.

She touched his arm again to get his attention. “You're such a worrier, Ubi. I swear you're worse than Willow was when I first met her. I know for a fact the Jedi used to bring back 'samples' for dissection in the past. I read about it in the library one afternoon, after I loaded up the wrong holocron. I'm only collecting samples. It's no big.”

An agreement made and the promise of information to come the three of them left the shop. As they walked out into the main corridor of the Retail Section, Andrew decided he urgently needed to use the public toilets and wasn't able to wait until they got back. Telling him to be quick as she didn't want Sid finding them there, Buffy and Obi-Wan waited for him a short distance away.

Standing in the cool shadow of a stairway Obi-Wan stroked his upper lip thoughtfully. He'd purposely tried to be an observer during the meeting rather than a participator, and had come to his own conclusions regarding the Dathomirian.

“Do you believe that woman?” At Buffy's nod, Obi-Wan continued, “Although she's Force Sensitive and might have some degree of power, I believe she is a nothing but a charlatan. Everything she told you was vague nonsense with a grain of truth in it, to make it look more plausible. I don't trust her, or her oversized grandson.”

“But she knew about the Goddess I fought, and my sister is a key. She couldn't have known that nor about the First...”

“Force Sensitives pick up thoughts and feelings. Lots of Jedi have that ability to some degree or other, myself included. I know you're a Force Void, and usually trying to get a read on you is like hitting a wall, but perhaps her powers are different than the Jedi's. What if she was able to read you despite being a Force Void. What then?” He didn't wait for an answer but plowed on. “What if she is in league with the one behind your attempted abduction? We need to tread very warily.” He paused at her mutinous expression. “I know I'm telling you again but you mean a lot more to me than a mission forced on me by the Council. I care what happens to you and don't wish to see you hurt.”

Buffy's face softened. It was nice to hear him say he cared. It gave her a warm glow inside. “Thanks, Ubi. I know we don't know her but since Whistler's visit, I've been on edge. I came here looking for answers. I've a feeling something big's gonna happen, and I'm not ready for it. I'm missing my team back home. Giles would be researching in his books, Willow would be doing the magic, Xander would be making jokes to keep us calm and be ready to join the fight as soon as trouble kicked off.”

Obi-Wan hesitated, before reaching out and putting a hand on each of her shoulders - the most he could do without breaking Jedi rules. “I promised to be here for you, and I am. I might not be Giles, nor Willow, nor am I...” he gave a cheeky little grin that showed off his dimples, “... Xander but I shall help you in any way I am able.”

When she nodded, his hands fell from her shoulders, and Buffy felt their loss straight away. She looked down at his hands as they vanished into the Jedi sleeve clasp, sighing inwardly with frustration. “C'mon Jedi-boy, Andrew's managed to escape the public toilets without being accosted by demons or slavers. Let's get back to the Temple. All this talk of slaying things is making me hungry.”


	87. Pink Sparkles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Buffy and Obi-Wan finally admit their feeling for one another.

Buffy sat whittling at the table in her living room, the bright Coruscant sun pouring in through the window above her and glinting off the blade she was using to put the finishing touches to a new Mr. Pointy. Tomorrow night she'd finally be patrolling those lower planetary levels. Would a vampire turn up? And what about Jay? Would he make an appearance?

She'd rather face a nest of vampires than a bounty hunter, despite all the bravado she'd given Obi-Wan. Being a Vampire Slayer was all about hunting down the creatures of darkness in graveyards and stuff. It wasn't about being a target for a notorious bounty hunter from Star Wars. One who'd tried picking her up in the Outlander Club, flew about in a spaceship, strapped rockets to his arm and threw poisonous bugs at people.

Satisfied with Mr. Pointy she put the stake down with the nine others she'd made, and stared at the row of weapons on the table. The apartment was oddly quiet. Andrew had gone off to Dex's for his cookery lesson, and wouldn't be back for hours since he was helping cover the late shift. She'd been looking forward to a quiet afternoon vegetating, watching the highly addictive CNN's Celebrity Gossip Channel. Yet when she'd flicked on the holonews channel she'd turned it off after only a few minutes, the same with the datapad, she'd only given it a cursory look before putting it back down and wandering aimlessly around the apartment. Eventually, she'd grabbed a knife, and start whittling stakes in the hope it would help her unwind.

Picking up another half made stake she started to whittle again as she thought. This was all Whistler's fault. She hoped she'd dusted the demon for good when she'd shoved that sword into him. Turning up months too late with bad news and bragging he was traditional like Santa Claus. He needed stabbing again but more slowly just for saying that.

And if it hadn't been bad enough coping with the news she was stuck here, she also felt on edge. She'd a feeling something big was on the horizon and she was marking time until whatever it was, happened. What would she find in the lower levels? A vampire nest? More Sith Mages? Or a Big Bad planning a galactic apocalypse?

Buffy slid the knife down the wood to finish off sharpening the point, holding it up in the bright Coruscant sunlight to examine it.

As promised Mother Ta'la had messaged her the date, and place she thought the lower level hunt would be most productive - along with a carefully worded payment reminder. Obi-Wan had pulled his face when she'd shown him the woman's message. He thought she was a charlatan, but Buffy had been careful not to give the Dathomirian any clue to where the bloodless body had been found and was impressed to see both sets of information were centered in the same area. Still, she had to wait until tomorrow night before she found out how good the Nightsister was at predicting demon activity.

After putting the knife away and moving the wood shaving pile off the table, she looked over towards Obi-Wan's apartment. The Jedi was pinging her spidey sense with his extra shiny-ness so she knew he was in there. He'd been wary about following the Dathomirian's advice, saying he hoped she wasn't in league with whoever was setting out to kidnap her and pointing out this could all be a finely sprung trap. He was right. It might be a trap, but she didn't think so. She felt an affinity with the Nightsister and despite the woman's oddness, her inner Slayer was quiet in the witch's presence.

An idea came to her and a half smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She could go round and ask him about The Force and tell him how it was affecting her Slayer abilities. Talking about the Force was one of his favorite subjects, he was bound to get excited and start bouncing about. Or, since he was always nagging her to do it she could agree to go mind-bendy with him, and form a master podperson bond. Her smile became even wider. What if she asked him what the pink sparkles meant? That was one question she'd like to know the answer to.

She walked to the door and stopped, hand hovering over the button, suddenly beset by doubts. If she brought up the subject of pink sparkles would he go into a panic? Would it destroy their close friendship? She'd relied on him so much recently. He'd been her rock. The one person in this entire dimension who'd held her together, both emotionally and physically, when her former life broke apart and she'd been ready to freak out. She'd never have gotten through the day Whistler arrived without his calming presence by her side.

After Whistler's visit he'd not only held her when she'd sobbed but later took her down into the training rooms so she could to take out her aggression out on some helpless assassin droids. Afterwards they'd sat on the floor next to each other, backs against the wall as they surveyed the wreckage in the room. He hadn't said a word to her; just sat beside her, letting her think and calming her with his presence. Obi-Wan, with his cute smiles, was her one point of stability in this chaotic life. Should she jeopardise their friendship by asking him what the pink sparkles she kept seeing around him meant? Could she cope with being Xander-Zoned?

She stared at her hand, still hovering over the door button. Was there a special place in Hell for women who thought about monks in a bad way? An image of a smirking Spike came into her head, no doubt finding it funny how she always found men who were off-limits the most attractive.

“Freaking vampires,” she muttered. “Freaking Jedi.”

But the Spike voice inside her head whispered, 'Go for it, love.' Before she could change her mind her hand hit the button, she was out in the corridor, pressing the buzzer on Ubi's door and waiting for him to answer.

*********

“Hello there,” Obi-Wan said huskily as he opened the door, a smile hovering on his lips. He'd known the only person it could be was her. She was a dark swirl in the Force.

“Hi, to my friendly neighbor,” replied Buffy. She hesitated, as her greeting caused a wary expression to appear on his face.

Obi-Wan stepped out of his apartment, took an exaggerated look up and down the corridor, before raising a querying eyebrow at her. “Are there slain droids, trapped Watchers, or couches needing swapping that I should be aware of?”

Buffy gave him a goofy grin in reply. Then watched in delight as he tried not to smile back, and failed, causing those cute but elusive dimples to appear. So far so good. She looked down at her fingernails, before peering up at him from under her lashes with a predatory gleam in her eyes.

“I have a problem I need your help with,” she said. It was the best way to deal with him she'd found, tempt his interest and ask him to be useful.

A shiver went through Obi-Wan at her words. A shiver of anticipation, and delight which was not a good sign for his sanity at all. He leaned back against his door frame, folded his arms across his chest and watched her through hooded eyes. “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” he drawled. He hadn't, but he enjoyed teasing her.

She kept her head down, still looking at him from under her lashes and pouted at his words. “Aren't you gonna invite me in?” she asked, and he noticed straight away she hadn't answered his question.

“I thought we didn't do the direct verbal invite any more?” he replied smoothly. “You've lectured the entire Temple enough times on this very subject. Now no one here does a verbal invite, due to possible vampires roaming the corridors. Even Yoda doesn't do them when you go to see him in his private swamp room.”

Normally he'd have stepped to one side to let her in, but he'd a feeling she was up to something that didn't bode well for his Jedi serenity. It wasn't exactly a bad feeling but the Force around her was highly charged, almost as if an electrical storm was about to hit.

“Oh, we can talk about this in the corridor if you prefer,” she smiled at him slyly, before adding, “I came to ask you about the Pink Sparkles.” Buffy gave a huff of frustration at the blank look on his face. “It's something I saw when we kissed on the balcony at the ball,” she explained.

Obi-Wan swallowed and looked nervously away down the corridor. For a moment Buffy thought he might try to avoid the conversation by running off. Instead, he sighed loudly, as if he was tired of the conversation already. “You'd better come inside and we can talk there.”

He waved her in, and Buffy walked past him, trying not to smile as a cloud of pink sparkles floated towards her.

“So... you are seeing pink sparkles?” Obi-Wan asked as he made himself comfy on the chair. He'd purposely took a seat in the chair so she'd have to sit on the couch, and there'd be a distance between them. She outmaneuvered him by sitting on the arm of his chair, looking down at him and swinging her legs.

“Yeah, I came to ask your advice as it's not something I normally see,” said Buffy, watching what she thought might be the Force around Obi-Wan change as she leaned back and looked down at him. There were definitely more pink sparkles around him the closer to him she got.

“And you first saw them at the ball and are seeing them more often?” he asked, feeling his way into the conversation. She was sat so close to him it was hard to keep his mind focused, especially when she kept swinging her legs.

Buffy smirked, before nodding. “Yeah, I often see the sparkles around you, but I'm seeing other things - I'm not sure about. Remember at the ball when you found me hiding out on the balcony?” She noticed he'd gone pink but carried on. “I was seeing auras around people, and something that might be the Force. Later I put it down to the drugs but that ability's never really left me; plus my Slayer powers are changing, and I've noticed other weird things I can do too.”

“Such as?”

“Well, I know just by looking at doors and walls where the weak spots or fractures are. It's quite handy if I get the urge to kick them in for some reason. ”

“That... that could be Shatter Point. It's quite rare, and one Nick Fury is exceptionally skilled in!” Obi-Wan exclaimed, his face lighting up at the implications of her disclosure. “It sounds as if you're gaining more access to the Force the longer you're here!”

With the fluid grace of a Jedi, he jumped to his feet and began to pace up and down in front of her. As he paced he began to speak his thoughts out loud. “Being a Force Void you shouldn't have access to the Force at all, like Andrew hasn't, and yet you've shown time, and time again you can indeed affect the Force. I believe your inner Slayer or Shadow Demon allows you access, there's no other reason for it.”

His brain flew from thought to thought, as he considered all the options she'd have as a Force User. The Council, or rather Master Yoda wouldn't like to see her getting stronger than she already was. Yet if the Jedi didn't train her, there was always the chance a Sith Lord would find her, and take her as an apprentice. Master Yoda was adamant they came in pairs, and since Darth Maul was dead there was one still at large. He stroked his lip as a new unsettling thought occurred to him. What if the person behind the kidnapping attempts was a Sith Lord? He decided he'd discuss it first with Count Dooku, and not worry Buffy by mentioning it to her. First, and foremost was starting her Force training, and it felt intrinsically right that he should have the job of training The Chosen One.

Thinking back to Anakin's reception with the Council he said, “The Council will say you're too old to train...” She rolled her eyes at him, and he grinned back at her. She wasn't going to like his next suggestion either, “..but I really think you need training in this to reach your full potential. You know I've been wanting to create a Mind Bond with you for a while now, and we need to get started on that straight away.”

He waited for her to argue but instead, she regarded him steadily. She appeared to accept the benefits of forming a mind link with him. Was she here about him training her in the Force? Or was there something else?

He continued pacing about, his brain thinking of all the best ways to train her, and asked, “Is this the problem you needed my help with?”

She was on her feet, standing in front of him in a blur of Slayer speed, and placed a small hand on his chest to stop his pacing. “Yeah, I was going to ask you for help with the Force... and other things. You might not want to hear this - with you being the Jedi Poster-Boy- but I'm getting mixed signals from you and it's driving me nuts. I need to know one way or the other.”

“Other things? Need to know?” asked Obi-Wan, his mind still thinking about the best way to train Buffy in the ways of the Force. It would take a lot of meditating and focusing, which she seemed to have an aversion to, he'd definitely not be going anywhere near water with her after the last time, there were some quiet meditation rooms in a secluded part of the temple they could use as Master Yoda probably wouldn't approve of him training her in Force use, they could...

“Pink Sparkles,” said Buffy, and she gave a little push against his chest to get his full attention as she stepped even closer to him.

Obi-Wan pulled himself from his thoughts, his eyebrows drawn together in bemusement. Where in the Force did she get all this shiny, glittery, sparkly stuff from? Shiny Jedi? Mr. Sparkly? Pink Sparkle? She'd mentioned this before to him and he'd no idea what she was talking about. “I don't know what you mean. Is this 'a thing' from your dimension?”

“I've never seen pink sparkles coming off a guy I've kissed before,” replied Buffy smoothly. “When we kissed on the balcony I thought it was a side effect of the drugs, but they're always appearing around you.” She slid her hand from his chest up on to his shoulder, and whispered almost shyly, “They're here now. Do they mean what I think they do?”

Obi-Wan's brain felt sluggish. Normally his thinking process was much faster than this, but she was very close, and he was hyper-aware of her hand on his shoulder making it difficult to concentrate. One of her fingers seemed to be stroking his neck...

He found himself tugging at the neckline of his under tunic. The temperature in the room had risen by several degrees, and he wished he'd not put an extra vest on that morning.

That Kiss on the balcony, she'd touched him then...

The memory of how her mouth felt against his own, and the taste of her, had caused him to lose a lot of sleep. His eyes dropped to her lips, and the urge to kiss them came over him, but he wasn't sure how to go about it and might make a mess of it - again. Those Sith boys would know how to kiss. He bet they never had any problems. They probably had girlfriends from being twelve.

What if he went to kiss her and she pushed him away? What if she didn't push him away? Master Yoda taught all the younglings that attachment for a Jedi led to the Dark Side. It was one of the small Master's favorite lectures. He said Force Users were prone to overly strong feelings. That attachment led to possessiveness, which led to fear of loss, and fear led to anger, anger led to hate, and hate led to suffering.

He needed to step away from her before it was too late. It was better for both of them not to suffer. He was a Jedi Knight without a credit to his name, and this was forbidden for a reason. The right thing to do was to turn away from her and let it become a sweet memory of what might have been. He'd go to the Council, confess he'd become emotionally attached, and they'd send him on a mission far, far away...

But he'd promised her he wouldn't leave her, and the thought of never seeing her again was unbearable.

He could feel the warmth of her through his clothes, her hand rested on his shoulder, and there was a small inviting smile on her lips. Lips he needed to touch again with his own. He placed his hands on her hips, and, fully aware of his inadequacy, dropped a small chaste kiss onto her lips. Only for Buffy to groan deep in her throat, lock her arms around his neck, and pull him into a kiss that took his breath away with its intensity.

As their mouths drew apart, she pressed her forehead against his, her lips hovering close to his mouth and whispered breathlessly, “I want you Obi-Wan.”

Her words caused his body to tighten, the last shreds of cool Jedi restraint to fall, and Obi-Wan's lips curved upwards into a smile. She wanted him. She wasn't pushing him way and he didn't kiss like a nerd.

“I want you too, Buffy,” Obi-Wan replied, his voice thick, low and husky.

And yes, he was kissing her now, and oh wow, she really knew how to kiss. Small, tantalizing kisses to the corners of his lips, and long exploring ones to his mouth, her soft lips inviting, no, demanding more from him, and all he had to do was follow her lead which was so easy with a master like Buffy.

The Force, the Living Force felt as if it was humming with pleasure inside his heart and hadn't Qui-Gon always told him to be mindful of the Living Force?

Then, there was nothing in his head but the feel of her body under his hands, the taste of her mouth and the scent of her filling his senses as they sank down onto the couch behind them. His utility belt thrown onto the floor, her hands slipping under his tunic, stroking his back, his sides and other places no one had ever touched in his entire life. The touch of her skin on his and the small sounds of approval in her throat sending ripples of excitement all the way down to his toes, creating a chain of reactions in his body that should set off his Jedi alarm bell, but her body was so warm, and her skin so silky against his, and the more she touched him the more touching he craved.

As Obi-Wan tugged off his suddenly over-tight tunic, he no longer cared he was breaking the Jedi Code, or if what they were doing created huge waves of pink sparkles in the Force. And he really didn't see how those dratted Sith boys could be having more fun than he was, either.


	88. Forbidden Love

“What's going on Buffy?” Andrew asked.

He spooned cereal into his mouth, crunched, and gave her a suspicious look. She'd been stood in front of the living room mirror when he'd emerged, shuffling and yawning, from his bedroom. He'd gone into the kitchen grabbed some cereal and when he'd come back out she was still stood in the same spot, her hairbrush in the same section of hair. She was acting weird.

“Umm, what do you mean?” she asked guiltily.

Buffy carefully didn't meet his eyes in the mirror. Instead, she looked at the way his hair stuck up in all different directions, before dropping her eyes to the hairy Wookiee slippers with the googly eyes he wore. She knew Andrew would be annoyed if he found out she and Obi-Wan had become...close. She'd seen how he reacted when Obi-Wan changed his outfit to a darker color. He'd totally freak if he found out she'd helped him put his monkhood behind him.

Andrew spooned more cereal into his mouth, blue milk dribbling down his chin, his eyes still on her. “For a start, you're up way too early. Normally at this time you're either showering or deciding what to wear. Oh, and what's with the Darth Vader outfit?”

“I so do not look like Darth Vader!” She lightly threw her brush at him, and it hit his shoulder, making him drop his spoon onto the floor. He picked the spoon up, examined it and wiped it off on his dressing gown, before spooning more cereal into his mouth.

“I didn't say you looked like him. I said you were wearing all black the same as he does, did.” A look of alarm came over his face, he took a deep breath and breathed in a piece of cereal. Coughing, and waving his spoon frantically, he spluttered, “I'm not letting you... have the helmet, and cloak back... if you're gonna start going around... dressed like that all the time. People will mistake you for the real thing.”

She rolled her eyes and tutted. “That helmet is too big for me. Anyway, I am Darth Vader...er, I mean Lord Vader. It's not as if anyone's gonna mistake me for tall, dark and snorty, as he doesn't exist here. I'm going meditating with Obi-Wan, and this was the comfiest outfit I've got.”

He screwed up his face, shovelled more cereal in his mouth and gave her a skeptical look. Possibly he'd seen the mountain of clothing she'd thrown onto her bed when he'd walked past her room but she ignored him as the door buzzer went off. She knew who was waiting for her out in the corridor.

Feeling Andrew's watchful eyes still on her, she walked casually to the door. She also managed to keep the goofy smile from her face as she opened it to reveal her favorite pink sparkle producing Jedi. Dressed, as usual, in his beige pajama set, cavalry boots, and woolen brown bathrobe. She gave an inward sigh. Why did guys have a much easier time picking clothes out that girls? She bet he didn't have a mountain of discarded clothing on his bed from the search for the right outfit.

“Hi,” she said, as she walked out into the corridor trying to make sure she sounded cool, and not like a love-struck teenager crushing on a guy badly.

Obi-Wan allowed his eyes a moment to slide over her before looking at the wall behind her. Keeping his feelings in check was going to even more difficult than he thought. There was an overwhelming urge to take her in his arms and kiss her. They might be in a quiet corridor but there was an elevator at the bottom of the corridor. Anyone could walk out of there at any moment and catch them.

The glimpse he'd gotten of her face showed nothing of how she felt. Was she shielding too? She'd told him she wanted him yesterday, but what if she'd changed her mind?

“Have you changed your mind about... learning Force meditation?” He asked. His voice came out clipped and emotionless, but he was watching her out the corner of his eye and too busy panicking to realize it.

Buffy shuffled uncomfortably, not answering. Picking up straight away on the lack of eye contact, the way he'd ignored her greeting, and the chill in his voice when he did speak to her. Was this going to be like Parker? Like that cold brush off he'd given her at College the morning after they'd spent the night together, or even like Angel acted after he'd had his moment of happiness?

And then another thought hit her, one that knocked the breath right out of her.

What if Obi-Wan hated her for making him break his Jedi vows? He'd had time to think. Was this his oh-so polite way of saying he wanted to break up with her? That he didn't actually want her? That he wanted to go back to being a no-emotion Jedi monk?

From the moment she'd been forced into this dimension, Obi-Wan had been there. The irritating padawan in his strange clothes, and weird hairstyle, who'd slowly become a good friend. A very good friend. She'd started noticing his heart-stopping smiles, his mischievous humor, his kindness, and his willingness to throw himself into every fight to be by her side. Yesterday... yesterday it had felt so right being encircled in his arms, sharing kisses that thrilled her and sent her slaydar crazy with the warm fuzzies. At the time part of her wondered if he was using some kind of Jedi mind trick on her; she'd never felt so safe, loved, and content with a guy before. Then, as things became more heated, she'd realized it was nothing to do with the Force. It was him. It was Obi-Wan.

She'd fallen in love with him, but he didn't feel the same about her.

Her lip trembled; she felt the prickle of tears and blinked to drive them away. She should be used to this now. Didn't matter if they were vampires, soldiers, college boys or monks. Didn't even matter what dimension she was in - she always got her heart broken in the end. She was destined to be forever alone. It was Fate.

Obi-Wan, standing in front of her and still trying desperately to keep his stoic Jedi facade in place, felt the harsh wave of pain rippling through the Force from her. He pulled his gaze from the wall to look at Buffy. Although her eyes were downcast he could seen the sheen of unshed tears and the slight tremble of her lower lip, before she pulled in a deep breath and a look of resignation came over her face.

They were in a public corridor, his emotions were already all over the place and there was nothing he could do without risking revealing his feelings to any one who came by. Except... He stared at her, willing her to look at him. Finally she did, and he realised...

She thought he didn't care.

He needed her to know the truth. Slowly, he allowed the carefully constructed facade to drop and reveal his real emotions. Trying to convey with his eyes just how much he wanted and needed her.  
She looked back at him, eyes locked, green to blue. The world around them faded away, as if they'd been sucked into the Force, to a place where nothing existed but them. Stripped down to two souls who knew each other intimately. They belonged. This was right. Through time and dimensions, this was right.

And then they were stood in the corridor once more, looking at each other. Both disorientated from the experience yet each now knowing the truth about how the other felt.

At the bottom of the corridor they both heard the whirr of the elevator as it rose towards their floor. Buffy and Obi-Wan dragged their eyes away from each other. Obi-Wan frantically working on cloaking his feelings once more and Buffy deep in thought.

Obi-Wan loved her. He hadn't been cold with her or wanting to break up with her. He was hiding his feelings. She should have realised. Why hadn't she realized he'd need to cloak the way he felt? She felt like hitting herself over the head at how totally short-sighted, stupid and naïve she'd been about all this.

If the Jedi found out about them they'd throw him out. Everything he'd worked for, everything he believed in, he'd put it in jeopardy for her. Andrew was always going on about how Obi-Wan Kenobi was the perfect Jedi. One who kept his vows, his ideals, and went on to became a Master on the Jedi Council. Now he might never get that promotion or that moment of glory because of her.

For the first time Buffy realized how important, and difficult, it was going to be keeping their relationship hidden. This wasn't a game. It wasn't a case of sneaking out the house to meet a guy her parents didn't approve of and living it up out of sight. If the Council found out about them Obi-Wan would not only lose his chance of being on the Council but he'd be belittled and thrown out the Order. They'd stick his head (not his real one, obviously) on the wall of shame for his friends and all the Jedi kids to gape at. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi who'd worked so very hard to become a Knight but couldn't keep his vows when temptation beckoned.

And what would happen to her and Andrew? She'd be lucky if they were only evicted. They didn't trust her, didn't believe she was a Slayer and thought she was either a Sith or the next thing over from one. Yodel would definitely think she was a Sith if she'd swayed their newest knight Obi-Wan. They'd tell Palpatine...  
She'd no illusions what Sithy Sid would do if he found out she and a Jedi were an item. He was the jealous sort; he'd freak out and give them a dose of electricity poisoning.

“Are you ready? Or do you need a moment longer?” asked Obi-Wan. The look of burning desire and love was gone from his eyes now, and replaced by one of concern.

Before she could answer, the elevator at the bottom of the corridor slid open and allowed a padawan to exit. He looked over at them, before walking off down the main corridor, perhaps taking a message to one of the other apartments.

“I'm fine.” She smiled at Obi-Wan to show she'd got herself under control. They loved each other and they simply needed to be very careful. She could do this. He could do this.

They headed to the elevator together. Standing at opposite sides as it dropped down several levels before they exited it.

As she walked along the corridor beside Obi-Wan, keeping a regulation six-inch gap between them, another thought occurred to her. Unlike Anakin and Padmé, who'd managed to hide their relationship for years, the two of them were both living inside the Jedi Temple which was full of nosey Mind-Bendys staring at them on a daily basis. It was okay for her - she could tell when they were trying to peck their way into her head - but it was going to be a thousand times worse for Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan would need to shield full time to avoid discovery, especially around the Masters.

There was also the Scoobies. Although she couldn't see Quin being a problem, Count Dooku wouldn't be happy. If he found out she'd gone down the forbidden love route and fallen for Obi-Wan, there was no telling what he'd do. The Count was very protective over her, and since he'd found Obi-Wan lying drunk in the corridor he seemed to think he lacked commitment, and also had a tendency to alcoholism. If he got angry it might send him into Sith Lord mode, which was something she dreaded. She'd always liked Christopher Lee. His version of Count Dracula was much better than the real one and she didn't want to see him with a red lightsaber. No, they couldn't even tell the Scoobies, and they both needed to act naturally to avoid suspicion.

Like it wasn't suspicious walking beside Obi-Wan, and neither of them talking. That was so unnatural.

“So... we gonna try the mind-bendy thing together?”

Obi-Wan didn't look at her. Instead, he kept his eyes firmly focused on the path ahead of them. “That is the plan. The number of Jedi has dropped significantly over the years, resulting in entire sections of the Temple that are hardly used. We shall go to those parts of the Temple, and find a deep meditation chamber where we won't be disturbed. I thought we could go and do it in there.” He paused, “Attempt to access the Force and try for a mind bond that is.”

“Yeah, okay. You know I'm up for it if you are...” she trailed off as he darted her a sidelong glance, causing her eyes to widen and look quickly away.

They both went quiet again, trying to keep their thoughts and feelings neutral. They turned a corner, and suddenly there were Jedi moving all around them. Both felt a prickle of nervous alarm as they continued to walk along, and the majority of Jedi simply nodded to them as they walked past. Nobody took much notice of the Jedi Knight and the Slayer, who'd often been seen in each other's company over the past few months.

It was when they turned onto one of the main corridors that she noticed a familiar long haired Jedi, and his little padawan, walking towards them. “Qui-Gon and Anakin straight ahead,” she said softly.

“Yes, I know.” A note of panic in his voice. “Do try to act naturally, Buffy.”

Buffy looked over at him, took in his rounded shoulders and downcast eyes. “Flounce,” she hissed.

The crease between Obi-Wan's eyebrows appeared, and he gave her a puzzled look. “What do you mean 'flounce'?”

“It's how you walk. Normally you flounce along more, ” Buffy explained, watching from under her lashes as Obi-Wan's former master got closer, and closer.

“I do not flounce!” His head was up, a reproving look on to his face, the bounce coming back into his walk.

“You so do!” argued Buffy. “You're a real flouncer, and you're always flouncing off, and flicking your bathrobe about as you walk...”

“It is NOT a bathrobe! And what's more, I am not a flouncer! I merely have an energetic bounce to my...”

“Obi-Wan! Good to see you,” Qui-Gon's warm voice stopped the young knight defending his non-flounciness any further. “Buffy, you've got a healthy glow about you today. Have you been out hunting vampires or doing any slaying recently?”

“Hunting in the lower levels tonight, Key. I can't wait. Fancy coming with?” Buffy gave him a wide cheerleader smile. She knew it was unlikely Qui-Gon wanted to hunt vamps in the lower levels but thought asking him might get rid of him quicker. She knew Obi-Wan would be stressing in case his old mind bond gave anything away.

“I'll come with you, Buffy!” Anakin piped up, eager for her attention. “I'm getting really fast with a lightsaber, and I've been learning telekinesis so I can balance pears. I could throw them at things. Do you want to see my new lightsaber? I made it myself. It's not got a red blade though, it's blue. I wanted a red sparkly one like yours. Is it true you're only going to get Sith guys interested in you, since you've got a red one?”

“Anakin,” Qui-Gon gently but firmly rebuked. “A young Padawan should be seen and not heard, for fear their opinions bring embarrassment to their Master. You've been told before Buffy's lightsaber previously belonged to a Dark Force user, and that's why it's red. It's not a color you should seek out, nor aspire to own.”

Qui-Gon's eyes alighted on Buffy apologetically. “I'm sorry about that Buffy. He's a tendency to listen to the conversations of idiots and repeat them when he shouldn't. I'm sure Sith guys wouldn't find you in the slightest bit interesting.”

“But Master Qui-Gon! It was Master Yoda who said...”

“That's quite enough Anakin!” Qui-Gon let out an exasperated breath. He gave his padawan a look that quite clearly said they'd be having a long conversation later, before turning back to Buffy once more. “In regard to your demon hunting, I'd be honored to come with you on a hunt, but sadly I'm leaving today on an official errand for the Temple. As for my padawan, he is far too young to be out at that time of night. Which reminds me... Anakin, would you mind taking Buffy into the training room over there, and showing her your lightsaber? I'd like to have a private word with Obi-Wan regarding something young ears shouldn't be listening to.”

Buffy felt her heart miss a beat at Qui-Gon's words and didn't dare look at Obi-Wan. Anakin, a happy smile on his face, grabbed Buffy's hand and dragged her off into a nearby room chattering away.

“... don't think Obi-Wan likes me. He overheard me saying you were my girlfriend and told me off in front of the class. I think he's jealous... This older boy said he was going to marry you, and we had a fight in the dormitory. I beat him until he cried, and he ran off and told one of the Masters.... Qui-Gon says I've got to stop saying I'm getting married, and I have to stay single if I'm a Jedi.... He said Obi-Wan was never this much trouble.... I'm building a droid in my room, if you want to see it I'll show you. There's parts everywhere and Qui-Gon stood on one and hurt his foot. This is my lightsaber. It's blue, do you think I'd suit a red one better?”

Buffy attempts at eavesdropping on Key and Ubi's conversation failed, due to the non-stop chattering from Anakin. She'd thought Dawn had been bad at that age, but this kid never drew breath. He was bouncing about on chairs now. Trying to impress her fighting an invisible enemy with his lightsaber and making very loud sound effects at the same time.

She gave up trying to eavesdrop and focused on Anakin. “I like that color of a lightsaber and it suits you, An. I'm thinking of changing my lightsaber as I'm getting bored with red and I find it clashes with some of my outfits. I've got Andrew building me a new one but he's not having any luck.”

“Have you been meditating over them?” asked Anakin, getting up off the floor where he'd resorted to choking his invisible enemy to death with one hand. “The crystals won't work unless you do lots of really, really, really, boring meditating. Honestly, it takes weeks, and weeks, and weeks. Master Qui-Gon says a lightsaber is not only the weapon of a Force User, but also an extension of its maker's bond with the Force. That's why they come out different colors. If you can't get the Force Bond right, the crystal won't work for you.”

“Oh. I guess that's why we keep going wrong then. Andrew's no good with meditating, and I keep watching the gossip channel, and forgetting.” A movement in the doorway caught her eye and she spotted Obi-Wan. “Ah, there's Ubi now. He's gonna teach me to Force meditate today.”

“Can I come with you? I can show you the best ways to sit, and teach you all about the Jedi Code, and everything.” Anakin looked disappointed when they reached the door and his master beckoned to him to follow him down the corridor. “Darn. Guess he'll moan if I miss my lessons. Bye Buffy. I'll see you later.” He ran to Qui-Gon, who put a hand on the boy's shoulder, and began giving him a stern talking to.

“Has he been bothering you again?” Obi-Wan asked quietly, coming to stand beside her as she watched the small blonde boy rounding a corner at the bottom of the corridor with Qui-Gon.

“Nope, just talking about his lightsaber.” Buffy's eyes rested on Obi-Wan. “What did Key want? Did he pick anything up about...”

They turned as one and began walking down the corridor, falling into synchronized step without realizing it.

Obi-Wan replied softly, “Oh, he didn't sense anything going on between us, which is a relief since my bond with him is still strong. He's found a safe place for Shmi. She's going to Naboo to stay with Padme, and her sale and delivery should happen shortly. I don't think he wanted to mention anything in front of Anakin in case something went wrong. Al...Also...” he stuttered to a stop as they reached another corridor and spotted Master Yoda flying down the corridor on his chair towards them.

“I know how to get rid of him,” Buffy smirked. “Watch this...”

Buffy held up her hand. Her palm facing forwards, fingers carefully held the way Andrew had shown her. It had an instant effect on Yoda. The little green Master slowed. His ears flattened against his skull, his lip curled into a snarl, as he glared at Buffy's raised hand. Then he made an abrupt turn to the right and darted off down that corridor.

“Is that some kind of Dark Force Sith sign?” asked Obi-Wan, a note of anxiety clouding his voice, He stared at Buffy's hand with a crease between his eyebrows. “You really shouldn't be using Dark Force hand signals. Especially in the Jedi Temple, it's going to get you a bad name, not to mention the more you use the Sithy stuff the more likely it is you'll turn into a Sith....”

“Oi! It's not a Sith sign at all! It's from Star Trek! It's the Vulcan hand sign for Live Long, and Prosper, but Yodel thinks it's something rude, and every time Andrew does it to him he darts off. Seemed the best way to get rid of him... What were you saying about Qui-Gon?”

“Are you sure it means live long, and prosper? It looked distinctly Sithy to me.” He gave her a dubious look, as they began to walk along a corridor with a series of cloister-like windows looking out across the Coruscant skyline.

Buffy huffed, “It's definitely from Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek dimension! I've seen Spock using it on... Youtube, and it's a friendly greeting. You're such a worrier, Ubi!” She nudged him. “I swear everything I do gives you a bad feeling or looks Sithy.”

“Not everything you do gives me a bad feeling, Buffy.” He shot her a hooded, smoldering look with a hint of a dark smirk, and she returned it with a heated look of her own.

A door slid open above them and a Jedi rushed out, surprising both of them. Obi-Wan and Buffy turned their faces away from each other, burying their emotions as the Jedi came hurrying down the stairs towards them. Intent on her own urgent errand, she quickly passed them and vanished from sight.

Once she'd gone, Obi-Wan began to talk again. “As I was saying... Qui-Gon mentioned Queen Amidala was asking about you, in particular in the context of vampires. Palpatine has evidently been asking a lot of questions regarding the vampire inside the Senate. In doing so he's ruffled a few feathers among the Senators as his questioning has been particularly invasive. Apparently he's not happy security tapes have been interfered with, and is demanding a shake-up of Senate Security with him having the final say in all security measures.”

“...and so he takes charge, and control of all in the Senate...”

Obi-Wan gave her a sharp look, making her wonder how long she could withhold the knowledge of Sid's Sithyness from him. He was far from stupid, and keeping it from him made her feel uncomfortable, as if she was Sid's accomplice in some way. But if she told him, and he told the council - who'd they believe?


	89. Down In The Underground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Investigation into the lower levels

Obi-Wan was running late and Buffy was stressed. Had the Jedi Council arrested Obi-Wan for breaking the Jedi rules and losing his monkhood? Each time someone entered the hangar she looked over, wondering if they were going to arrest her for corrupting a Jedi knight.

They had gathered inside the Jedi speeder hangar waiting for Obi-Wan to arrive for their demon hunt and neither Andrew nor Quin were showing any sign of concern over the missing Jedi.

Andrew shrugged, saying that he must have been held up, while Quin replied that, knowing Obi-Wan, he'd thought of something important and gone off to do it without telling anyone. Instead of fretting like Buffy was, the Kiffar used the time far more productively checking the speeder over, collecting their gear, and making sure she and Andrew wore their protective clothing properly.

The four of them had visited the Jedi store earlier and now they were dressed in identical dark gray, all-in-one suits, and wearing thick soled black calf length boots. When Buffy had first seen her boots in the Jedi supply store she'd shrieked, “I'm not wearing those! They're made for the fashion unconscious!”

Neither Obi-Wan or Quin had been impressed by her superior fashion sense. Instead, they'd explained at long length how the boots had been designed to protect the wearer from chemical splashes and other toxic substances they might encounter in the low levels. At first, Buffy dug her heels in and refused to wear them, citing that no Slayer with a grain of street cred would be caught dead in them. However, she eventually changed her mind after Obi-Wan said her normal footwear would melt, and she'd reluctantly agreed to wear them since she didn't want to lose a good pair of boots.

Now, as she waited for Obi-Wan, she bounced lightly on the balls of her feet (in her ugly boots) and felt for her lightsaber, which hung along with a number of wooden stakes on her newly acquired Jedi utility belt. She didn't need to check for the sword, she could sense the magical hum as a constant presence on her slaydar.

Her mind kept darting from Obi-Wan to what she'd find in the Coruscant Underworld and then back to Obi-Wan again. If their mind bond was up and running she'd have messaged him and asked where the hell he was.

They'd tried for several hours to establish a mind bond that morning. Despite lots of intense meditating, head-pecking, and Obi-Wan looking as if he was going for the Vulcan mind meld, they hadn't managed to achieve it. In fact the only thing that did happen was they'd become distracted and gone in for more smoochies. This caused Obi-Wan to emerge from the meditation chamber looking as if he needed a good ironing, and she found out later her top was on inside out. In spite of the lack of success in going mind-bendy, she was in complete agreement with Obi-Wan. She needed to keep working on it on a regular basis.

As she fidgeted, watching Quin and Andrew argue over the best way to store helmets and oxygen tanks in the speeder trunk, her Slaydar pinged. Obi-Wan's extra shiny-ness was inside the elevator three corridors away.  
She felt relief, and then annoyance, when he finally sauntered into the hangar in his tight-fitting protective suit with a droid mincing along by his side. It was one of those which couldn't bend their knees properly, the type that served craptastic coffee, and that she'd accidentally slain on her first night in the Temple when she'd been playing with her new Sithy lightsaber.

“What's with the Service Droid? Are you planning on serving caff down there or doing a bit of cleaning?” Buffy called over to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan smirked at her, his eyes sparkling and not looking at all apologetic for being late.  
“There's nothing wrong with enjoying hot beverages or a good standard of hygiene in a potentially hostile situation.” he said. “This, however, is a protocol droid.”

When she stared at him blankly he explained further. “We're going to the lower levels of the planet where many will not speak Basic. This droid will translate, and enable us to obtain further information in regard to your vampire hunt. That's why I made a detour to collect one.”

“Good thinking, Batman.” She watched the droid's stilted walk. “It doesn't move fast, does it? What happens if we need to run, and it gets left behind? Will we come back to find someone's pinched the legs off it?”

“Oh, my, I don't like the sound of that!” The droid twisted it's head stiffly in the direction of Obi-Wan. “Sir, I'm not used to venturing into rough areas. I've only ever been used on peaceful diplomatic missions in the past, and I have no experience of being in a war zone.”

“He'll be fine, Buffy. 3PO-484, we are not going to a war zone. I have every confidence in your ability in traversing the lower levels and maintaining ownership of your legs.”

Buffy watched the droid with suspicion. She didn't like droids. They kept acting nervous around her for some reason. But it was a good idea of Obi-Wan's to bring one along as an interpreter.  
It had also been a good idea of Obi-Wan's to leave her speeder in the hangar and instead borrow an old beat-up Temple speeder. If Jay was watching the Temple, he wouldn't expect her to use such a nondescript one, plus it was less likely to be an attractive target for speeder thieves.

There was a short scuffle when it came to them deciding who was going to sit where inside the speeder. Obi-Wan got all bossy, insisting he drove as he'd booked the speeder out in his name, Quin said he was too tall to sit in the back as his legs would be scrunched up, and Buffy refused to sit next to the droid as she said it kept looking at her funny.

By the time they'd sorted themselves out and took off from the Jedi Temple hangar, the sun was setting over Coruscant. They flew into one of the planet's magnificent sunsets. The evening sky was streaked in beautiful shades of oranges, golds, deep reds and purples, which Obi-Wan informed her was due to all the pollutants in the atmosphere. Despite knowing this, Buffy sat in the back of the speeder, enjoying watching how the light shining through the windows changed Obi-Wan's red-blonde hair to burnished gold, while across from her Quin's golden facial tattoos shone out from under his dark locks as he turned to speak to the man next to him. Beside her, Andrew fidgeted, constantly flicking the safety on and off on his blaster pistol which he was holding on his lap, while the droid sat on the opposite side watching him and the mouth of the blaster (which was facing it) nervously. Buffy prodded Andrew, gave the blaster a look and shook her head. Her watcher sighed and shoved it back into the leg holster.

With Count Dooku still in the hospital section of the Temple - accepting visitors but extremely cranky- she'd been forced to take Andrew to make up the numbers in case they needed to split up. She'd given him a long lecture before they set out. He was on strict instructions not to wander off, fall into radio-active goo, or touch any strange Sithy statues no matter how tempting they looked. They'd also decided that if they needed to split into pairs he'd partner Obi-Wan.

They'd told Andrew this was because Obi-Wan wanted the pleasure of his company. Really it was because after the bounty hunter chase, Quin had pulled them to one side, saying if they insisted on making him Andrew's partner, he wasn't coming again. The Kiffar knight claimed all Andrew's squealing during the chase had given him a 'bad head', and that he'd needed to put himself into a Force-induced healing trance to clear it. When she'd offered to be his partner, Buffy had to laugh at the look of pure relief on his face. Her watcher had given her a headache on more than one occasion in the past with his antics, so she understood what it felt like knowing you didn't need to deal with him.

As the sun finally slipped below the horizon and the planet's surface lit up with gaudy advertising signs, their speeder came to the giant gaping hole that was one of the planet's ventilation shafts. Obi-Wan flew the speeder into the huge shaft and allowed the craft to slowly drop through the planet's many levels.

Buffy had been into the library with Obi-Wan researching the area she was intending to explore and had been shocked to discover that there were over 500 levels to Coruscant. The past inhabitants had built layer after layer of cities, one on top of the other, leaving the older levels to the poorer people while those with more money lived higher up. She'd found also out that due to the harshness of the conditions, few humans lived below level 200, and those who did live in the lower levels often lived out their entire lives without seeing the sun or the sky. Her destination was far below level 200. The body drained of blood had been found by off chance by a member of the Coruscant Security Force during a chase for a criminal that had gone all the way down to Level 10.

After what felt like they'd been dropping downwards for ages (which they probably had) and Buffy's ears had popped several times due to the differences in pressure Obi-Wan stopped the speeder and hovered.

“We're at Level 10 now,” he said, after a moment of double checking the navigation system.

They left the shaft and began to fly towards the coordinates they'd been given. Oddly enough that happened to be back towards the Temple and the Senate district.

The streets they flew along were narrow, completely covered by more buildings above them and ill-lit with only the occasional street lamp and advertising sign. Everything appeared run down. Broken advertising signs hung with the majority of their lights blown out, piles of garbage and junk littered the place, and packs of feral alien kids ran around wearing little more than rags. Shifty looking adult aliens stared at them as they passed by, and cloaked, hunched figures were glimpsed moving in the shadows.

“That place looks like a hive of scum, and villainy,” said Andrew, leaning over Buffy and staring out at a mean looking business with drunken aliens staring menacingly as they flew past.

“Very much so,” replied Obi-Wan, curling his lip as they passed a particularly broken down disreputable brothel, advertising the services of male and females of different species. Buffy was glad he curled his lip. If he'd looked too interested she'd have slapped him across the back of his head.

“It's got a Demony vibe going on,” she said. “They like places where people go to hide and become lost to society. They can pick off their supper knowing few will miss them.” She looked out at all the darkened alleyways, thinking how a vampire would see this place as a ripe hunting ground. “When I was seventeen and wanted to lose myself for a while, I ran away from home and moved into an unsavory area. I found out Demons were coming out of a portal, grabbing the homeless and runaways off the streets and taking them back to be used as slaves in a Hell Dimension. I went through the portal and freed them all.”

“Was that after you stabbed Angel and sent him to Hell?” Andrew asked. He asked quietly but both Obi-Wan and Quin heard him.

“You stabbed an Angel?” asked Quin. “I thought they were a mythological being?”

“Then you were Myth-staken,” quipped Buffy, although her heart wasn't in it.

Andrew kindly explained (with Buffy giving him daggers). “Angel was Buffy's demon boyfriend when she was at school. She was only seventeen and he was over two hundred fifty years when they OWWWW!” Andrew rubbed his side where Buffy had elbowed him. “I think you've cracked one of my ribs!”

“I'll crack more than a rib if your mouth keeps flapping,” snarled Buffy. Obi-Wan was listening to Andrew, and it made her feel uncomfortable. He knew she'd vampire boyfriends but it didn't sound good a teenage schoolgirl with a guy over two hundred fifty, especially with her going on to thrust a sword into his stomach and send him to a hell dimension. People might get the wrong idea about it all.

The Droid next to Andrew was staring at her with a shocked expression. She glared at it. It had best not open its mouth and comment, or else it would find it was walking around with its head on backward.

The further they flew away from the ventilation shaft, the fewer life forms they saw around them. Now the ancient covered streets were pitch black, their speeder lights giving them glimpses of the tumbledown buildings around them, while huge piles of junk and decaying debris littered the streets. Buffy was glad that the speeder Obi-Wan had chosen was airtight, had its own air supply, and they weren't breathing what must be noxious fumes in from all this decay.

Despite being inside an enclosed speeder and the place's apparent lack of life, she could hear the regular thumping sound of machinery, along with a high pitch whining noise which Buffy found annoying to her slayer hearing.

“Are there a lot of factories down here?” she asked. The lights on their speeder lit up the tunnel in front of her, but everything else was impenetrable darkness. Definitely no street lighting whatsoever down this far, and not even the bright advertising signs that every business on the planet seemed to use.

“Most of Coruscant's major services are located in the under levels,” explained Quin. “They are further up, but the sound appears to have travelled down here. I've never been this low before. The Force is odd down here. It feels murky and indistinct. Do you feel it too Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan nodded, a crease between his brows as he flew the air-speeder along. “The Force is indeed  
cloudy and feels very distorted down here. It reminds me of the Sith Tomb we investigated in the Jedi Temple basement. In fact, according to our navigation system, we are now heading back towards the Jedi Temple so it could be the remnants of Sith Temple affecting the Force,” he said looking at his instruments. “Are your Slayer senses picking anything up, Buffy?”

“Mainly my teeth vibrating from the pounding noises,” she replied. “I'm not getting a Hellmouth Buzz or vamp tingles but that might change when we get out the speeder. What's with all the water dripping down in places? Is it from drains?” They were flying through yet another gushing stream of liquid as she asked and she didn't like the look of the dirty looking liquid.

“Either drainage water from upper levels, sewerage or chemical discharge from factories,” Obi-Wan replied grimly. “If we're lucky its drainage water but do try to avoid it in case it isn't. The lower levels are one huge dumping ground for the planet's wastes. That's why it was so important to come here suited up. As soon as we stop, we need to put on the helmets and oxygen tanks before getting out the speeder.”

“First dibs on the Vader helmet!” Andrew bounced in his seat and raised his arm looking around happily, glad he'd thought to ask for it first.

“Tough,” said Buffy. “Obi-Wan asked me earlier if he could use it, and I said yes.”

“You can't let Obi-Wan Kenobi wear The Vader Helmet!” Andrew sounded horrified. “It's... it's not right him wearing that helmet. It's against the laws of...”

“I did ask first,” said Obi-Wan. “It fits me better than it does you, and if I say so myself, it looks good on me. What do you think Quin?”

Quin rolled his eyes at Obi-Wan, before turning in his seat. “As it's Buffy's helmet it should be her decision who wears the Vader Helmet. I've no idea why Palpatine even thought it suitable for her, it's too big for her and it's obviously been built with a Force User in mind. There's a nice orange one in the back for you, Andrew. I picked it out especially for you.”

“Ugh, that's so unfair!” moaned Andrew. “ I don't want an orange one. I want the cool Vader one with all the inbuilt gadgets.”

“You aren't Force User so you can't use half of what's in-built,” replied Obi-Wan. “Since Buffy doesn't want to wear it, I do. Buffy's happy with a plain black helmet, and Quin's got a navy blue one...”

“And I've got a freaking bright orange one!”

“It's so we don't lose you,” said Quin trying not to smirk.

“Don't worry Andrew. The Tinman sat next to you won't be wearing a helmet so you won't feel the odd one out,” pointed out Buffy with a grin.

Andrew folded his arms and sulked at them all. It was all so wrong. Obi-Wan Kenobi wanting to wear Vader's helmet like that; not to mention how he'd found him cuddled up to her on the couch with a soppy look on his face the day Whistler appeared. Buffy was well out of line. Not only did she think it was okay letting Obi-Wan Kenobi wear Darth Vader's clothing but she'd gone and started a love triangle between Darth Sidious, Lord Vader, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. It wasn't fair doing things like that to a Star Wars fan. Due to her antics, he'd no idea how things were going to work out in this dimension now.

.....

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Andrew asked.

He was leaning forwards, between the two Jedi sitting in the front and staring out the windshield. Mounds of decaying refuse from the above levels surrounded them. He didn't know much about the lower levels of Coruscant except no one liked the place and everyone avoided it if they had any sense. The lights from the front of their speeder lit up huge piles of rotting garbage, twisted sections of metal and if that wasn't bad enough there were layers of sludge and pools of liquid everywhere.

“It is the exact coordinates the Coruscanti Security Guard gave us,” replied Obi-Wan. He too was looking out the windshield with a sour expression. “Also Buffy's new Dathomirian witch friend pinpointed this very same area as the best place to hunt demons.”

Quin raised his eyebrow at that and shot Buffy a puzzled look, but wisely didn't question or comment on her strange choice of friends in case she took revenge by kicking him again. The last time she'd done that (when he'd accidentally picked up one of her memories) he'd been limping for days.

Obi-Wan turned in his seat, resting his arm along the back of his chair and made eye-contact with Buffy. “Buffy, can you pass the helmets and oxygen tanks forwards?”

Andrew noticed how the two of them were trying very hard to act as if nothing was going on between them, but they couldn't fool him. He'd not only caught them on the couch together the day they'd used Whistler as an excuse, but he'd also seen the yearning looks and snarking going on a for a while between them now. They were trying to hide it, but if the Council found out what they were up to, they'd evicted from the Temple.

Darth Sidious would no doubt freak out. He wouldn't be happy Lord Vader, who'd already turned down his marriage proposal, and Kenobi were having a romantic relationship. Andrew had seen the movies several (hundred) times and knew The Dark Lord of the Sith had a foul-temper when he wasn't getting his own way. No doubt he'd Force Lightning them to death in an attack of jealousy and claim they'd all died during a freak thunderstorm while out gardening.

His eyes slid across to Quin, wondering if he'd spotted anything in the couple's behavior, but the Kiffar merely looked at him and raised an eyebrow. No doubt Quin thought he was still sulking because he'd lost out wearing the Vader helmet to Obi-Wan.

“I'll get the gear!” Andrew replied, mainly because Buffy hadn't taken her eyes from Obi-Wan, never mind made a move to grab their stuff from behind their seats. He gave a discreet prod to her arm to stop the eye locking session the two were engaged in. Honestly, if they both carried on like that they'd be caught out sooner rather than later. Andrew really hoped it would be later, seeing as they'd given the bulk of their spare credits to Qui-Gon for Shmi's release from slavery. They needed more time to build up a store of credits for alternate lodgings, or even better, passage on a fast ship heading to a remote Outer Rim planet where Sid wouldn't find them.

Huffing to himself with annoyance at the idiots surrounding him, he shoved the 3PO droid to one side and began to tug out the helmets and oxygen canisters from behind the rear seats. As he pulled each item out and handed it forwards, he felt one being tugged away from him with more force than the others.

“This one is mine,” said Obi-Wan with a smug look. He pulled on the Vader helmet, linked it to his oxygen supply, and dropped the dark visor.

Andrew rolled his eyes. It wasn't as if he could fight a Jedi knight over ownership of Darth Vader's helmet. He pulled the orange one they'd given him over his head, tugged the oxygen tank harness over his shoulders and dropped his own visor. Across from him, Quin was doing the same, as was Buffy.

“Everyone ready to have some fun?” asked Buffy, her voice muffled by her helmet.

Obi-Wan replied, his voice deeper and reverberating from inside the Vader helmet. “It will hardly be fun, Buffy. This place is about as depressing as Tatooine and that's saying something.”

“Are there any vamps on tattoo-wean ?” Buffy asked, sounding interested in paying the planet a visit.

“I honestly have no idea, and I've no wish to ever go back to that force-forsaken, desert planet to find out,” Obi-Wan replied. “Now if everyone is ready, let's start demon hunting.”

….......

After climbing from the speeder and realizing the size of the dump where the body had been found they decided they'd cover more area if they spit up into pairs. Obi-Wan and Andrew took the area closer to the speeder while Buffy and Quin walked to the opposite side and began their search there.

Buffy was surprised when the Three-Pee droid decided to tag along with her and Quin, rather than Obi-Wan and Andrew. Maybe Andrew had upset it by pointing his blaster pistol at it and flicking the safety catch on and off. It was trotting along behind them, chattering away to itself. It seemed to be a constant monologue of complaints of how chemical splashes caused corrosion to joints in general, how rubbish kept getting stuck to its foot, and moaning as they weren't waiting for it. Every so often it would go into a panic in case someone came along and stole one of it's limbs.

Buffy tuned it's whining out. It was easy enough to do after dealing with Andrew's complaining during his time as her Watcher, but she caught Quin turning his head in the droid's direction several times, and heard him huffing and puffing to himself inside his helmet. Seemed even the Jedi serenity wasn't immune to annoyance caused by Droids and Andrew.

Ignoring the droid and Quin, Buffy took a good look around her. Through the night vision that came inbuilt into the helmet, Buffy could see suspicious looking fumes rising from the decaying mounds of detritus and pools of liquid covering the ground. It made her feel glad her helmet had its own air supply as she didn't fancy breathing in the malodorous gases down here. Even if they weren't poisonous they were no doubt stinky.

“Try to avoid the puddles,” Quin pointed at the pools of liquid dotted around. “Not only could they be a toxic chemical concoction but they could easily be a lot deeper than they look. It's not easy to tell their depth, the Force is so murky down here.”

She took his advice and carefully skirted round them, not wanting to risk a dunking in any foul liquid. Behind her Three-Pee was looking over it's shoulder and muttering about the black market rate for droid parts and how it would doubtless be a target for a thief. As they skirted a particularly wide puddle the droid lost it's balance and fell sideways, spraying thick dark liquid all over Buffy.

Buffy stilled, wincing as the liquid made hissing sounds on contact with her suit. “Oi! Look where you're going! It's lucky for you these are not my good clothes, else I'd be the one pulling off your legs.”

The droid, dragged itself up and looked at her with an injured expression. She ignored it. She got enough injured expressions off Andrew without the droid trying it as well.

“I'm positive I spotted something creeping up on us from that direction,” Three-Pee called out loudly, pointing its metal arm behind them. Buffy rolled her eyes at its lack of subtlety. If anything had been creeping up it would hidden somewhere else on seeing Three-Pee pointing at it.

Taking a good look over where the droid pointed, Buffy could see several mounds of junk. It was possible an attacker could be using those heaps as cover from which to launch a sneak attack, but she wasn't getting any tingly vibes on her spidey senses. Well, strictly that wasn't true. Down here both the Jedi, Quin and Obi-Wan, created shiny vibes that hit her spidey senses like beacons in the darkness. And Obi-Wan's were definitely of the extra tingly type. Not that she had any desire to slay him, his tingles created a very different type of urge and one she intended to sample again once they got back to the Temple.

Pulling her thoughts away from the Jedi, she took a couple of deep breaths, trying to relax and access her slaydar once more. This wasn't the easiest place to concentrate in. The constant pounding of the factories high above them, along with the vibrations they created, irritated and interfered with her sensitive slaydar. She could pick up that the area was one to be very wary in, but if a vamp or evil creepy was about down here it wasn't in range.

Still, there was something down here nudging her Slayer senses. Yet when she tried to focus frustratingly it slid away...

“Are you picking anything up through the Force?” she asked Quin.

“No. The Force feels cloudy down here. I can sense Obi-Wan but nothing else.”

“It's over there!” shrieked the droid, making Buffy jump. “ I knew I saw something creeping up on me! It's a thief, a thief! Creeping along and trying to steal my legs! I've heard all about places like this. They are full of master criminals who sneak up on innocent droids, steal their parts and leave behind a hollowed out husk with only a few odd wires trailing loose.” It fluttered it's hands about with a combination of disgust and apprehension. “No doubt I'll be hoisted up onto blocks and my legs will be the first thing stolen.”

Buffy looked in the direction the droid pointed and spotted the potential thief the droid had seen. Annoyed, she grabbed the nervous droid by the throat with one hand and raised it a couple of foot off the ground so that its legs dangled in midair.

“Listen, that thing you saw creeping up on you is a Spider Roach. It doesn't want your legs, it's got enough of it's own. But... if you carry on shouting out like that every time you spot a roach you'll lose some important wiring that'll alter your singing voice. Do you understand me, 'something's creeping up on me,' Tweety Pie?”

Hanging in the air, the droid stared back at her with its large non-blinking eyes. It looked genuinely terrified which made Buffy feel guilty for bullying it. She wasn't sure how a droid without facial muscles could do so many expressions but it seemed a lot of droids in this dimension had that ability.

“Yes, Miss Buffy. Tweety Pie understands,” it replied in a submissive voice. Accepting both her instructions and its new name meekly.

She lowered it to the ground and let it go. Quin, who'd been watching her threaten the droid with amusement, simply nodded to her and the pair began searching the dumping area again. They carefully avoiding the slimy pools of liquid and walking around the huge piles of decaying, vile junk. Together they scanned the area using their special powers, Quin through the Force and Buffy with her slaydar as well as with their normal senses. They found no drained bodies, nor any evidence of recent death (apart from something that appeared to have died a long time as it was reduced to dry bones and flapping skin) Quin looked at it for a while, before finally saying he thought it was some kind of domesticated animal that had gotten lost and died of natural causes.

Despite drawing a blank in their search, the area was giving her slaydar an icky feeling. Nothing individual pinged her spidey senses but it felt like one huge spider web of demony ick-ness down here. It felt as if she'd rolled up on demon home turf and was waiting for the demons to return home and show their ugly faces. A bit like Goldilocks and the three bears but less sampling of the porridge, and more lying in wait and chopping off the heads when they showed their faces.

“Shall we start looking inside the buildings?” asked Quin. He stood with his hands on hips staring up at what was left of the structures inside the tunnels.

“Yeah, might as well. Might find a hidden demon lair and something to slay,” replied Buffy hopefully.

They started in the first building they came to. Inside it was even more depressing than from the outside. Anything in the slightest bit valuable or useful had long been stripped and taken away by scavengers, leaving behind only the bare bones of the buildings and damage caused by the removal of doors. Many of the rooms they peered into had mounds of decaying refuse with strange fungi growing over them. Buffy wrinkled her nose in disgust. She was glad the air she breathed came from the oxygen tanks rather than the foul, malignant, germ-ridden atmosphere which must be in these rooms.

She was just kicking at a section of twisted broken metalwork she'd come across half blocking a corridor, wondering if it was worth climbing over it to look into the rooms beyond, when she felt something scratching across her mind. She wasn't sure why, but it instantly made her think of Obi-Wan and a warning. She could still sense him, a bright spot tingling her slaydar, exploring his side of the dump but that scratching sensation made her feel anxious.

Glancing behind her, she could see Tweety standing guard in the middle of the doorway with it's back to her; watching outside for movement. She'd told it to be a lookout since it was good at shouting out when it spotted things but reminded it not to alert them of roaches.

Quin had gone off down another corridor and exploring even further into the building. She could feel his ping of shinyness investigating what was once a side room in the building. Quickly, doubling back on herself and going along the corridor he'd followed, she put her head around the broken doorway and flinched as she looked into that room. Most of the ceiling hung down and what still remained in place looked about ready to collapse at the slightest vibration. Not daring to call out she waited until he looked up, and beckoned him from the room.

“Did you hear or perhaps feel something through the Force a moment ago?” she asked.

He shook his head. “ Nothing. What do you think it was?”

“I'm not sure. I'd really like to take this helmet off....” Buffy's hands reached up to touch the smooth surface of her helmet. It was annoying her. It felt as if it was muffling her Slayer senses and if she could take it off things would be a lot clearer.

“Don't!” Quin's gloved hand shot out and closed around her hand to stop her. “The atmosphere down here is far too polluted. Even if you do manage to breathe there is no telling what kind of damage it could do to your respiratory system in the long term.” The Kiffar sounded worried.

She nodded. “I'm not gonna take it off, even if it is flattening my hair. I've got an odd feeling, Quin. It's as if I should be able to sense something but whenever I concentrate whatever it slides away from me.” She paused trying to think of another way to describe it. “It's like seeing something out the corner of my eye but when I go to look straight at it I can't focus on it.”

His nodded, his helmet going up and down. “If you were a Force User telling me that I'd say it's a sign of something cloaking itself in the Force. I'll comlink Obi-Wan and see if he's sensing anything. ”

As they walked from the derelict building, Quin tried to contact Obi-Wan several times without success.

“He's not answering.”

“Neither is Andrew,” replied Buffy who'd been trying to get hold of her Watcher. That odd scratching sensation she'd felt before on her brain, along with the fact neither of them was answering their calls made her anxious. “Let's head over there and check they're okay.

The urge to use Slayer speed warred against common sense. The ground here was littered with rubbish, pools of goo, and deeply pitted with holes full of sludge, making running difficult. Not only that, but if something was going on with Obi-Wan that made it impossible for him and Andrew to answer their calls, it was better to be cautious. Instead, she hugged the sides of the ancient buildings, using the cover the walls provided to mask their path. Quin followed immediately behind her, then behind him the droid. Tweety was keeping quiet (she'd glared at when it started complaining about scratching it's paintwork on the wall) and trying to copy their actions as best as it could with its very stiff legs. Their progress felt excruciating slow to Buffy but she kept reminding herself it was better to go slow rather than gallop straight into trouble and be captured by enemies.

They were only halfway back to the speeder when her spidey senses triggered. Not a slight twinge but a full on scream of alarm as she felt something dark and demony surround them.

She spun to warn Quin. Hissing, “Watch out! They're all around us!”

“I don't sense...”

She didn't hear any more. Buffy's Slayer hearing picked up the sound of a soft click, the noise coming from a gap in the broken wall of the building in front of them. A safety being taken off a blaster? Acting instinctively, she darted to one side dragging Quin along with her.

A split second later came a loud pop as a netgun went off. The net hissing through the air overhead, passing over where they'd been stood only a moment ago. Instead of ensnaring them the net hit the droid, wrapping around its head and upper torso, sparks flying at various points along the mesh, and Tweety fell to the ground - shorted out.

Buffy dived and rolled across the ground. Heedless to the puddles of goo that quickly coated her clothes and grabbed for her lightsaber. Across from her Quin crouched, his green lightsaber ignited as yet another net fired. Dropped from an assailant above them. It landed completely over him. The electronet's current lit up the mesh, causing the Kiffar to roar out. He fought through the pain of the shocks, green lightsaber humming as it slashed through mesh. More popping noises signaled the release of net after net. They came in from all sides.

Buffy too was making short slashes with Mr. Sparkly as multiple nets hit her. As fast as she sliced through one net another took its place. Battling both the shocks and constricting mesh, she caught glimpses of the demons around her. A long, sinewy, scaley arm reaching out. The flash of a broad alien muzzle. Lips drawn back, exposing large teeth. Gelatinous saliva dripping from mouths. The eyeless sockets of a creature born to live and hunt underground.

The urge to quip and call her attackers a variety of names warred with her need to keep her teeth clenched. An open mouth could mean a bitten tongue. Powerful shocks ripped painfully through her body as several nets hit her. She fought to stop herself crying out. Mr. Sparkly fell from her fist and deactivated. The stronger shocks sent body into spasms. Her back arching, her body twisting cruelly and shuddering, she hit the ground hard.

Trapped inside a body tormented with pain, she lay on the floor arms and legs still twitching from the aftermath of the shocks. From the net she caught a flash as her lightsaber tumbled out, hitting the ground before rolling off. No doubt lost forever in the piles of debris surrounding her.

The troop of demons, satisfied their prey was no longer a threat, made loud whooping noises of delight. Buffy felt them swooping her up, binding the nets and ropes even more tightly around her. It felt as if they were spiders and she was a fly caught in their web, being bundled up for a later meal.

Once the creatures had packaged them both, two of the larger ones hefted her and Quin onto their shoulders, and the troop set off through the labyrinth of tunnels.


	90. The world falls down...

Obi-Wan wandered from the dumped refuse into the filthy, derelict building where mold and fungi grew out of heaps of congealed decaying waste. His lip curling at the amount of debris and filth present in the lower levels. It was all very unhygienic and made him feel dirty as if he should go home and stand under the sonic shower for an hour. And possibly burn all the clothes he was wearing.

Not the Vader helmet though. The Vader helmet was even more interesting than he'd first thought. It had neural transducers that sent messages to his brain regarding the atmosphere surrounding him, climatic conditions, and even giving him information on bio-life signs. He felt that there was more to be discovered in regard to the helmet gifted to Buffy when she took on the role of Lord Vader for Palpatine. He'd keep it as his, and not give it back to Andrew. It wasn't even as if Andrew could use it; to him, it was simply something to display, like an ornament, in his bedroom. He could put the helmet to much better use than Andrew could.

It was Buffy's helmet anyway, and he didn't think Buffy would mind him keeping hold of it. She'd never liked the Lord Vader helmet from the moment she'd laid eyes on it. Probably because it was too big for her, and kept dropping down over her eyes and hitting the bridge of her nose. She also claimed the visor 'hated' her, and the mechanism kept sticking making her feel trapped, though he hadn't noticed any problem with it. It was an interesting helmet. He could investigate its features and ask Buffy to call round in the evenings so they could discuss his findings in depth. If their chats went on late into the night she could always stay over at his place. After all, leaving in the middle of the night would only arouse suspicion if she was spotted by the Temple Guardians or, Force forbid, Count Dooku, who might start patrolling the corridors again.

There was the padawan bedroom going spare, and since she was learning about the Force from him she was virtually his padawan, albeit unofficially. A dark smirk came over his face. If she felt like it, she could appear in his bedroom in the middle of the night and this time he wouldn't say he wasn't allowed any. Instead, they could work on re-establishing their bond, the sort that created bad creases in his clothing as either he forgot to fold them up neatly after taking them off, or they weren't completely removed. That came as a surprise to him. He'd always thought that it would be necessary to...

The noise of someone tripping, and falling onto the floor behind him, pulled him from his thoughts – which no doubt was a good thing, as they were distracting. Looking around, the Jedi watched Andrew climbing to his feet and dusting himself off in a way that reminded him strongly of the Gungan JarJar Binks. In fact if Andrew had been a Gungan, they'd probably have banned him from all their cities for crimes of extreme clumsiness and annoyance. He couldn't say he'd blame them.

It would have been much better if they'd left Andrew behind at the Temple. Having to constantly look over his shoulder and make sure the blonde boy hadn't dropped into a hole or broken his leg tripping over his own shoelaces was making this far harder than it need be. The tumbledown ruins they were exploring was a death trap to the unwary and Andrew wasn't exactly known for being sure-footed and focused. He was a liability to have around. It was no wonder Quin threatened he wouldn't come again if they forced him to partner Buffy's Watcher. He really needed to have a word with Buffy about this.

“Do try not to get us into any trouble, Andrew.”

Andrew gaped at the Jedi wearing Vader's helmet. “Me? What have I ever done?”

“For a start, do the words 'Green', 'Sith', and 'Statue' ring a bell?”

Andrew pouted inside his helmet. “You can't hold that against me! It was a mistake. Everyone else wanted to touch it as well as me. I just happened to be the first to give in to the urge.”

“Yes, and now we have established that perhaps you'll try to control your urges.”

It was too much for the already irritated Watcher. “Start taking your own advice, Kenobi. You seem to be giving in to your own urges recently...”

Before he had time to blink the Jedi was in front of him with a flash of Force-enhanced speed. The Vader mask staring down at him in an intimidating fashion. “What does that mean?”

“Er,” Andrew swallowed nervously. It might have been better if he'd kept quiet. Not only was Obi-Wan intimidating when he wanted to be but if Buffy found out he was interfering in her relationship he was so dead.

“When the Council finds out about you and Buffy, they'll cause trouble for you.” He groaned as the Vader helmet glared down at him. “I mean, I'm not gonna tell anyone but the Jedi Council will so freak out. They'll cause you both trouble, and that's before we even get to what Sid does when he finds out.”

The Vader Helmet tilted to one side, as if it was considering what he'd said. Andrew could feel his own heart racing as he looked into the intimidating helm. For some reason, even though he knew it was Kenobi in there, he kept thinking about how movie Darth Vader Force-choked people.

“Don't you think I considered all this beforehand?” The helmet gave Obi-Wan's voice an odd hollow sound. “I know what's at stake, and I'm fully prepared to face the consequences of my actions. The only reason I've chosen not to disclose this is because the Jedi Temple provides protection for Buffy. If we leave now, the risk of her capture from bounty hunters becomes greater. I don't want to put her in unnecessary danger.”

“But... but what about you becoming a Master and gaining a place on the Jedi High Council?” asked Andrew. Obi-Wan Kenobi was the epitome of a true Jedi and an asset to the Jedi Order. He should be promoted to the Council, become a General, fight in the Clone Wars and then train Luke Skywalker and set him on his pathway to greatness.

“It isn't my priority anymore.”

“You really love Buffy?”

The Vader helmet stared at him for what seemed a long time. Andrew thought Obi-Wan wasn't going to answer him, or tell him it wasn't any of his business but when he began to speak, Andrew realized the Jedi had been gathering his thoughts.

“I... I'm not sure how to answer that,” replied Obi-Wan truthfully. “I was only a baby when the Jedi took me, and I'm not exactly acquainted with the feeling. I don't know if what I'm feeling is love but I think it must be.” He pulled in a long breath and exhaled it noisily inside the helmet, which made Andrew eye him warily. “Buffy makes me feel more alive, more complete and the thought of not being with her is... painful.” Andrew could hear the raw emotion in his voice now and it made the Watcher squirm uncomfortably. “It would be impossible for me to put my feelings to one side and continue as I was before she arrived.” Obi-Wan paused as another thought occurred to him, and he quickly added, “And it's not because I wasn't allowed any before and being with her means I'm now ge...” He stopped, realizing what he was about to say and gave an embarrassed cough. Then added, “I'm certain about this. The Force has also reassured me my future now lies with Buffy. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”

“It... changes things, “ answered Andrew, sadly. His version of Star Wars was completely gone. Obi-Wan Kenobi was planning on leaving the Jedi as he was in love with The Slayer, who was now Lord Vader, and the Dark Lord of the Sith also was declaring his love for her with gifts of shoes and speeders. Qui-Gon was training the kid Anakin, who should have become Darth Vader and married Padme, (but was badly crushing on Buffy instead). It was all so... depressing. Frustrated, he went to rub his hand through his hair, his fist slapping into the helmet he'd forgotten he was wearing and nearly knocking himself off balance.

Recovering from the self-inflicted blow to the head Andrew said, “Look, the Scoobies would give you the shovel speech. The one that tells you if you don't take care of her or ever do anything to hurt her they'll come after you. I don't believe you'll ever let her down or hurt her. You're Obi-Wan Kenobi, not a Sith Lord. Just... just be careful. It isn't going to be easy for you two.”

The Vader helmet nodded before turning away. Together they silently continued to search the ruins. Andrew resigned himself for now, and Obi-Wan keeping his mind strictly focused on his immediate surroundings. It kept trying to drift to the swirl of extra darkness in the Force he could sense searching at the other side of the dump.

The pair of them checked one depressing building after another. Obi-Wan wasn't holding much hope of finding anything as the Vader helmet's bio-readings picked up nothing but spider roaches and other vermin bio-readings. The Force was being frustratingly cloudy.

They'd decided to investigate an alleyway leading between two buildings which Andrew claimed had 'suspicious qualities.' He was explaining it as the sort of place vamps liked to hang out to mug people when Obi-Wan got an odd blip of a fast approaching bio-sign through the helmet. Then there was another. He stopped. He could neither hear, nor see, nor feel anything amiss through the Force. Still, the helmet was emitting cautionary blips of some form of bio-life far larger than a roach. Interesting. Obi-Wan moved towards whatever it was, then noted more blips coming in from all sides. An ambush?

~Buffy, possible ambush. Caution!~ his mind screamed out, hoping she might pick up the warning.

“Andrew, we have visitors” he said, his voice calm and steady in order not to unnerve the watcher.

The orange helmet of Andrew's turned in his direction, surprising Obi-Wan by simply giving a nod of confirmation before reaching for his blaster pistol. He even kept the muzzle lowered but at the ready. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow and then removed his lightsaber hilt from his utility belt, with his usual dramatic flourish, ready to ignite if needed.

He waited for the newcomers to make the first move. He was, after all a Jedi, not a vicious killer, and he'd been taught a peaceful solution should always be sought before turning to violence. This was true even if the creatures around them had used the Dark Force to sneak up, suggesting their hostile nature and aggressive intent.

Without warning the first electronet fired, taking out Andrew before he even had a chance to raise his blaster. Obi-Wan saw the flashes arcing across the mesh, lighting up the watcher as he fell writhing onto the ground. Two more nets flew out aiming for the Jedi. Obi-Wan's blue blade turned into a blur of light. Strands of disconnected mesh floated down all around.

His helmet alerted him to a presence just behind him. He spun, catching a glimpse of a snarling muzzle as his blade cut through its neck. The body crumpled to the ground, the head tumbling away. No time to examine it closely as another net was thrown and his lightsaber blurred in the air destroying it. Spinning back towards Andrew once more, his saber cut into a long, sinewy arm reaching from the dark shadows, grabbing at the prone Watcher. The Vader helmet sent him another warning. An electro-spear thrust at him from the right side. Obi-Wan Force-leaped, somersaulting over both it and the attacker. His lightsaber cut through the weapon in mid-air, before being driven into the side of the creature wielding it.

More nets fired at him. He dodged and Force-pushed two shadowed attackers into a wall. Rubble rained down, burying them beneath it. Another blip signaling an attack from the rear. He sprang to the side, holding out his saber and the attacker's momentum causing it to run into his blade. The tall, gangly creature fell to the ground, eyeless sockets facing up towards him, large ears hanging from a domed head, a broad muzzle, with teeth still bared even in death, ready to tear him apart.

Now the sound of angry chittering was coming from all sides and his helmet readings indicated he was completely surrounded. On his own, he'd have been confident in escaping but an unconscious Andrew was being dragged away. Shadowy shapes using the net to pull his helpless body along. Obi-Wan had to protect him.

He darted forwards into the group, his blade spinning in threat. The attackers scattered, wary of the blazing blue weapon. Standing protectively over Andrew he drove away all comers. His blade destroying net after net, cleaving through the flesh of those who dared to approach. In the end, it was all in vain. There was simply too many of them. The Jedi went down under the combination of multiple nets fired simultaneously from all directions.

Multiple shocks rocked his body, limbs spasming, and his lightsaber fell from his grasp, deactivating. Obi-Wan desperately tried to pull it back with the Force, but couldn't summon the concentration through the pain. His brain still rang with Vader helmet warnings as his assailants surged upon him. Binding him tightly, they dragged him deep into the labyrinth of tunnels before hoisting him up onto strong shoulders.

Being so powerless made him angry. Yet what made him angrier was he knew, through the beginnings of a mind-link, that Buffy was also fighting these creatures. Helpless, there was absolutely nothing he could do to help her.


	91. As The pain shoots Through

The Troglodytes carried Buffy and Quin through the pitch black labyrinth of tunnels, the remnants of the once bustling, streets of ancient Coruscant. Occasionally, one of the creatures would call out to another, a harsh chattering noise that quickly brought Buffy back from the state of unconsciousness she'd drifted into. Despite being tightly bound and unable to see, she was already assessing her situation; the number of enemies, the tightness of her bonds and working on a plan of escape. It seemed they'd split into smaller groups, three demons to the front of her, five or six behind, with her and Quin being held in the middle of their grouping. There was another group pinging her senses every so often in the distance. With any luck, they wouldn't notice until too late if she went Slayer on the group holding her. It was worth the risk anyway. If the demons took them back to their lair, there'd most likely be more demons around and less chance of escaping.

She wondered if Quin was conscious, and how badly he'd been affected by the electro-nets. Both he and Obi-Wan had told her Kiffar's were 'near human,' but did that mean he was more resilient than a normal human? Weaker? Would he be able to break free from his bindings? His Jedi shininess was pinging her senses and she hoped he was awake and able to fight if she could free him. She tried not to worry about the fact she could no longer sense Obi-Wan's shininess, trying to put it down to him being out of range rather than dead. Surely she'd know if he'd died? She still felt a vague, warm fuzzy feeling, as if he was out there somewhere, maybe even thinking of her.

Escaping was her priority right now. The nets holding her were pulled tight but she managed to twist her hand and gave one of the strands an experimental twang with her fingers. Could she break it? She twisted and pulled it between her fingers; felt a surge of glee as it snapped under slayer pressure. Moving on to the next section of mesh, another strand snapped. More tugging and more mesh broke. All this while keeping her movements stealthy so as not to alert the demon carrying her.

Snap, rip, tear. One hand free now. She needed to wriggle, as her other hand lay trapped under her body. She squirmed slowly inside the net until the pressure came off her arm. She moved her hand to one side until her fingers grasped the net. Snap, rip, tear. Mirroring the process with this hand. Both hands free now, although the rest of her remained bound. They'd secured the nets about her with an outer rope. If she poked her hand through the net and twisted her wrist she could just about reach it. But could she break it with only one hand? Careful now, the demon might sense it...

The creature carrying her chose that moment to shuffle her higher onto its shoulder and called out to its companions. A taunting sound that angered her already irate inner Slayer even further. She was really going to enjoy going full-on Slayer on their alien butts just as soon as she escaped this net... Her thoughts of Slayer vengeance were abruptly interrupted when the demons came to an unexpected standstill. Buffy stilled. Picking up their sudden feeling of alarm she strained her senses for a clue to what had unnerved them.

“Creaduriaid drwg!” called out a deep rumbling voice from somewhere in front of them. “Ni chymerwch y wrach!”

From the angry chittering noises made in response, Buffy guessed the newcomer was not a friend of theirs. So who was Deep-Voice? Whoever he was, he was doing a good job of distracting the demons for her. She used the opportunity to poke her arms through the hole she'd made and started to tear at both the net and rope securing her, uncaring if the alien demons noticed. The one carrying her grabbed at the net, trying to restrain her. Luckily for Buffy the net they'd used to trap her also served to protect her from the demon's sharp claws. She kicked out wildly with her legs, determined to free herself and show these demons a captured Slayer was not a defeated Slayer. Unbalanced, the demon swayed, before falling to its knees. Buffy fell sideways, hitting the ground with her shoulder as the demon lost his grip.

She rolled away with a blur of Slayer speed, pulling at the netting from around her helmet and torso as she did so. As she rolled and scrambled through the dirt towards the would-be rescuer, a couple of demons snatched at her but she kicked out and dodged. In front of her, the deep-voiced newcomer bellowed out an ear-splitting angry roar. Buffy, from her position crouched on the ground, took a moment to look up at him as the demons around her cringed, frozen by the sound, some holding their ears as if in pain.

The alien stood at well over seven foot tall, his wide shoulders and huge barrel chest partially covered in coarse hair; his alien armor giving an impression of a sci-fi gladiator. In each one of his four over sized hands, he held a club. As his roar began to die away, Buffy's eye was caught by the sight of Quin lying on the ground struggling to free himself. He lay where he'd been dropped. The demon carrying him held it's head, whimpering as if the noise had caused it severe head pains and for now the Jedi lay forgotten. Could she reach Quin and free him?

Buffy darted across to where Quin had rolled, tugging his outer ropes while saying, “C'mon Quin, I need you in this fight.”

She'd no time to free him further. Recovering from the effects of the roar, several demons ran towards her from out the shadows. Some carried raised spear-like weapons that crackled with electrical pulses, others were swinging primitive but no less lethal clubs. She turned to face them but they surprised her by ignoring her, darting past in favor of attacking the newcomer en masse. The noise of fighting began. Whoever he was, he was strong. If the way a partly clothed demon flew over the top of her head to slam into the wall behind her was anything to go off.

Buffy's acute hearing picked up the sound of a netgun being fired and spun, dodging as the mesh flew at her... and missed. Two demons ran towards her, both carrying clubs. Automatically Buffy reached for Mr Sparkly, her heart sinking as she touched the empty space at her belt. She'd lost him back at the ambush site. However, she wasn't a member of the Jedi, whose lives always revolved around their lightsabers. She was the Slayer and she was the weapon.

“Hey, are you well-dressed boys looking to play?” Buffy jested, taking in the demon's styling choices – little more than rags and skins covering what she assumed were the essentials. She ducked, to avoid a swing of one club, and rolled neatly away as the second slammed into the space she'd been in a moment before. She smirked and added, “You know, I'm calling you boys but I've no idea what you are and you're so ugly I'm betting even other demons don't wanna find out.”

The snarling demons charged but, out the blue before she'd chance to even draw one of her hidden weapons, a demon was flung towards her, its arms windmilling through the air in a desperate attempt to stop itself. Buffy stepped to one side and watched as the flying demon crashed into her two would-be attackers, dropping them to the ground like skittles. A lucky strike by the newcomer? Or done purposely to take out her attackers?

No time to figure it out. The move once more bringing her to the attention of the demons surrounding her rescuer. Several turned their large ears towards her, the blank stare of the eyeless sockets pointing her direction, their lips pulled back in a snarl. Buffy noticed the majority of them had resorted to using more primitive weapons, mostly clubs. It seemed they'd run out of netguns, and the electro-spears were also in short supply. Judging from the size of their natural armament, they'd probably also be happy to use their teeth and claws.

This type of battle was far more like what she was used to. Demons carrying advanced weaponry was so not fair. With a grin, Buffy unsheathed her magical sword and danced towards them on the balls of her feet. Ducking and dodging the onslaught of clubs and outstretched claws, her sword bit into soft flesh, hacking and slicing down to bones. Her rescuer roared in approval, his clubs joining her in pounding on demon flesh and together they cut a swathe through the enemy. Blood sprayed across her protective suit. Unflinchingly, she continued her graceful yet deadly assault, her inner Slayer telling her to show no mercy were these dark creatures were concerned.

Two came at her with the electro-spears but her sword parried the jabs, the infused magic tearing through the metal shafts. When one demon fell under her blade, the second took to its heels. Alongside her, the newcomer still fought. Occasionally, he'd throw a demon over the heads of the others to crash into the old walls. Some would leap back to fight once more, but a growing number either lay still or retreated into the maze of tunnels they'd come from.

A lull in the battle sent Buffy jumping back to Quin, who'd been ignored by the demons as he still lay bound within his net. She cut at the mesh binding him and he rolled out, leaping to his feet, his lightsaber falling from the tangle of netting. A Force-Pull brought it back to his hand and then he jumped around her, green blade ablaze, to intercept two demons who'd left the newcomer and followed Buffy, intent on subduing her while she was distracted.

As the green lightsaber hummed through the air, burning a path through the creatures' clubs, Buffy's sword joined it. Quin shot her a startled sideways look. Around the Slayer he could quite clearly see the Dark Force had gathered and was bubbling, almost excitedly, around her. There was no sign that it had been summoned; it was as if the darkness had been drawn to the shadowy aspect the Slayer took on during her fighting and was naturally interacting with it. Buffy didn't even appear to notice, she was far too busy taunting the creatures in front of her.

“Eye, Eye what's going on here then?” she snarked, as an eyeless demon opened it's mouth to snarl at her. “Get it? Aye as in Eye... Oh yeah, definitely not one of my best but I'm kinda feeling pissed right now. I hate getting home and picking the demon intestines off my clothing.”

She took a moment to wipe at the blood, guts, and bits of bone splattered across her suit. “Ugh, no wonder Obi-Wan keeps insisting a lightsaber is a far more civilized weapon than a sword,” she complained loudly to Quin. “He's right. I keep forgetting how much they cut down on the body fluids you get caked in when out on a slaying spree.”

As Quin kindly beheaded the demon she cheered herself up with the thought it could have all been a lot worse. She might have been wearing one of her favourite outfits rather than a Jedi issue protective suit.

The battle was over as suddenly as it began. The last few demons abandoned the fight and fled off back into the labyrinth of ruins.

As they stood in the center of the battlefield surveying the demon bodies littering the area, Buffy asked Quin, “Are these demons Troglodytes?”

Quin nodded. “I believe they must be. They fit the description I've heard, although I never knew they existed down here in such large numbers.”

He felt relieved the Dark Force disappeared from around the Buffy, now she'd stopped fighting. Buffy wasn't a Sith. She hadn't pulled in and used the Dark Force, he felt sure of it but she definitely had a strong natural affinity with the Dark Side. He tentatively stretched out in the Force around them and was surprised to feel the dark side had retreated, so much so that it felt less murky down here. That was.. strange. He decided he'd have a quiet word with Obi-Wan about it and see if he could make any sense of it.

“Oh good,” Buffy replied, thinking about how she owed Ta'la a head and a hand. “I'm glad they are Trogs. That means plenty of body parts to choose from later.”

Quin shot her a questioning look, but she didn't worry about it as she hadn't seen it. Instead, her gaze was upon the huge alien who'd come to their rescue. He was built like the side of a mountain and there was a bright gleam of intelligence in the eyes which shone in the shadow cast by his helmet.

“Friend or Foe?” whispered Quin. “He's elusive in the Force.”

“Not sure,” she answered. “ I'm not getting the urge to slay but he's giving off an odd buzz. Where's Tweety got to? We need a translator”

“I think they left the droid back at the ambush site.” Quin jerked his thumb from the way he thought they'd been carried. Down here it was difficult to tell one direction from another. “They probably ignored it as it wasn't edible.”

Her sword still in her hand but lowered, Buffy cautiously approached the huge alien. Its face under the helmet appeared to be large and pudgy but still a humanoid's; that is, it had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth and they were roughly in the same position as a human's.

“Hi,” she said and gave it what she hoped was a friendly wave. Pointing at the downed troglodytes surrounding them, she added, “Your enemies too?” Buffy really hoped they were its enemies and possibly it was a vegetarian. She didn't want to be considered a course on this thing's dinner menu.

“Ffrind i gwrachod,” the creature rumbled and pointed at her. It looked at the creatures lying on the floor, hacked up a lump of fluid and spat it at the corpses. “drwg!”

Aware of Quin walking up to be beside her, she turned her head in his direction. “If the spitting is anything to go of, I think it prefers me to them,” she said. “We need to find Obi-Wan and Andrew. Do you think they might have been attacked as well?” She sensed Obi-Wan was still alive but his shiny beacon of sparkliness had fallen off her slaydar.

“I'd like to know the answer to that too.” Quin eyed the huge alien which was watching them. “I think that's a Coruscant Ogre. I've heard they live in the lower levels and are a very violent species.”

“An ogre? Sounds like our Shrek here was guarding his swamp then.” Buffy pointed once more at the dead troglodytes and then made a walking motion with her fingers, finally pointing at herself and Quin. “Do you know where they grabbed us? We left friends behind,” she tried to explain, although not very well.

Shrek's face screwed up with concentration. “Dy ddychwelyd?”

Buffy made the walking motion with her fingers again. Shrek turned, to look over his shoulder and beckoned them to follow him.

“I really hope he isn't leading us to his lair,” said Quin. “I'm not sensing any ill intent towards us but then I'm not getting much from him at all. He's almost as hard to read as you are.”

“Got a better idea, Kiffar-boy?” said Buffy, jumping gracefully over a pile of slain bodies and following Shrek's mountainous form.

Quin snorted as he also leaped over the bodies. “Not at the moment Earth-girl, but you seem to find trouble even more easily than Obi-Wan does.”

“Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. What trouble Obi-Wan has got into without me. He likes hogging all the fun.” Buffy stepped across a partially dismembered demon body and considered picking up the electro-spear it still grasped, but decided against it.

“Sometimes,” said Quin, “I really wonder about the wisdom of the Jedi Council letting you two work together so intimately. Surely they can see the effect you have on each other? You're going to get into some very odd positions if left to your own devices.”

Buffy shot him a sharp look but as he seemed intent on following Shrek, she decided not to make any kind of reply. She needed to concentrate on the task at hand, which was making sure Shrek was leading them back to the dump and not directly into his oven.

.....

The band of troglodytes carrying Obi-wan and Andrew had been almost silent during their attack, but now the fighting was over and their prey safely trussed in nets, they began to call out to one another excitedly. Their chattering annoyed Obi-Wan, who was already conscious and contemplating various ways to escape.

He was a Jedi and could use the Force. However, due to the Force's murky and tainted nature down in these levels, it was more difficult to calland hold it without intense concentration. He'd managed to use it before, during the ambush, but now his scattered thoughts and anger prevented him from using it. Every time he tried to put his emotions to one side one of his attackers would call out in a taunting way, and that would burn a pathway of annoyance right back into him. He knew he needed to fully restore his Jedi calm before trying to summon the Force again. By doing it now he might easily summon the Dark Side by accident and calling on the Dark Side was a dangerous habit for a Jedi to slide into.

His mind also kept drifting to Buffy. Was she captured? Fighting? Trying to escape? He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, something bad had happened to her. She might be an experienced Slayer but she was still relatively new to this dimension and there was much she didn't understand about this place. No matter how much he tried to put his worries for her to one side it was still there.

The loss of his lightsaber also weighed heavily on his mind. A Jedi spent many long hours meditating (not praying, like Buffy suggested when she'd first seen him) over a chosen crystal to infuse it with the Force and, as such, each lightsaber was individual and very personal to its creator. It was also the only possession a Jedi was allowed to own and to lose your only possession was a loss always keenly felt. Now Obi-Wan was without a weapon, apart from a sharpened wooden stake Buffy forced upon him before leaving, saying it was 'for the vamps'.

He needed to escape. The best way to do that would be to stop stressing, concentrate and...

Obi-Wan's thoughts were interrupted by the troglodyte holding him coming to an abrupt standstill, his Vader helmet signaling three new blips. One of them a swirl of darkness in the Force he instantly recognized.

“Hey, you bug-ugly slavering demons. Have you got something of mine there?” Called out a light-hearted female voice that was totally at odds with the dire situation they were all in.

Inside his cocoon Obi-Wan kicked, wriggled and threw himself sideways. The demon carrying him lost his grip, and he fell. Sensing the ground, he slowed his fall with the Force and then rolled in the direction of Buffy's voice.

“Aww, you didn't need to gift wrap my presents,” sang out Buffy. “But since you did, why didn't you add a pretty bow? It would have finished off the wrapping nicely.”

Obi-Wan thought her cheerfulness inappropriate, seeing as he was the one who'd been gift wrapped. She was very close to him. Why couldn't she release him from his packaging and mock the demons later? He was going to become filthy rolling around in the dirt, not to mention all the creases this suit was going to have.

“Peidiwch â dwyn o wrach,” laughed a deep, gleeful voice. It came from somewhere close to Buffy.

The voice gave Obi-Wan pause. Who was that? The Force wasn't telling him much about the deep-voiced newcomer, although not a Force Void, likely something cloaked in darkness. He groaned inwardly. Knowing Buffy she'd found a new dark ally. One the Jedi council would look askance at and Master Yoda would take as yet another sign Buffy really was the Sith-Queen, gathering her forces and setting out to dominate the galaxy.

“For Force sake Buffy, some help here would be appreciated,” he shouted out.

“We're a little preoccupied at the moment, Obi-Wan,” replied Quin, igniting his lightsaber. Then with laughter in his voice he added, “Your new friends, oddly enough, want to keep you. They must have enjoyed gift wrapping you”

“Don't you start too, Quin!” he warned. But his remark went unnoticed as he heard the sounds of fighting starting around him.

That did it. He really needed to escape these bounds. His mind clear of worry now, he concentrated, Force Pushed against the mesh and rope, and failed. He tried once more, and this time he got his concentration right, blasting the weave of rope and net apart. Pushing off the broken nets, he leapt to his feet, instinctively going for his lightsaber on his belt. Which, of course, was missing. The Vader helmet told him a troglodyte was close to him with its claws outstretched and he grabbed the only weapon he had tucked away in his belt. A wooden stake.

Raising it up he slammed it into the creature's blind eye socket and into what he hoped was its brain cavity. Pulling it back out, it made an ugly sucking noise as the creature sank to the ground in front of him. Obi-Wan grimaced at the amount of blood and... fluids that sprayed out the stab wound, landing on his clothing. This was going to become disgustingly messy. No time to think of it further. The Vader helmet was relaying signal after signal to him and he found himself once more using the stake to strike and stab. The weapon became slippery with blood making it hard to grasp. He needed his lightsaber badly, fighting with one of these things was plain uncivilized.

He caught sight of Buffy, dancing gracefully through the troglodytes, her magical blade flashing as it sliced and thrust its way into their flesh. Quin, busy too, his green blade cutting a path through electro-spears and clubs alike. While fighting beside them both was a huge creature, partly covered in armor. He caught a glimpse of heavy clubs being used and then two troglodytes charged him. Using the Force, he leaped at them, using a double front kick to land a boot in each enemies chest, sending both flying.

“Wooow! Nice move, Ubi!” Buffy shouted out in admiration.

He couldn't see her but felt a glow at her praise. No time to reply. More charged him, and on a roll now he used a Force Push on them, sending them spinning head first into a wall.

Buffy danced backward past him, fighting a troglodyte who was doing it's hardest to impale her on the end of an electro-spear. She gave him a wave and shouted over, “Are you enjoying your night out?”

“Not really,” he replied, ducking at the same time to avoid a club that nearly took off the top of his head. “I was hoping for a nice cup of tea and an early night.”

“What? You'd let me have all the fun? Just think what you'd have missed if you hadn't come with,” called Buffy. She laughed, beheaded the creature in front of her and, sprang forward to thrust her sword deep into his attacker's side.

Pulling her sword from its guts, she darted off to help Quin and the stranger who were surrounded by troglodytes. She taunted each of enemies with a selection of personal abuse, before her magical blade turned into a blurring instrument of death.

Obi-Wan stared around at the trail of destruction she'd left in her wake. The way she fought still worried him. Possibly Quin too, as he'd also stepped back to watch the Slayer in action. Her laughter, her taunting, and definitely her slaying never failed to attract the attention of the Dark Side. Even now it gathered, winding itself around her in a Dark Force caress. Obi-Wan winced, before consoling himself that at least she wasn't summoning and manipulating it as a Sith did. It simply found her fascinating. Yet there was always the worry one day it might overtake her or dominate her destiny as Master Yoda claimed was the fate of all Dark Side Users.

He blinked, the Vader helmet was sending him warning after warning. Now was not the right time to start contemplating the future, not while around him friends and enemies still fought. He launched himself into the action once more.

Force-Pulling a club from a nearby dead creatures hand, Obi-Wan darted after a troglodyte trying to make off with Andrew. The weapon felt odd in his grasp, overly heavy and unbalanced. He swung it, bringing it downwards to club the troglodyte over the head. He winced as blood and fluids sprayed across him, making him wish for the clean kill of a lightsaber. The troglodyte, now missing part of its head, toppled down across the prone and trussed body of Andrew who screamed out loudly in fright.

“Stay right there, Andrew. We'll come back and release you shortly,” said Obi-Wan. He grabbed the creature's arm, pulling the troglodyte off the Watcher before turning to fight off another attacker with the primitive weapon.

When the short but brutal fight was over, Buffy and her newest friend, 'Shrek' went off to release Andrew from the web of nets he lay in, giving Obi-Wan the opportunity to ask Quin what he knew about the ogre that had attached itself to Buffy.

Quin replied, “Nothing. He appeared out of nowhere and took it upon himself to fight the Trogs to help us escape.”

“Trogs?”

“It's what Buffy calls the troglodytes.” Quin's helmet gave his friend an intent look. “Have you noticed how Buffy appears to be a magnet for the Dark Side? If it's not dark creatures trying to capture her or become friends with her, it's the Dark Force calling in for a visit.”

A loud deep laugh caused them both to look over in the direction of the ogre. Buffy was laughing and joking happily with him, although neither of them could understand the other's language they appeared to have bonded during the slaying.

“I believe it's her inner shadow demon which attracts darkness rather than Buffy.” Obi-Wan went to rub his lip and touched the Vader visor instead. It drew Quin's attention to it.

“How are you getting on with the Vader helmet?” asked Quin. He'd been surprised at how determined Obi-Wan had been to wear the helmet. He'd wondered at the time if he'd done it to annoy Andrew, who guarded the helmet and polished it with a fervor akin to fanatical worship. Quin thought for a badge of office, the helm was very aggressive and intimidating to look at. Had that been Palpatine's intention when he'd presented it to Buffy? To help her intimidate her natural enemies, the vampires? Or perhaps to put off would-be admirers of the girl behind the visor?

“It's.. interesting. There are a lot of features inbuilt that make me want to explore it further,” replied Obi-Wan. “I shall keep hold of it.”

Quin nodded. The helmet certainly fitted Obi-Wan better than Buffy. Personally, he suspected the helmet, cloak and the title had originally been made for someone both taller and a Force User. Which led to the question who? Quin had a feeling Buffy's arrival in this dimension caused the Supreme Chancellor to change his mind from his original choice for Vader. Perhaps he hoped that by presenting the title to her it would bind her closer to him. The man had definitely marked her as his; everyone in the Temple had seen CNN's report surrounding the creation of Lord Vader, Palpatine's interview and noted the shop where she bought her underwear from.  
The Supreme Chancellor's courtship was the subject of hot gossip at the Jedi Temple. Since the Jedi weren't allowed any themselves they were fascinated with the romance and intrigues of others. Many were betting that Buffy would give in and accept Palpatine's offer of marriage, saying his ability to buy her lots of expensive shoes would tip the balance. Quin though wasn't so sure, but he didn't believe the Supreme Chancellor would give up on her easily.

Buffy's approach stopped any further conversation or thoughts. “I think Shrek wants to lead us back to the dump. He keeps pointing at me and pointing in, what I think is, that direction. Unless he wants me to visit the dark side of his oven.”

“What about Ta'la's payment?” Andrew asked as he came wobbling over, looking very much the worse for wear after his electrocution. He pulled out a large folded bag from his pocket and gave it a shake-out. “Best grab 'em while they are lying around going spare.”

“Oh yeah, nearly forgot about her request.” Buffy slapped her helmet as she attempted to facepalm herself. “I was so keen on finding Tweety and wanting him to ask Shrek about vamps down here, it slipped my mind.”

“Who's Tweety?” asked Obi-Wan. He knew exactly what the Dathomirian had requested, and didn't like to think about what Andrew's large, waterproof shopping bag was going to be used for.

“It's my name-age for the ThreePee droid. He got switched off and left behind when the Trogs attacked us.” Obi-Wan noticed Buffy studying him before she turned to Quin and asked, “Can I borrow your lightsaber for a minute?”

Quin clutched his weapon possessively. “What?”

“Your lightsaber. Can I borrow it?” repeated Buffy. “ You can have it back soon as I've finished using it.”

Quin hesitated, before, very reluctantly, handing it over to her saying as he did so, “You aren't going to start summoning Dark Forces with it, are you? I don't want it going red.”

Buffy laughed. “Nah, I'm only gonna decapitate a head and chop off a hand. I'll not be a minute.”

Obi-Wan realized Mr Sparkly must be lost if she was borrowing Quin's weapon. He should have guessed when he'd seen her fighting with the sword but assumed she had another reason for using her magical sword. Buffy was bound to be upset. She was very attached to Mr Sparkly and although he'd initially felt uneasy about her using a Dark Side Users lightsaber he'd become used to seeing her with it. He'd decided he'd help her to make another while he worked on his own, and wondered what colour a Slayer's lightblade would turn out.

Next to him, Quin was listening and watching Buffy argue with Andrew over which head was the best to cut off. Even without the Force Obi-Wan could feel the worry pouring off his friend. Obviously having second thoughts over lending out his lightsaber. He decided to say something in Buffy's defense. “She's only collecting samples.” It was the truth after all, or part of the truth if looked at from a certain way.

“Samples? Whatever for?” asked Quin. He didn't want to take his eyes off his lightsaber for a minute. Not only was it his prized (and only) possession, it seemed there was only him who'd managed to keep hold of his Jedi weapon.

“For...” Obi-Wan panicked, “er, an interested party, who has an interest in that type of sample collecting.”

“Did she say she wanted a right one or a left one?” Buffy called out to Andrew.

She was holding up a Trog's arm and turning the limb around to get a good look at its hand to see if it was a good one or not. The Watcher was struggling; the decapitated head leaning against his chest he attempted to push it into the carrier bag he held with the other hand. For a moment Obi-Wan considered helping them but decided against it. He hadn't agreed with the original decision to start collecting sentient body parts for Dark Side Users spells and would show his disapproval by leaving them to it.

“I don't remember. Did she say she wanted a right one?” Andrew replied. “We could grab one of each? It's not as if it needs them any more.” He finally manipulated the head into the shopping bag and give it a shake so the nose wasn't sticking out over the top.

“Have you got enough room? 'Cos these hands are pretty big and they've got some claws on them.”

“Yeah, if I give the bag a good shaking they'll drop into place,” was the optimistic reply.

“Ydych chi'n casglu am hud?” Thundered the deep-voice of Shrek, watching Buffy's actions with interest.

Buffy hadn't a clue what he asked her but give him the thumbs up sign anyway, and the Ogre's laughter boomed through the ruins. As she handed a relieved Quin his lightsaber back, she looked from Andrew, clutching the bulging shopping bag, to Obi-Wan and asked, “Shall we head back to the dump now and see if we can find Mr Sparkly and Tweety? I want Tweety to question Shrek about vamps. He kept looking at me strangely when I made the vamp teeth sign to him before.”

“Well I certainly don't find that surprising, Buffy,” replied Obi-Wan with an amused snort. “I'd have wondered what you were talking about if you made your vamp teeth sign to me and I've seen vampires.”

“Oh, shut it, Ubi.” Buffy bumped his arm in a gesture of camaraderie to take the sting out her words. She's missed him and panicked when she'd seen him trussed up. It was frustrating not being able to show him how glad she was that he was still alive. “It's not my fault the vamps in this dimension all have funny teeth and wear masks.” When Obi-Wan bumped her shoulder back, she grinned up at the Vader mask watching her and added, “I've not given up on finding a vamp yet. I bet Shrek knows something.”

“I'm sure he does,” said Obi-Wan, who also wanted to do more than bump her shoulder but knew Quin watched them with interest. He continued, “But if what Shrek knows is something we want to find out about, is quite another thing altogether.”

She didn't answer him, instead, she went over to her ogre and began talking to him rapidly while waving her hands around. After a long pause, during which Shrek (and everyone else but Buffy) screwed up their faces in puzzlement, the ogre agreed to take them back to where they'd been ambushed. No one understood a word he'd said, but seeing as Buffy was intent on going with him they all followed him anyway.


	92. Seek and find

Shrek didn't lead them to the dark side of his oven, he led them through the maze of tunnels back to the dump and to almost the exact spot where Buffy and Quin had been ambushed.

“He brought us straight back here. How the Force did Buffy know he'd do that?” Quin said in astonishment. He and Obi-Wan were watching Buffy bounce energetically around the huge ogre, they could hear her praising his shortcuts and saying he was fantastic for getting them back so quickly. Shrek said something to her and she replied, commenting about her ambush and pointing about her as she did so.

“More importantly, how does he understand what she is saying to him?” replied Obi-Wan. “It's taken me months to become fluent in Scooby. He doesn't even speak Basic.”

Andrew walked up behind them, sweating profusely from carrying the bag of Trog parts. “Oh, good. We're finally back at the dump. It took ages to get here! This bag is pulling my arm out of its socket. I have to keep swapping it from hand to hand in case it makes one arm longer than the other one.” He dropped the bag unceremoniously onto the floor, causing a heavily clawed hand to hang over the side. He pushed it back in with the toe of his boot and grumbled, “Do you think I can stash this bag somewhere? I didn't think it would be this heavy and I won't be able to carry it much further.”

“Tweety!” yelled Buffy, causing the three men to look at where she was now scrambling up a heap of junk.

She'd spotted the droid's feet protruding from one of the garbage mounds where the troglodytes had thrown him and was pleased, for the droid's sake, that no one had robbed his legs. Unless they'd robbed the rest of him and left his legs behind, seeing as that was all that was currently visible of the protocol droid. Climbing up the heap, junk slipping from under her feet as she scrabbled, she grabbed one of the droid's feet and dragged him to the ground. Obi-Wan met her at the bottom of the mound, crouched beside her and flicked the droid's power switch. Both Jedi and Slayer breathed a sigh of relief when his lights came on.

Tweety sat up and first checked his head to see if it was still in place. “Oh my! What happened?” it asked. Its round unblinking eyes gazing first at the Obi-Wan and then at Buffy. “Have... have I still got my legs?” It looked down at itself, before giving a loud sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness for that! I knew it would be a war zone down here. When not on missions, droids share information and I'd heard before about the violent and lawlessness of this area. I have simply no idea why anyone would want to visit the place, never mind live...”

Buffy banged the top of the droid's head to get his attention. “Tweety, meet the guy who lives down here, Shrek. Except his name isn't Shrek. I don't speak his language so I bestowed the name Shrek on him as it's a common name for ogres in my dimension.”

“Helo i ddyn metel,” said Shrek pleasantly.

Tweety replied uncertainly, “Halo bhon Teampall Jedi, tha sinn a ’tighinn a-steach do shìth gus còmhraidhean a thòiseachadh eadar ar daoine agus thu fhèin.”

Shrek gazed at him, shrugged and answered, “Nid wyf yn deall yr hyn yr ydych yn ei ddweud.”

Tweety tried again with another language he felt was closer to Shrek's. “Da yw genev metya genes.”

“How's the translating going?” asked Buffy, keen for a fast breakthrough as she wanted to ask about vamps.

“Miss Buffy, I am trying.” Tweety waved his hands at Buffy in a gesture of frustration. “It doesn't happen instantaneously.” He tried again with another set of phrases, and then another, and again, and again, and again...

Finally, Shrek started talking. Tweety nodded and began making replys.

“We're good to go, I take it?” It sounded like a conversation. Buffy thought she heard her name mentioned and the name Shrek, which was promising.

"His name is Srein a'kel Namaarggh. He said you may continue calling him Shrek as it was the name of a great hero of his people and he feels honored you know the legends of Shrek the Mighty.” Tweety tilted his head, listening to Shrek and then translated to Buffy. “Miss Buffy, he says he's been waiting for you for quite a while. Strangers from the overworld have come to these levels and brought trouble with them. Since their arrival troglodytes flock to the area and have become highly aggressive. One of the shamans of his tribe foretold that an overworld witch would come to hunt the strangers. He says you are the one chosen to slay them.”

Buffy asked the question that had been burning on her lips from the moment she'd met Shrek. “Are they vampires?”

Tweety translated the question to Shrek.

Shrek's reply was long and very angry. Several times he pointed at the dump, said something then hacked up a lump of spit. He'd spit it out and glare at droid before rattling off again. The droid listened carefully before relaying it to Buffy.

“He says he doesn't know what a vampire is. That the two creatures always wear cloaks. One wears an oxygen mask and the other covers his face so he's no idea of their species. He says the vibrations from the dark magic rituals they are performing alerted his tribe and they sent him to investigate. He followed them and discovered where they are hiding out.” Tweety turned his head towards Obi-Wan. “Master Obi-Wan, I believe when he says performing dark magic he means what you would call Force use. He says he overheard the two overworlders address each other as master and apprentice. They...”

“Sith!” interrupted Obi-Wan. His body language changed to one of intense alertness and he looked around him almost as if expecting the Sith to leap out from the shadows and attack them. “Where? Where are these Sith Lords?"

“Did they stick their teeth into anyone and suck out their blood while they were here?” Buffy asked quickly. It wouldn't be fair if they turned out to be ordinary Sith's. This was her lead. Obi-Wan hadn't even wanted to come down here.

Tweety stared at her (possibly in horror, but that could have been the way his face always was) and translated her question. No sooner had he done so than one of Shrek's four hands shot out and he pointed towards the dump. His words tumbled out - urgent- and angry.

“He said that the apprentice often brought prisoners down here, bound and covered. He thought they'd been used during the black magic ceremonies and discarded onto the dump later, but all the bodies he saw were drained of blood...”

“Vamps!” exclaimed Buffy. “I knew it! Vamps!”

“And quite possibly, Sith vampires,” said Obi-Wan.

Tweety continued, translating as Shrek spoke, “...and the troglodytes would take the bodies and eat them. He said one of the prisoners was a human girl. Pale colored hair, light skin and about the same height as Buffy. He was outside their lair watching when the apprentice carried her in and... I think Shrek is saying he cloaked himself, or perhaps made himself invisible,” said Tweety tilting his head thoughtfully. “The wording is odd. When the apprentice took the girl in he was happy but when he uncovered her, his master became angry. He threw the apprentice to the floor and blasted him with electricity. Shrek says....” Tweety shook his head in disgust. “ Oh My! That is awful! I really dislike translating this. He says the master grabbed the girl and ripped a hole in her neck with his teeth. Later, the apprentice carried her body out and threw it onto the heap for the troglodytes to take. Shrek says the Security Force came and took that body away. All the others before and the ones after were eaten by troglodytes.”

“Where do the vamps hang out?” Buffy asked.

“Where are these Sith Lords?” said Obi-Wan.

Buffy and Obi-Wan had both asked their questions at the same time. Their helmets turned in each other's direction, gave each other a slight nod before turning back to Shrek.

“Shrek, can you lead us to their lair?” asked Buffy. A quaver of excitement in her voice at the thought of finally slaying some vamps.

Tweety translated, and Shrek nodded in reply. His bright eyes were gleaming in the dark shadows cast by his helmet as he observed Buffy's excitement. He spoke a few more words before beckoning them to follow him.

“He says it will be his pleasure Miss Buffy,” Tweety replied, as he moved to follow the huge alien. “Oh my goodness! Will it be safe? I've been attacked once tonight already, and it's only luck that no one crept up on me and stole my parts. There's a trade for high-quality spares like mine on the black market...”

“Oh, shut up Tweety. We're the ones who were wrapped up like a take-away for when the trogs got the munchies later,” chided Buffy, light-heartedly. Knowing she was off to the Sith Vampire lair made her feel like skipping. Maybe next time she'd a hunch and received information from the Nightsister, Ubi would take her more seriously and not drag his heels moaning about bounty hunters.

Andrew whined, “Look, can I at least put this carrier bag in the speeder before we go anywhere else?” He could see they'd be passing quite close to the speeder if they carried on walking in this direction. “The shopping bag handles are digging into my hands from the weight.”

“What's in the bag?” Tweety asked, trying to twist his neck to get a look at the contents of the shopping bag the Watcher was carrying next to him.

“Trog spare parts,” replied Andrew smugly.

Tweety looked at him thoughtfully. “I didn't realize you could buy spare parts for troglodytes. Did you buy them from an official dealer down here?”

“Oh yeah, it was an official source,” replied Andrew with a dark laugh. “We cut these off a dead Trog.”

Tweety shuffled its feet nervously, and Quin shot Andrew a reproving look. Protocol droids had a tendency to become neurotic over time and this one was bad enough already with its fixation on limb theft. If it carried on it would need a complete memory wipe when they got back to the Temple.

Obi-Wan's attention wasn't on his companions, it was on something else entirely. The Force was calling to him, alerting him to something in the area... something he really needed to investigate further. Without explaining, he made a sudden dart to the very edge of the garbage heap, jumped in amongst the twisted rusting metal, and gave the debris at his feet a kick before calling something to his hand.

He came back holding the hilt of a lightsaber. As he held it up to show Buffy she squealed in delight.

“Wow, Mr Sparkly! They must have chucked him over there! I thought he'd gone for good. Thanks, Ubi!”

“You should be far more careful with this.” Obi-Wan handed her the weapon. He found himself saying reprovingly as if she was his padawan, “You need to remember this weapon is your life.”

However, he wasn't rebuking a Jedi padawan, it was Buffy; he should have expected her to make a smart reply and turn the tables on him. “Oh yeah...” she said. “By the way, where's your Mr Flash gone?”

Obi-Wan swallowed, he really wished she hadn't asked that question, especially naming his lightsaber in front of everyone as she had. “Er, Ilosthimwhenfightingthetrogsitfelldownoneoftheholesfilledwithtoxicchemicalsandgoo,” he muttered as low as he could.

“Sorry? I didn't catch that.” He could tell she was smiling when she said it, the minx.

“I lost him!” Obi-Wan retorted, embarrassment flooding his voice.

Quin, Andrew, and the droid all gaped at him. Quin sniggered and Obi-Wan was glad he was wearing the Vader helmet so no one could see how red his face had gone.

Buffy gave a loud sigh. “Ahh, I thought you must have when I spotted you trying to fight with a club. I've no idea why you Jedi insist on only carrying the one weapon. No matter how careful you are about not losing it, it's gonna happen sooner or later. Here, you take Mr Sparkly until you sort out another.” She surprised everyone by handing her lightsaber to Obi-Wan. Who stared at it in stunned disbelief.

He said softly, “You're happy to let me use Mr Sparkly?” The Jedi rarely allowed anyone use of their lightsaber, it was far too precious, and for Buffy to simply hand her weapon over like that... Obi-Wan felt privileged at the trust she placed in him.

“Yeah, keep him until you make a new one. I'm carrying my sword, two daggers, and seven stakes so I should be ..ummph!” Obi-Wan's arms shot out and he dragged the Slayer against his chest, wrapping her in a hug, with the intention of kissing her before realizing they were both wearing helmets and this was something he shouldn't be doing anyway. He quickly disentangled himself.

“Thank you.” Emotion choked his voice.

Buffy smiled happily inside her helmet. Quin, far from being suspicious was sending out spikes of amusement through the Force at Obi-Wan's loss of control. Shrek merely paused for a moment to watch Obi-Wan's hug before he gave a deep guffaw at their antics and carried on leading them through the dump. Andrew shuffled the carrier bag higher up his chest where he was holding it and frowned. The thought of Obi-Wan wielding a red lightsaber while wearing Darth Vader's helmet didn't sit comfortably with him but at least they were only on loan.

Obi-Wan ignored them all. He swaggered along with Buffy's lightsaber in his hand, occasionally looking at it and grinning unseen inside the Vader helmet.

“Look, I get it, ” said Andrew eventually. “It's nice of Buffy to lend her weapon to Obi-Wan but can we please call at the speeder and drop off this bag. My arms are gonna fall off if I hold it much longer!”

........

Owing to the moaning coming from Andrew, who insisted his arms were ready to drop off, they were forced to make a quick detour to stow the shopping bag inside the speeder. Once rid of the heavy bag, the Ogre began to quickly lead them away from the dump and into the confusing maze of tunnels. Buffy only a few paces behind him watched him closely. She noted he moved with the surety of someone who knew this place like the back of his hand. The way he flitted from ruin to ruin reminded her of how she patrolled the Sunnydale graveyards after she'd gained a few years experience under her belt and it made her curious about him. She decided to get her intrepid droid interpreter (who still muttered quietly about limb thieves to himself) to ask Shrek more questions.

As they skirted past a colorful, and no doubt toxic waterfall of lurid green liquid pouring down from the upper levels, Buffy asked Shrek how long he'd lived in these lower levels for.

Tweety translated, “Shrek says his entire clan has lived and hunted the lower levels for hundreds of generations, Miss Buffy.”

Buffy noticed Shrek gave her a sly grin on the word she thought meant 'hunted,' and decided not to enquire too closely into his diet. She didn't think he'd be a vegan. Not if the row of sharp teeth designed for tearing and crushing he enjoyed displaying to her was anything to go by. Obi-Wan certainly didn't trust him. He hadn't said anything but she could feel him, pecking away at her head, warning her Shrek was a Dark Side User and she shouldn't be encouraging him.

As Obi-Wan was forever bragging that he'd a 'bad feeling' about... well, everything from having his hair cut to fun adventures exploring Sith tombs, she tended to take his warnings with a pinch of salt. She guessed it would take her a while to completely break his Jedi cult brainwashing and make him realize there were a lot of shades of gray between the Light and the Dark. So what if Shrek was on the Dark Gray Side? He'd not only come to the rescue, and helped them fight the Trogs but here he was, leading her to the vamp hide-out. More importantly, he didn't cause her spidey senses slay-it-now vibes, although thinking about it, neither did Sid, unless he happened to be pulling in the Dark Force, so maybe she'd better keep a close eye on Shrek just in case.

After a short but twisting journey through tunnels, decrepit buildings, and around even more depressing dumps, Shrek came to a halt inside a low alleyway. His jovial demeanor had become steadily more serious the further from the speeder they went and the closer to their destination they were, the more cautious his body language became. Now his shadowed expression was grave as he spoke to Tweety without taking his bright eyes from Buffy.

Tweety translated. “He says, the pair who threw the bodies onto the dumping ground are using a room inside the ruined building ahead of us. Shrek recommends we take them by surprise and suggests we camouflage ourselves with magic, to escape detection until the last moment.”

Quin turned to Obi-Wan, “I take it he means for us to use Force Cloaking for camouflage?”

“Yes, I agree.”

“How do I camouflage myself, Ubi?” asked Buffy, feeling worried. He'd only given her one lesson on the Force so far and it hadn't covered cloaking. They'd done more smoochies than Force training but she couldn't blame Obi-Wan. He looked cute meditating with his eyes closed. She'd taken the opportunity to pounce with an unprovoked attack on his lips and he'd only put up token resistance before falling to her charms. She continued, “Is this like my Slayer cloaking? For when I sneak up on the vamps?”

“That is exactly what you need to do,” he replied. “You have excellent cloaking skills, much better than any Jedi I know.” He turned to his friend. “Do you know anyone with a better cloaking skill?”

Quin shook his head. “No. Buffy is definitely the best in the Temple. I think the way she sneaks around in the Dark Side of the Force is what unnerves Master Yoda the most. She's almost got Sith level skills.”

“Oi!” Buffy poked him in the ribs. “I'm better than a Sith! I'm a Slayer.”

“What about me?” asked Andrew. Concerned his cloaking skill wouldn't be any good because as far as he knew, it was non-existent. It made him feel the odd one out. “Will they spot me if I'm a Force Void?”

Quin, Obi-Wan, and Buffy all exchanged a look.

“I think you should stay out here,” said Buffy carefully. She didn't want to upset him by saying he was a liability and he should stay fray adjacent. That type of comment never went down well in the Scooby gang. “Can you take charge of Tweety and be our Watcher? Ping my comlink if anyone comes along so we aren't taken unawares. I've already got it on vibrator.” Noticing the funny looks off Obi and Quin, she explained, “You know, so it won't play a tune and alert the enemies.

“I think she means vibrate,” said Obi-Wan to Quin. “I shall stick mine on vibrator mode too, as I don't want it to play a tune and alert enemies either.”

Quin couldn't resist asking, “Are Jedi Knights allowed to use vibrator mode?” He gave a quick laugh. “I thought the High Council stopped anything like that due to misuse?”

Obi-Wan looked up from adjusting his com-link and frowned. “Misuse? What sort of misuse?”

“Er...” Quin paused, “Oh, it doesn't matter. It's just a Temple joke that went around a few years ago.” He grinned at his friend's naivety. “You never know Obi-Wan, one day you might actually start getting these jokes.” Under his breath, he added, “But I doubt it.”

“Hmmm.” Obi-Wan decided to ask Buffy and hope she'd explain it to him later. Qui-Gon had always got very short with him when he'd asked him to explain jokes and usually changed the subject. At the present time, there were far more important things to think about than a joke. “I do think we should stop talking and continue with this raid. Buffy's new friend is looking very impatient with us.”

Shrek led the group down the alleyway and pointed towards the Sith lair. The entrance to the bloodsuckers hide-out lay between two ramshackle giant ruins which, if the faded grandeur of their architecture was anything to go by, appeared to have once been official government buildings. Some kind of toxic sticky goo dripped down the facade of the one to the left. It poured down from the level above, leaving large holes in the building's masonry, and forming a huge pool in front of what once had been the grand entrance. Shrek assured them there'd be no need to cross the puddle as they'd be using the alleyway directly facing them which led to a side entrance.

They crossed the street and dodged around the large goo-pool. Shrek trotted down the alleyway, before ducking in through a side door to the building. Buffy just behind him, followed by Obi-Wan, with Quin to the rear. Shrek took them to the left. Their winding route finally opening up onto what had once been the main corridor. They climbed several flights of damaged stairs, before exiting the stairwell, and stopping inside yet another depressing corridor.

Shrek bent his head and whispered urgently to Buffy. She'd no idea what he said to her since Tweety wasn't around to translate. Luckily for Buffy, he also pointed to the doorway at the far end of the corridor and Buffy guessed this was where he'd last seen the blood-suckers hanging out. Unless the Ogre thought he needed to tell her where the nearest 'freshers were, in case she had to like pee. And wouldn't that be a whole lot of fun, answering the call of nature while wearing this protective all-in-one suit.

She nodded, to understand she needed to be extra careful, before moving towards the room on silent feet. She used the Slayer stealth mode she'd often put to use in the past and not what Yodel insisted was a Dark Force Cloak and a sign of her vile Sithy-nature. Stopping outside the doorway, she edged a quick look inside. The glimpse she got suggested the room was empty of life. It felt... deserted.

She beckoned to Shrek to come over. The ogre surprisingly agile and light on his feet for something so big; he was by her side and taking a look inside almost before she had time to blink

“ Mae'r rhai drwg wedi ffoi!” he snarled. Anger reverberated his voice, “Rydym yn rhy hwyr!”

Buffy nodded. She couldn't understand a word he said but he sounded annoyed the bloodsuckers weren't home. She gestured to the Jedi and Quin and Obi-Wan joined them.

“They aren't home so we might as well go in and rifle through their stuff,” she suggested. “If they come back, Andrew or Tweety will vibrate me.”

Inside, it was depressingly bare. A row of storage cupboards along one wall, a small table and two chairs, and a hard looking bed with a thin cover over it pushed against the wall. The hardness of the bed made the one in Spike's old crypt look like the height of luxury. On the floor, next to the table, was a suspicious dark stain, Buffy thought most likely to be blood. On one of the walls hung a picture of Padmé Amidala dressed in one of her outlandish Queeny outfits. Buffy gawked at it in amazement. Padmé? Padmé?

Behind her, Obi-Wan and Quin were tip-toeing around on high alert as they checked the area for any signs of life.

“Unless they are doing some serious cloaking, both in the Force and from the Vader helmet, they are not even in the building. I have the impression this place was mainly used for conducting Sith rituals and they haven't been here for a while,” said Obi-Wan. “I think we are too late to capture them in this lair.”

“Guhuhuhu.” Buffy shuddered, her eyes still on the photo hanging over the bed. The noise she made drew the attention of Quin and Obi-Wan. “Sorry, the Padmé picture is giving me the wiggins.”

Obi-Wan agreed with her. “Yes indeed. It's a very odd thing to see here.” The photo of the Naboo Queen in a Sith lair was not a good sign at all.

“It's cringe-worthy the stuff they make the poor girl wear,” Buffy explained. She felt a sense of outrage; she knew how important it was as a teenager to dress fashionably. “She's only fourteen and they go dressing her in ugly clothes, grotesque hats, not to mention the weird make-up and hair styles. Whoever designed her wardrobe should be taken out and shot.”

Obi-Wan thought of the way Padmé's bodyguards often dressed as the Queen to act as her double and frowned. “ I think shooting is a little extreme. It's the official and traditional wardrobe of the Queen of Naboo. The make-up and costume she wears also serves to confuse her enemies as she often changes places with her guards.”

Out the blue, Obi-Wan felt as if he'd been hit by a lightning bolt. His comment regarding the Nabooan Queen's body doubles, along with an earlier observation made by Shrek, sparked a series of connections for him. If he was right, the implications meant Buffy was in even graver danger than he'd first thought. As he watched Buffy kneel on top of the Sith bed and pluck the Nabooan Queen's photo from the wall, he realized now wasn't the right time to voice his theory. He'd wait, put the idea to Count Dooku, who was known throughout the Temple for his sharp intelligence, and see what the older Jedi thought before mentioning anything to Buffy.

Using his Jedi training to conceal his whirling emotions, he said calmly, “Let's hope the photo of the Nabooan Queen doesn't mean she's next on their hit list. I shall ask the Council to alert her security staff so they can take more protective measures.”

If there was a slight edge to his voice Buffy didn't notice it. She was too busy turning the photo over to examine it more closely. “I think she's on a different type of hit list. There's a pair of entwined love hearts drawn on the back.”

“What?!”

“Look, Doodles from the Dark Side.” She held it up so both Obi-Wan and Quin could see the Sithy love hearts. “I think our blood-sucking Sith guy thinks she's drool-worthy in another type of way. He's even used black ink to color his heart in like Sid did when he sent me poems.” Buffy paused and thought, 'Oh shit, please don't let them guess Sid is a Sith from what I just said.' She'd been intending to break that news gently and not spring it on Obi-Wan in case he got upset.

Thankfully, neither Obi-Wan nor Quin picked up on how Sith boys had a weird taste for black love hearts. Buffy put it down to the fact not many valentine cards or love poems were sent in the Jedi Temple so they thought coloring hearts in with black ink was a totally normal and cool thing for a guy to do.

“I never thought a Sith would find anyone drool-worthy,” observed Quin, puzzled. “According to Master Yoda, all the Sith were ever interested in was gaining power and killing the Jedi.”  
He turned his attention from Padmé's photo to Buffy. “Then again, he changed his mind when he met Buffy. He says she'd be a magnet for any Sith.” He paused, remembering something else. “I nearly forgot. I overheard Master Yoda today, he's been feeling strange pulsations in the Force emanating from the Temple and he thought Buffy might be conducting Sith alchemy. I meant to ask if you and Andrew had been doing something you shouldn't?”  
He gave a laugh and stopped, surprised to feel both Buffy and Obi-Wan's death-glare on him. For some reason they didn't appreciate his joke. “Er, I was only repeating what Yoda said. I'm sure you haven't been up to anything Sithy.” He spotted an unusual mark on the floor on the opposite side of the room, decided to investigate it and keep quiet until his comment had been forgotten.

Obi-Wan watched Quin retreat to the opposite side of the room, before turning his attention back to Padmé's photo. “I'm not sure if a Sith vampire finding Padmé drool-worthy as a love interest is necessarily any better than her being drool-worthy as his next meal,” he said thoughtfully. “I suppose, Buffy, we should be thankful he doesn't have your photo hanging over his bed.”

“Don't jinx me, Ubi,” Buffy slipped Padmé's photo into her back pocket with the intention of examining further back at the Temple. “This Sith guy might have my photo hidden 'in' his bed. You know, what with me being a magnet for the Sith guys according to Yodel.”

Obi-Wan didn't take it as a joke. He tore the cover off the bed, shaking it vigorously, pulled off the mattress and even slid his hand down the gap between the bed and the wall in case a Sith had hidden her photo, or anything else, down there. With relief, he pronounced, “I'm glad to say, there's nothing here.”

Buffy snorted. “Is that where you keep your stash of mucky holocrons then Ubi? Down the side of your bed next to the wall?”

Across from her Obi-Wan stilled, almost vibrating with embarrassment. She could almost hear him hissing down their mind-link, I do not have mucky holocrons! Without looking over, he scuttled out the room, pushing past Shrek in the doorway.

Quin, meanwhile was taking his investigation of the room very seriously.

“Have you ever worked for CSI?” Buffy asked. She watched him, standing on top of a chair he'd placed on on top of the table and stretching up, poking at the light fitting. She'd no idea what he was searching for. He was so intent on his task he merely looked down at her for a moment before going back to an intensive search of the light fitting and surrounding ceiling.

She sighed, and went off to open the wall cupboards, which were all empty and full of dust.

It was only after checking out every conceivable hiding place in the room that Quin spoke. “It seems apart from the photo nothing personal has been left behind. Keep the picture safe, Buffy. Don't touch it with your bare hands and please don't let Andrew touch it either. I'll check it back at the Temple and see if I can pick up any memories from it.” He scanned the empty room. “I don't think they'll come back. I sense this hide-out has been abandoned for good.”

“Not quite everything has been removed,” shouted out Obi-Wan, in a smug voice.

Buffy and Quin both eagerly ducked through the sagging doorway, into the corridor and found Obi-Wan crouched beside the tipped over and burnt out remains of an R2 astromech droid. It was half buried amongst a heap of junk and decaying debris inside what had once been a tiny closet next to the stairwell.

“Looks as if someone hit it with Force Lightning in an attempt to destroy it,” Quin observed. He didn't think they'd find much information from that heap of burnt metal but Obi-Wan had always enjoyed tinkering with mechanics far more than he ever had.

“What reason would you have for destroying? Unless it contained evidence?” asked Obi-Wan.

“Maybe it did their heads in? Giles hated computers and thought they were the instruments of evil.” Buffy remembered how Giles refused to use the one in the library. He'd have probably got a real buzz from blasting it with Force Lightning.

Obi-Wan made a huffing noise at her comment. “Let's be serious, Buffy, please. We can assume this droid must have broken down some time previous to their leaving and they then deemed it not worthy to take with them. If we are lucky there might be something remaining in its memory which could be a vital clue to finding these Sith vampires.”

Quin and Buffy exchanged dubious looks with each other, which Obi-Wan missed, as he was too busy dragging the droid out of the junk pile it lay in. He struggled to pull it upright. There is rocked, on broken and twisted legs, a sad, broken and blackened wreck of an astromech droid. Obi-Wan gave the power switch an optimistic try but as he suspected it was dead. Perhaps, if he could access the front panel, gain access to the internal circuitry, remove the wiring which hid the memory casing, he could...

“What're you doing, Ubi?”

He didn't look up. He was too occupied in trying to ease off the burnt panel, and wishing he'd thought to bring some proper tools with him. If he had, he'd have had this droid open in seconds. “If I can open this droid, there might be something in its memory...”

“Can you make it quick as there are like, Trogs approaching, and lots of them,” said Buffy sharply. She was not only sensing the approaching Trogs with her spidey senses but her inner Slayer could also feel them slithering through the Force. And that was a totally new and freaky feeling for her. “C'mon My slaydar is telling me to get the hell out of here. It's not often it does that but when it does things get real wiggy, real fast.”

Obi-Wan paused in his attempt to pry open the panel. He stretched out both his Force sensitivity and used the helmet's ability to pick up life signs in the area. The Vader helmet wasn't registering anything and the Force was too murky to be of use. Still, he sensed Buffy felt under pressure so he sent reassuring vibes to her and explained, “It's important I access the memory and see what's been stored in this droid so it might take a while. Let me know when they are closer...”

Buffy marched over, grabbing the droid by one of its broken leg shafts and flipped it into the air. Obi-Wan's mouth dropped open as she swung it at her side with ease. He kept forgetting how strong Slayers were.

“Look,” she said. “If it's that important to you we'll take the busted heap of junk with us. When I say a lot of Trogs are approaching, I mean a LOT of Trogs. I'm not normally one for running away but I don't want to be netted again. It made me feel like a fish. With less of the fishy-ness and more of the netted, cos like, I don't wanna be compared to a fish. Especially since I've not forgotten those icky fishboys at high school and weren't they of the weird?” Seeing she was drawing a blank from the two Jedi, she sighed. “Rule number one is don't die. Let's get out of here.”

“Perygl, mae byddin yn nesáu,” warned Shrek from where he'd stood guard outside the doorway. His four hands stretched out in different directions to emphasize the warning. “Dewch i gynorthwyo eraill.” He pulled one of his clubs from his belt and leaned on it, staring at Buffy in a desperate attempt to get his message across. “Gwell byw a brwydro diwrnod arall.”

“See even Shrek says it's dangerous here.” She'd no idea if that was what Shrek was trying to tell her but she sensed it could be the gist of it. How she knew she wasn't really sure, maybe it was the Force, maybe a Slayer sense or plain guesswork due to the body language.  
“My vote is to get the hell out of here. Grab Andrew and Tweety, cos if anything happens it'll happen to one of those two first, and go back to the Temple. We can call a Scooby meeting, update the Count and examine our clues so we know what's gonna be our next step.”

Since there was nothing of interest left to examine, and no one wanted to be electrocuted again by a Trog army, the two Jedi didn't argue with her plan. The four of them left the building and made their way back to where they hoped they'd find Andrew and Tweety still waiting for them.


	93. Escape From The Lower Levels

With the threat of another Trog battle lingering over their heads, Buffy, Shrek, and the Jedi quickly left the Sith lair. Shrek took the lead as usual. Immediately behind him was Buffy, while guarding her rear, their lightsaber hilts in hand, were the Jedi-Scoobys. The four of them skirted around the puddle of goo, crossed what used to be a street and re-entered the facing alleyway where they'd left Andrew and Tweety on look-out duty.

Andrew melted from deepest shadows along with Tweety. Buffy smiled with relief at seeing him still there. She hadn't said anything to the Jedi but she'd felt a bit jittery up in the Sith room thinking how Andrew was a sitting duck out here. Those Trogs could move silently when they wanted and Andrew wouldn't have been able to defend himself against a sudden ambush and an electronet.

On seeing the protocol droid, Shrek immediately rattled out, “Trafferth yn dod. Dywedwch wrthi fod angen iddi adael nawr.”

Tweety translated, “Miss Buffy, he says there is going to be trouble and you need to leave this area straight away.”

Buffy, rested the droid she held onto the ground for a moment. “Tell him, we're going to leave. Can you ask if he needs a lift somewhere?” She was worried about offering him a lift. He was that big she didn't think he'd fit in their speeder as it was already a tight squeeze, but they couldn't simply abandon him with Trogs approaching.

Tweety spoke rapidly to Shrek who shook his head. “Diolch, nid oes angen.”

“He says, that won't be necessary, Miss Buffy.”

Shek suddenly gushed out a torrent of language. Without waiting for a translation, he grabbed Buffy to him (in much the same way Obi-Wan had done earlier) and folded her into a huge hug. Buffy let out a squeak. She wasn't sure if it was from the shock or if it was the sound of all the air being squeezed from her lungs. Whatever the reason, it caused the Ogre to give her a sly grin. He rapped the top of her helmet affectionately with a set of giant knuckles, dived out the alleyway and ran off up the street before disappearing into one of the tunnels.

Everyone blinked in surprise and Tweety let out a loud gasp. “Oh dear! He didn't me the chance to translate! I think he was rather rude and uncivilized. In most polite societies it is considered good etiquette to make your farewells before leaving the company of people who have treated you with friendship and respect. Not one of us got a polite goodbye unless you count the way he grabbed Miss Buffy and tapped her helmet.”

“What did he say Tweety?” Buffy still felt squished, and also rather miffed Shrek had run off. She supposed at least he was consistent with his sudden, and dramatic, appearances and departures, and it was more than she used to get from Angel when she'd first met him.

“Oh dear... let me see. Shrek said there are a lot of Troglodytes on their way. He said he'd cloak himself, then cause a diversion to draw them to him and enable us to get away. He also said, we need to leave as the Troglodytes will not stop hunting us until we do.”

“Then I propose we do just that.” Obi-Wan looked around, trying to get his bearings. Down here he wasn't able to rely on the Force to guide him and he'd need to go off his memory alone.

Obi-Wan led them through the maze of ruins. Only twice did he need to stop and confirm the direction with Quin and Buffy before they'd set off again. As they hurried through the long-abandoned buildings, they heard Shrek's roar coming from somewhere in the far distance. It appeared he was keeping his promise to lure the Trogs away from them as much as he could.

Despite Shrek's efforts, as they got closer to the dump, Buffy felt her spidery senses tingling in alarm. As she opened her mouth to alert the others she was beaten to it by Obi-Wan.

“I don't feel anything through the Force but The Vader helmet is telling me there are several life forms directly ahead of us. I believe there are Trogs guarding our speeder.”

“How many do you get?” asked Buffy, crinkling her nose up thoughtfully. “I'm thinking around five.”

“That's very good, Buffy. I get five as well.” Obi-Wan turned his head, tilting it as he did so as if he was trying to pick up more senses through the helmet. “They appear to be hiding amongst the ruins. From the furtive way they are acting, I believe their intention is to stop us from escaping and ambush us with nets yet again. I'm becoming more attuned to this helmet now and can read their individual life-signs far easier than I could before.”

“Should we split up so we are harder to net?” asked Quin. “I don't think five of them will cause us much of a problem. The only reason that we were captured before was because there were so many of them.”

“We can sense them and dodge,” said Buffy. “Well you, me, and Obi-Wan can. Andrew and Tweety will be the ones in most danger of being netted.”

“So not fair,” muttered Andrew. He sulked and stomped his feet with disappointment as he walked. “The PTB could have given me at least one special superpower when they stuck me here.”

“You wished for it!” snapped Buffy. “Some of us didn't. Don't forget I got dragged here against my will because of you playing into the PTB's hands. I wanted nothing to do with this dimension.”

Across from her, she spotted Obi-Wan purposely avoiding looking in her direction and caught a wisp of hurt from him at her words. It made her add softly, “Although some things here make me glad I came.”

The hurt she felt coming from him through the beginnings of the link changed to a warmth that made her respond with a secretive smile only he knew about.

A slight movement from Quin caught her eye, making her realize they were being watched. She was fairly sure Quin couldn't pick anything up from her but something had alerted him. He'd always come across as being a laid-back kinda guy. He'd even done some mild flirting with her on occasion, although she had a feeling that was more to do with a testosterone competition he and Obi-Wan had going on than any attraction to her. Sill, he was a Jedi, and, as far as she knew, followed the rules on relationships. It would be better if he didn't guess she and Obi-Wan were a couple. Even if he didn't tell the Council, he might put Obi-Wan under pressure, to either give her up or leave the Jedi. Since she didn't want either of those things happening, she needed to deflect his interest in them.

“Quin?” she asked. “Can you go take the lead with Obi-Wan? Andrew and Tweety can go in the middle and I'll guard the rear. Oh, and no talking Tweety. Those giant Trog ears will pick up on it.”

“Pass the R2 droid to Andrew and Tweety to carry,” Obi-Wan said. She wouldn't be able to use her sword and fight the Trogs with it in her arms. “The speeder isn't far from here and they should be able to carry it over such a short distance.” They paused, while Buffy passed the droid to Andrew, and Tweety and everyone took their places.

“Is everyone ready?” Obi-Wan asked, mainly for Andrew's benefit.

They were only a few hundred yards from the speeder when the first of Trogs sprang from its hiding place and the electronet fired, heading towards Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan already had Mr Sparkly in hand. The lightsaber hilt was far longer than his own and it felt unbalanced and strange in his hand. Igniting the crimson blade, he shifted his grip to higher along the hilt to compensate for the length and began to slice through the net. Although he'd grown accustomed to Buffy wielding the weapon, part of him recoiled at the sight of the red sparkling blade where his own blue should be. Yet the Sith blade protected him and cut through the electronet as smoothly and easily as a more familiar green or blue lightsaber did.

To his left, Quin's green blade was also destroying an electronet fired by a Trog who charged out of its hiding place on his side. Net demolished, Quin left their tight formation to leap forward and take a swipe at the Trog, who now came at him armed with an electrospear. Obi-Wan was aware of another attack going on to their rear. Buffy's sword chopped away at a net and a moment later hacked sections of mesh fell down onto him.

Obi-Wan shook his head and the net fell away. During the last few seconds, his Jedi training had taken him into battle focus. When the combined murky tendrils of the Force and the Vader helmet signalled a potential threat from the right and slightly behind him, he instantly moved to intercept it. The scarlet blade sparkled as he twirled it with a dramatic flourish towards the attacking Trog. The creature raised its club, its intention to smash a crippling blow to his shoulder. The crimson blade blurred. Tore horizontally through the chest. Without waiting to see it fall, Obi-Wan half turned once more. Drew back the lightsaber before thrusting it straight into the stomach of another springing attacker.

Quin's enemy was giving him trouble, darting back and dodging, staying annoyingly just out of range. Trying to draw him away from the group by taunting him. Obi-Wan knew Quin was biding his time but remained watchful. Further back, to the rear of their company, Obi-Wan heard Buffy verbally abusing a Trog. There was a high pitched screech as her sword chopped into the creature's shoulder. From her excited call about how she'd rendered it 'armless, it sounded as if she was having fun.

Tweety was shrieking annoyingly that they were being attacked for spare parts. He blamed Andrew, saying he'd caused a shortage amongst the Trogs. Andrew told the droid to shut up. Tweety complained about the rudeness of aliens from other dimensions. Obi-Wan heard Andrew slap the droid around the head. At the same time, the Vader helmet told him Buffy had extinguished life from the Trog she'd previously disarmed.

Quin finally drew on the Force to push the Trog to the ground before jumping forward and cleanly decapitating him with a single slash from his lightsaber. Then they were yards from the speeder with only one Trog between them and it. This one towered over them all, resolutely standing guard, netgun in one hand and electrospear in the other. As Obi-Wan sprinted towards the creature intending to engage it, the Vader helmet began transmitting rapidly. Life sign after life sign were fast approaching the dump from all sides.

Obi-Wan shouted, “RUN!”

His friends started running. Andrew and Tweety were clumsy and synchronized as they tried to keep hold of the R2 unit and increase their speed. When Andrew nearly fell, Buffy sheathed the magic sword, grabbed the droid from them both and carried it herself. It was now up to the two Jedi to deal with the Trog.

The Vader helmet screamed into Obi-Wan's mind, informing him of the creature's life signs and its possible intention of shooting him. It raised its arm and fired the netgun. Next to him, Quin raised his lightsaber and Force Leaped straight up and beneath the dropping net. He pirouetted in mid-air, his blade slicing through the mesh. Burnt sections of net rained down all around the group. Quin landed in a half crouch, one hand touched the ground momentarily before he leaped towards the speeder once more, intending to safely escort the non-Jedi amongst them to their seats.

Obi-Wan was vaguely aware of Andrew, Tweety, and Buffy running past him as he swished his blade to draw the attention of the remaining Troglodyte. He caught a hint of anxiety, fast replaced by a wave of confidence in him from Buffy and he smirked back at her through their fast developing mind link. Even as he lightly stroked her mind with his, he fanned the crimson blade of Mr Sparkly in front of the Trog's face to provoke it into attacking him, rather than following the others. The creature's large ears flattened in anger despite the way it flinched from the humming red blade he tauntingly waved into its face.

It snarled, gelatinous saliva dribbling from large, sharp teeth, before lunging forward with its electrospear. He dodged, his sharp Jedi reflexes easily avoiding the jab. As it lurched past him, unbalanced by it's momentum, he brought up the lightsaber, swinging upwards and sideways to cut through the creature's wrist in a move to disable it. Both hand and the shaft fell to the floor. The creature screamed out in a mixture of agony and outrage. Far from nursing its injury, backing away, and allowing him to pass as he'd hoped, it threw itself towards him. Mouth open and remaining hand curled, it resorted to using the weapons of tooth and claw in a desperate attempt to destroy him.

The Sith lightsaber struck again, piercing the chest of the Troglodyte as it flung itself at the Jedi. The creature dropped, dying at his feet, and Obi-Wan took a moment to stand in complete stillness.

Reaching out, Obi-Wan searched for the Light Side of the Force, eager to restore his inner balance after using a Sith infused lightsaber crystal to destroy lives. The weapon he held hummed with echoes of its previous Dark Side use, he shuddered, and wondered how Buffy failed to notice it.

Without looking across to the speeder, he knew Quin waited for him by the passenger door while the others were already seated in the back. He still didn't move. Instead, he continued to stand, the red light reflecting onto the helmet's visor, pieces of net drifting past him, and the body of the Trog twitching at his feet. He drifted into Force meditation. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, his breathing rate slowed, using the Force to restore his focus and balance, to restore him to the Light Side of the Force, to allow his Jedi calm to...

“STOP CONTEMPLATING YOUR NAVAL AND GET IN THE FREAKING SPEEDER!” yelled Buffy. She was hanging out the speeder glaring at him.

He didn't bother arguing or explaining he hadn't been contemplating his navel. Instead, he ran over, jumped into the driver's side and started up the speeder. Using a combination of the Force and the Vader helmet to navigate the twisting tunnels at high speed, he put distance between them and the hordes of Trogs until the speeder reached a more habited area. He slowed and then entered the ventilation shaft they'd arrived by. None of them spoke until they began to rise up the shaft.

“I'm glad that's over with.” Quin pulled off his helmet and tugged off his oxygen tank. “I've got burns in all sorts of places from the electronets.”

“Another happy adventure with Buffy.” Obi-Wan's voice held more than a trace of sarcasm. “Remind me not to do it again.”

“I know you loved it really,” replied Buffy, tugging off her helmet. She grimaced as she ran her fingers through her flattened hair. “You can't fool me, Obi-Wan.”

“And we've even managed to find gifts for friends.” Despite the fact his heart still pounded and he still hadn't got his breathing under complete control from the manic get-away, Andrew joined in their banter. The prized bag of Trog parts for the Nightsister lay heavily at his feet.

Buffy smiled happily. “It was fun. We made a new friend in Shrek and fought lots of new enemies tonight. Plus we have more clues and another mystery for the Scooby gang to solve.”

“Is this what your life was like before you came here?” asked Quin, as he passed back his helmet and his and Obi-Wan's oxygen tanks to Buffy to store in the back of the speeder. Obi-Wan kept the Vader helmet on, although now he'd raised the visor.

“Pretty much,” said Buffy. “Just no space travel, no aliens, and a lot more blood-sucking demons crawling out of the Hellmouth.”

“Ugh, remind me to never to visit your home planet,” said Quin. “The lower levels on Coruscant are bad enough.”

It was Tweety who came out with a speech which surprised all of them. “I realize now why you all enjoy these adventures. Despite being attacked, switched off, thrown head first into a dump and forced to carry, and sit with the burnt out remains of other droids,” he gestured to the R2 droid he was holding on his knee. “I have escaped with all my limbs intact. I shall be considered quite a fearless hero amongst the other 3PO units. There's not many who could have gone through all what I did and come away without losing a limb or a head down there.”

Buffy wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic. He looked as if he could be smiling, but then again someone might have designed his face that way.

“Wanna come out and play again?” She couldn't resist asking.

“Thank you for asking, Miss Buffy. I would like that.”

She tried not to pull a face. It looked as if she could be stuck with Tweety. Then again, Andrew was the one who used to collect the 3PO droid figures, so let him be stuck with a full sized version.


	94. Returning Heros

The Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi, strode through the Jedi Temple, dressed in dark clothing, wearing Darth Vader's helmet, and carrying a Sith lightsaber. And none of these things worried Andrew.

Not because he'd had a change of heart. Even if this was a parallel dimension to the Star Wars one he loved so much, he still thought Buffy should have some standards and try to at least keep to George Lucas's original ideas. He also felt, on behalf of Star Wars fans everywhere, he should be outraged at this latest turn of events, but since he was nearly dropping from exhaustion he couldn't be bothered kicking up a fuss. In fact it was all he could do to keep his eyes open and keep putting one foot down in front of the other.

At this moment he didn't care if Obi-Wan went Darth Kenobi and became the new evil Emperor of the Galaxy with his Sith-Queen, Darth Buffy, by his side. He'd had enough. The only thing keeping him going was the thought of rubbing bacta-cream on his electronet burns and climbing into bed. He probably should have a shower before doing either of those things, as he kept getting funny smells as he walked, but that might be the body parts he was carrying. He hugged the heavy shopping bag against his chest, arms wrapped around and fingers laced to stop himself dropping it. Putting one foot down and then the other while chanting to himself not far now, not far now.

When one of the hooded and masked Temple Guardians who roamed the Jedi Temple walked out in front of them he groaned. From the moment they'd arrived back, every patrolling Temple Guard they'd come across decided they came under the category of being 'suspicious'. Andrew supposed it was because all the Temple Jedi appeared to have been well-scrubbed with strong soap while their group was filthy. Even Obi-Wan looked as if he'd been dragged through a dump and he was, most likely, the cleanest and most well-pressed Jedi of all time.

If being questioned had happened only once, Andrew would have accepted it, but it hadn't. Didn't the Temple Guards communicate? They'd be stopped, answer questions, move on to another Temple section and be stopped again. It was boring. The only good thing was none of the Guardians showed any interest in questioning him. Andrew decided he'd leave the talking to Obi-Wan, who was known for that type of thing and closed his eyes for a minute.

***

Obi-Wan tutted and gave a loud sigh of exasperation as yet another masked Temple Guard came to stand in front of their group. The slight noise drew the Durosian guard's attention. He made a point of radiating disapproval through The Force to the young man in the helmet he knew was Kenobi.

As a youngling, Obi-Wan had viewed with awe the masked and hooded imposing figures of the Temple Guardians and would have felt shame if any of them had looked at him for a few seconds longer than necessary. Even as a padawan, when he and Qui-Gon had been stopped by the guards after completing a mission, he'd been embarrassed. The first time Qui-Gon answered the guards, the second time his master made him speak to them. He'd seen the embarrassment the guards caused his apprentice and told him learning how to deal with authority would be a good experience for him. Back then Obi-Wan had been nervous; tonight he'd rather a dark urge to give them a Force Push off the balcony so they'd land on their heads on the floor below. Of course, he wasn't going to give in to dark urges, no matter how tempting or how provoking the guards were. Instead, he tilted his head, raised an eyebrow at the guard and treated him to his most disdainful expression as he waited for the questions to start.

“Who goes there?” asked the guard blocking their path.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth, about to repeat their identities and recite the explanation he'd give to the other Guardians when Buffy pushed past him.

“Oh for Freak's sake! Not again!” She snapped. Putting down the droid she was carrying she put her hands on her hips, and gave the guard a Dark Force Intimidation glare. “Let me guess... your name's Jason, isn't it? It's the hockey mask. It's a dead giveaway. So listen, do you Friday 13th lot not own comlinks? Or like, a communal holo-phone or something?”

The guard cleared his throat, about to answer her but Buffy plowed on, “This is the fifth... Yeah, the FIFTH time one of you lot has jumped out and stopped us. Is it a crime to need a wash and wander in during the night?”

“Who...” began the guard.

Buffy took a step forward and wagged a forefinger in his face. “Aaa-aah! Did I say, I'd stopped speaking?”

“I was...” began the Temple guard.

“Aaa-aah! I have not finished,” rebuked Buffy. “Look, contact all your Friday the 13th buddies and check-up on us, but don't be taking long about it. Obi-Wan has explained enough times tonight and I wanna get back and jump in the shower. It's not fair making a girl stand around wearing a layer of blood and Trog goo.”

The guard maintained his aggressive stance. He'd not been back in the Temple long and couldn't place this small, human... knight? He couldn't remember her as a padawan but there was no braid and she had the confidence of a Master. Who was she? Where had she sprung from? “Can you tell me why, exactly, you're covered in blood?”

“Now to me, that question shows no one around here does any real fighting,” Buffy said. “I bet that's because most Jedi Knights are sent on diplomatic missions. Come back with a few cookie crumbs, caff stains and creases on their bathrobe from being sat around a table, rather than blood from battling demons. No wonder Count Dooku wants out of it.”

Obi-Wan added, “We've been searching the lowest levels of the planet for vampires and the Sith. We are also rather tired from fighting battles against the Dark Forces of Evil.” He was itching for a shower and a change of clothes. Even though he'd worn a protective suit, it felt as though there was a layer of dirt and blood engrained into his skin and the sooner he cleaned up the better. Slaying with Buffy had also made him more hungry and hyped up than usual. He'd shower, change into clean robes, then grab something to eat and do a couple of hours meditation to help him unwind. That's if the... Bantha Poodoo in front of him ever moved.

The guard pushed his fingers underneath his hood and scratched at his head. Wondering what he should do? Normally, knights returning from a mission apologized for disturbing the peace of the Temple, smiled and promised it wouldn't happen again. This lot stood there, unrepentant and the female was bubbling with annoyance. He wondered if her companions noticed she'd a cloud of the Dark Force following her around? Was she a Dark Jedi? He'd been on his way back to the Guardian's rec room for a cup of tea and a slice of cake when he'd spotted them coming up the corridor. It wasn't fair, a Dark Jedi turning up just as he was about to go on his tea break.

Should he arrest them and let the Council deal with them? He looked at the black helmet Knight Kenobi wore, then at the small angry female at his side and felt his stomach drop as it occurred to him who this must be. This was the infamous Lord Vader, Protector of the Galaxy against Vampires!

Temple gossip whispered despite being a Shadow in the Force she was The Chosen One. The one the prophecy spoke of who was destined to bring balance to the Force. She was also Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's girlfriend and she'd appeared on CNN's celebrity gossip channel. The Hero without Fear scowled at him; as if it was his fault she was covered in blood and... other substances.

“Hey, buddy, eyes up here!” She hissed and pointed to her face. “Stop looking at my body. Sheesh, I know you Jedi are, like, sexually deprived, but that's no excuse for pervy-ness. You might think you can hide it by wearing a mask but I can feel where your eyes are poking at it.”

“I'm not!” The Temple Guardian hotly denied. He flushed dark green under his mask and was glad they couldn't see his face.

All three males in the group were glowering at him now. Even the dopey looking blonde one who stood at the back clutching his shopping to his chest. The Durosian's sensitive nose picked up on the really bad smell wafting from him, a cross between manure, decaying fish, and a decomposing body.

“Are you saying I'm lying?” Lord Vader demanded, slanting him a black look.

The guard took an involuntary step back. “Er, no. I meant I wasn't checking out your, er, body. I was looking at the slime.” He quickly added, “My apologies for delaying your shower, Lord Vader, please feel free to carry on.”

Lord Vader huffed and muttered, “I should think so too.” Before striding off down the corridor to the turbolift, her Scoobies following behind.

Inside the turbolift, Andrew stood next to Obi-Wan and Quin, Buffy and Tweety behind them as they waited for their floor.

“Pooh, what's that vile smell? Is it you Andrew?” asked Obi-Wan wrinkling his nose and looking across at Andrew suspiciously. “Couldn't you have waited until we got out the turbolift?”

“It isn't me! At least I don't think it is.” He sniffed at his armpits. “I might be a bit whiffy but it's these Trog parts that smell.” He nodded down towards the bag he carried. Seeing Obi-Wan and Quin both giving him disbelieving looks and shuffling away from him, Andrew turned to Buffy and hissed in embarrassment, “You picked a head with bad teeth!!”

“I did not pick a head with bad teeth!” Buffy was sure she'd examined all the heads before choosing the best one out the bunch to behead. She couldn't remember it having bad teeth.

“Yeah, you did. And there's stuff leaking from its mouth too. All those dead Trogs and you pick one with bad teeth and halitosis.”

“I so did not!”

“You so did!”

Buffy cautiously shuffled across to him and pulled the side of the bag down to examine the Trog's head. “Ewwwww, it has got bad breath.” She pinched her nose. “Ugh, imagine how bad it must have been when it was alive.”

“And I'm carrying it! This is so not cool, Buffy.” Andrew sulked.

He sulked, even more when the elevator door slid open and everyone piled out past him no doubt trying to escape him and his stinking bag of Trog parts. Even the droid gave him a dirty look when it minced past him and, as far as he knew, protocol droids didn't have a sense of smell.

Feeling like a pariah, he trudged along at the rear. When he looked up and spotted Mace Windu and Yoda walking down the corridor towards their group he didn't feel the slightest bit of panic. Instead he thought, good, let them explain themselves to the Council and see if he cared. It served them right for making him carry the stinking bag all this time.

........

The two Jedi Masters came to a halt in front of the Jedi-Scoobies, Masters Mace Windu and Yoda purposely taking their time studying the group in front of them.

The Kiffar knight, Quinlan Vos, tried to blend into the corridor wall when their eyes fell upon him. Then they turned their harsh gaze on the heavily blood-stained Buffy, who gave them a defiant grin in return. Both glanced only momentarily at the sleepy Andrew, before narrowing their eyes at Obi-Wan, who visibly struggled to hide his disquiet under his Master's inquisitive eyes.

For the Jedi knight it had been a long night. He still felt emotionally unbalanced from killing with a Sith lightsaber, he shared an unsanctioned mind-bond with Buffy (amongst other unsanctioned bonds he'd been enjoying with her), whilst behind him, Andrew and his shopping bag of illegal parts were releasing bad smells.

“Obi-Wan, we have been informed by the Temple Guardians that your group has been stopped a number of times tonight,” Mace Windu intoned. “We grew concerned and thought to check on the situation ourselves.”

“Upset many you have, with bloodstains, you do.” The little green Master's ears flattened as he studied Buffy once more. She looked as if she'd been involved in a bloodbath and dragged their Jedi Knights into the massacre along with her.

Old habits die hard and Obi-Wan fought his urge to crumble and panic in the face of the small revered Grand Master. However, he was no longer a young padawan, he was a Jedi Knight. Tonight he'd been in a worthwhile fight, slaying the Dark Side creatures alongside Buffy and it wasn't their fault they'd come back bloody. Keeping his voice, and his thoughts (that were becoming more wayward by the day) devoid of all emotion, he said smoothly, “Please accept my humble apologies. It has been a long night and we've only just returned from fighting the forces of evil and searching for Sith and vampires in the lower levels.”

“We're sorry the bloodstains are like, offensive to the eyes, but that's what happens when you slay demons, rather than sit in your swamp counting your lily pads,” said Buffy. She didn't like the way Yoda was trying to belittle them or how Obi-Wan felt the need to apologize. “You get full of goo and have to put your clothes in a tub of stain remover and leave them to soak overnight.” Buffy glared back at Yodel who was now giving her dirty looks at the mention of his swamp.

Nick Fury cleared his throat, drawing her attention from the mutant chihuahua-frog. “We needed to investigate the situation for ourselves, Buffy.” He gave her a small reassuring smile. “Perhaps, if you'd removed your stained clothing and disposed of them in the speeder hangar before making your way through the Temple? It's the younglings we're concerned about. If one saw you in such a condition...” he gestured at her slimy, blood-stained suit.

“That's a good idea, Nick,” she agreed, sarcasm lacing her voice. “I'll remember to do that next time. Remind me to wear one of my best underwear sets ready for walking through the Temple because I've thrown the clothes I'm wearing away.”

Obi-Wan slanted her a shocked side-look before quickly shifting his focus to Master Windu. He kept his mind-link closed and clamped down hard on any thoughts of her walking along the corridors almost naked. It was the type of thinking that could cause un-Jedi like images to pop into his mind. Ones he didn't want the Masters to see.

Meanwhile, Nick Fury became hot and bothered. “Er, I didn't mean... I meant for you to take a spare set of clothes with you, not for you to....” He gestured at her body, then dropped his gaze to the toe of his boot and refused to meet Buffy's eyes.

Obi-Wan, who'd been using iron-will to control his own thoughts, received a glimpse of an image in the Master's mind which caused his eyes to widen in shock. He frowned at the older man, desperately wanting to say something scathing about how he thought Jedi Masters weren't allowed any but not daring to, for fear it revealed he'd also been up to things he wasn't allowed.

Ignoring his fellow Master's discomfort, Yoda's attention fixed on an item dangling from the young knight Kenobi's utility belt. “Sith lightsaber, you carry. Odd helmet, also you wear, hmm?”

Obi-Wan, his normally gentle blue eyes unusually hard, dragged his attention from Nick Fury's bald, sweaty head. “Sorry? What?”

“He wants to know why you're wearing the Vader helmet and using Mr Sparkly,” replied Buffy. She'd known, just known, Yoda would ask those questions. She could have put a bet on it and become a millionaire.

An ashamed Obi-Wan gave them the cliff notes on how he'd been captured, lost his lightsaber, and how Buffy had lent him hers so he didn't have to keep fighting with a stick.

Nick Fury, having recovered from the embarrassment of telling Buffy she should walk through the Jedi Temple in her underwear, said, “That's very good of you, Buffy. Not many would lend their lightsaber. It shows what a kind and considerate person you are.” He shot Yoda a look as if to say, 'See, she's not a Sith.'

Yoda nodded, sagely. “Weapon from the Dark Side it is. Corrupt all, it will.”

Buffy tutted, rolled her eyes. “It's never affected me! You make out I didn't have the brain to dunk it in bleachy stuff after Dark Mall had hold of it. You know,” she lowered her voice as if to impart an important secret to Yodel, “to get rid of the germs. In case he'd never washed his hands after he'd been to the toilet.”

Yoda opened his mouth and closed it a few times. All his pearls of wisdom regarding the Dark Side crystals and corruption drying up in the face of 'toilet germs'.

Mace Windu's gaze was still on Buffy. There was something different about her tonight. He'd thought at first it was her hair or her lipstick. It had taken him a long while to realize exactly what it was...

“Why are you carrying a burnt out astromech droid?” He felt uncomfortable asking her. “Is it... is it a new fashion accessory?”

Buffy laughed, but in a nice way and Nick Fury found himself grinning as well. “Nope, although I so could set a trend. Ubi found this in the Big Bad's lair and he wants to dissect it for evidence.”

“I'm hoping there may be clues in its memory leading to the identity and location of Sith vampires, Masters.” Obi-Wan was beginning to feel annoyed at the way Nick Fury's focus always remained on Buffy. The rest of them might as well be invisible, although at least he'd got Yoda's attention now.

“Come before Council, early in the morning, you shall.”

“Uh, no. Sorry, no can do. That's way too early,” replied Buffy. She'd no intention of getting up at the crack of dawn to go to some Council meeting. “I need to clean up, and then I'm hoping Obi-Wan will take me to the cafeteria for some food, as I'm STARVING.”

“I don't mind.” Obi-Wan was happy he'd have company in the cafeteria at this time of night. “I'm rather famished myself. Not to mention, despite being tired, I feel oddly hyped up. I assumed you'd want to go straight to bed after all that fighting.”

“I need food first. We can do the bed thing afterwards.” She turned to pout at Nick Fury, who seemed more susceptible to sweet-talk than Yodel. “It's gonna be a very late night for me, Nick. I don't see myself getting up until lunchtime. Then I need to re-do my nails. I've found that if I over-do the lightsabering it causes melt on my nail varnish. And then I've a free sample of specially formulated, extra-creamy conditioning treatment for the shiny hair thatcame from an expensive salon in the Senate District. I've wanted to use it for ages, so I'm gonna be kinda busy tomorrow doing my hair and nails.” She gave the Jedi Master a mega-watt smile and an apologetic shrug. “Plus we promised Count Dracula, I mean Dooku, an update as he gets grouchy if he's left out and he couldn't come with us due to his bad leg. I suppose we could fit you in... say tomorrow evening?”

“Of course, I understand,” replied Nick Fury returning her wide smile with one of his own. “We can fit around your plans, Buffy. It's no problem.”

“Great! That's a date then, Nick. See you tomorrow,” Buffy winked at him. Using both Master's stunned silence to make a quick get-away, she hurried off down the corridor with her tribe of Scoobies rushing after her.

Master Mace Windu continued to stand, beaming after the Slayer, until Master Yoda gave his arm a hard prod.

“Go now, we must,” snapped the little Master. “Supposed to be Jedi, you are. Stand there and smile at girls, you should not!”

“I'm only being friendly!” Mace Windu straightened his robe and smoothed back the skin on his bald head.

“More than friends, you want to be. Seen your thoughts I have. Master on Council you are. Idiot padawan with crush, you are not. Nick Fury she calls you, and smile you do. Supposed to be Jedi you are....” Yoda continued to chastise him as they turned the corner of the corridor.

Quin's sharp hearing had picked up the conversation. Grinning, he caught up to Buffy, lowered his head and whispered in Buffy's ear, “Mace Windu has a crush on you.”

Buffy frowned. “He's gone nicer to me, but I don't think....”

“Oh yes he has,” replied Quin with a smirk. “Who'd have thought it of our Nick Fury? Almost as straight-laced and untouchable as Obi-Wan, but they do say that type always fall the hardest...” His voice trailed off and he gave Obi-Wan a speculative look.

Obi-Wan scowled. “Do shut up, Quin. You don't know what you're talking about.”

From the way his friend looked at him and Buffy, he knew he must be on to them. He'd kept Quin out of trouble enough times in the past to know he'd keep the information to himself, but it wouldn't stop the teasing. Teasing which might lead to others, people not so willing to turn a blind-eye, overhearing him at some point. He decided to have a word with him in the next day or so and tell him to lay-off the joking.

He changed the subject to a more pressing matter. “Buffy, what are you intending to do with those Trog parts?”

Buffy took a look at Andrew, who trudged along behind them, eyes half closed, and the shopping bag pressed against his chest. She'd no idea how he could hold it so close to his nose and keep breathing without being sick. He must have gone nose blind.

“I'm gonna send Ta'la a message. She said if we managed to collect any, she'd send Ten across to pick them up straight away. He can come tomorrow afternoon.”

“You do realize how much they are going to smell by then? You think they smell bad now? After only a few hours in your warm apartment, the smell will be absolutely atrocious. You'll never be rid of the stench. All your furnishings and all your clothing will reek.”

Buffy paled at the thought. There was only one thing for it. She touched Obi-Wan's arm. “I've an idea. Do you have room in your fridge for a head?”

“Absolutely not!”

“What about a hand?” Buffy pressed. She battered her eyelashes and pouted up at him

“Definitely not.”

She sulked and looked across at Quin who watched them once more. The Kiffar hurriedly avoided her eye. “Quin, can you put..?”

“NO!”

Buffy pouted at both of the Jedi, but they both resolutely refused to even look in her direction. Obi-Wan was right. Those Trog parts were going to smell terrible by the following day. It was bad enough living with Andrew.

“Obi-Wan, can you...”

“NO!”

“I was only gonna ask... can do your hand waving thing and break into a couple of empty apartments on our corridor? I could use their fridges. It's only until tomorrow and these Trog parts will stink out the entire corridor if I don't put them somewhere cool.”

Obi-Wan considered her request. Breaking into apartments to store sentient body parts, destined to be used in Dark Side rituals, was pushing his moral code to the Outer Rim. On the other hand, he certainly didn't want to live next door to an apartment that stank.

“As long as you clean the fridges later,” he finally conceded.

“Great. I'll ask Tweety if he enjoys cleaning,” replied Buffy cheerfully. She thought if the droid was going to start hanging out with them, he might as well make himself useful.

“I'll be happy to oblige,” replied Tweety, hearing his name mentioned. He felt pleased they weren't intending to send him straight back to storage. “It will be a lot less boring than sitting in the storage unit with all my sensors turned off.”


	95. Scoobies & Sith

Darth Sidious, The Dark Lord of the Sith, in his guise of Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine strode through the Jedi Temple corridors. His face and figure was a familiar one in the Temple and caused the various Jedi he met along the way to greet him. In return he smiled amicably. Beside him was the Jedi padawan assigned to meet and accompany him to the council chambers, a young Bothan who prattled on about his life in the Temple.

Palpatine listened carefully. There was always the possibility the youngster might drop juicy gossip into the conversation, gossip which could assist in the Jedi's ruin. He had to show the right amount of interest though. Too much attention and the padawan might become suspicious, too little and he'd come to the conclusion his conversation wasn't very interesting and become quiet. In view of this, Palpatine wore a serious yet genial expression and nodded every now and then to give encouragement. His affable countenance was part of the persona of Supreme Chancellor, the mask that covered the more 'passionate' Sith face. The one that had already begun to show the ravages the Dark Side caused, consequences of the many rituals he enjoyed indulging in.

The Bothan was describing in great and long-winded detail how much he enjoyed escorting visitors around the Temple. That wasn't very interesting, but Palpatine continued to listen, a small smile on his face. Not a patronizing one. Oh no, never would he appear patronizing when in Jedi company. At least, not until the delightful day when he had the Jedi backed into a corner and one hand pressed against their throats while his lightsaber burnt holes into their soft, pathetic, pacifist bodies...

“... the Temple Guardians stopped Buffy five times last night for being caked in blood...”

That tidbit of information jarred the Dark Lord of the Sith from out of his pleasant fantasy of murdering Jedi. “What?!”

The Bothan's fur rippled across his face with pleasure at the Supreme Chancellors interest. The gossip had been all over the cafeteria that morning when he'd gone to breakfast.

“That's what I heard, Supreme Chancellor.” His lips curled showing a hint of his fangs. “I haven't seen Buffy today so no one knows if it is her blood or someone else's. She's normally in one of the training rooms with Knight Kenobi, practicing her lightsaber skills, but she wasn't there and no one's seen her. She's Count Dooku's apprentice, but he hurt his leg when he crashed his speeder. They were all chasing a Bounty Hunter who was trying snatch to Buffy, but they...”

“Yes, yes, I heard about Dooku a while ago. The Council was very cross they'd lost a speeder. What happened last night?” asked Palpatine, trying to control his eagerness.

“After she'd been stopped by the Guardians, Masters Yoda and Windu turned up to question her. One of the padawans I know lives in the apartment nearby and he stuck his head out the door and overheard it all. The Masters wanted her to come before the High Council first thing in the morning so she could give them a full account of her slaying activity but she refused. She said she had to do her nails.” The Bothan looked at his own claws thoughtfully. Obviously wondering if he could use the same excuse in future.

“Really?” half whispered Palpatine.

He tried not to cackle. That did sound like his naughty Vader. Move into the Jedi Temple, go off slaying her enemies and then, when questioned, say she couldn't make the meeting as she 'had to do her nails'. She truly was an audacious creature. How the Dark Force did she get away with these things? Sid swallowed back another cackle. Bad Buffy! A small cackle escaped and he quickly covered it with a cough, holding his fist to his mouth.

“Do excuse me,” He apologized. “I seem to have a frog in my throat.” And then he had an image of Yoda, sat on a lily pad, croaking, and nearly cackled again.

“Buffy calls me Oz,” purred the feline Bothan with a touch of hero worship. “She says I remind her of an old friend of hers from back home.”

Palpatine's eyes flicked over the small hairy Bothan, assessing him once more. For a Jedi, he was a very scruffy individual. He didn't appear to have even brushed his red fur this morning.

“Buffy is a kind and sweet girl. She must think you are very special. Do you think...” he paused, “...instead of showing me to the council chambers like you were asked to, you could take me to Buffy's apartment instead? I'm rather early for the meeting and I've concerns over Lord Vader's health.” He gave the small Jedi a friendly smile, like a kindly uncle would to a favourite nephew, and watched the hairy alien beam back at him.

*********

“Oh shit, Sid is coming along the corridor,” said Buffy. She'd been sat on her couch putting the final touches to her manicure with a silver towel wrapped around her hair, when she'd suddenly lifted her head up and looked across in the direction of the elevator, then at Andrew who was engrossed in his game.

“Spidey Sense?” asked Andrew, sat on the chairs playing what Buffy called his 'shoot the spaceship' hologame. He didn't make a move apart from using his thumbs to press buttons on his datapad to avoid his ship being hit and retaliating to the attack by firing missiles against his enemy.

Buffy glanced back towards the corridor trying to work out how she knew it was Sid. Since he'd gone all Sid the Sith at the Opera house she'd gotten a better read on him, but he still had weird vibes that faded in and out of her senses.

“I'm not sure if it's with the Spidey sense or the Forcey sense.” The Slayer in her registered him but there was no urge to kill as she had with a vampire or other creature of darkness. “It's all gone a bit blurry where one stops and the other begins since me and Obi-Wan did the Forcey thing together.”

Andrew gave a sarcastic snort.

Buffy to narrow her eyes at him. “What's with the choking noise?”

Andrew waved a hand, “Is that, like, what you're calling it these days.”

“Oh, shut up!” Laughing, she grabbed the cushion from behind her and lashed it across the room at Andrew. Despite she'd done it in a good-natured way and not an, 'I am the Slayer and you will die by cushion', it glanced off the side of his head. Caught by surprise, Andrew lost the grip on his datapad and lost his one remaining spacecraft to enemy fire.

“I've lost my last life now,” he moaned and flicked off his game regretfully.

“Tough. Make sure you keep any comments about me and Obi-Wan to yourself. I don't want Sid finding out. I told you how he freaked out in the Opera house and went all Dark Side of the Force when he thought I was going on a date.”

“I told you he needs slaying.” He knew it would completely throw everything out in this dimension, but Buffy had been happily changing things anyway. Plus every time the guy appeared on screen, his scarred pale face gave Andrew the heebie-jeebies and made him want to hide behind the sofa.

“I'm not slaying Sid!” she tutted and shot a look from under her lashes at Andrew, who'd walked over to the drawer of random objects and was now shoving his datapad in there. “I quite like him,” she said.

Andrew whirled around, mouth gaping at her, “What?”

She looked down at her nails so he couldn't get a good look at her face. “Yeah, I think he could be a nice guy... if... someone gave him the chance.”

“He's a Big Bad! He doesn't deserve a chance...” Andrew frowned, an ugly thought occurring to him. She'd been complaining the other day she hadn't been out shopping for ages. “I hope you aren't thinking of encouraging him? In hopes he'll buy you more shoes?”

Buffy kept her head down, pretending to examine her nails and trying not to laugh. “I was thinking of accepting his proposal. Mrs Buffy Palpatine has a nice ring to it.”

The cushion sailed back across the living room and hit the wall next to her head. Buffy couldn't help it, she looked up and flashed Andrew a grin.

“I knew it was a joke as soon as you said you were going to marry him.”

“Had you going though, didn't I, Watcher-mine?”

His face lit up at her old name for Giles. The Scoobies had been a close-knit group and he'd often felt as if he was an outsider, yet every so often he'd get a comment like the one Buffy just made. It gave him a warm buzz, that and knowing he was in the Star Wars dimension.

“We need to tell the Jedi-Scoobies about,” he lowered his voice to a whisper, “Sid.” It didn't feel right not telling them, seeing as they were all working so closely together.

Buffy bit her lower lip and looked worried. “I know. I'm not sure how they are gonna take it. We don't have any evidence and we can't blame George Lucas. Do you think I should tell them today?” At Andrew's nod, she added. “ I thought it might be better to get these meetings over with first. Obi-Wan is on a high, with something bubbling inside him...”

Andrew snorted again and Buffy shot him a glare. “As I was saying Obi-Wan has got an idea bubbling inside him, some theory about the vamp lair we found last night.” She broke off as the door buzzer went and, knowing who was there, rolled her eyes. “Get the door, Andrew.”

Andrew pouted at the order but went over to open the door anyway. It slid open to reveal Palpatine standing in the corridor wearing his long maroon robes, his favourite pair of boots and an ingratiating smile.

Andrew gave him a shaky smile in return. “Hey, Supreme Chancellor, what a surprise...” He stepped back and watched for any signs of hesitancy in case the Dark Lord of the Sith had become a vampire since they'd last seen him. If he'd gone fangy the watcher knew Buffy wouldn't feel bad about staking him.

Sid beamed, striding in as if he owned the place.

“Buffy!” Spotting Buffy on the couch he glided over, intending to grasp both her hands and plant a kiss on her cheek.

Buffy jumped to her feet and retreated to the other side of the coffee table.

“Ah no,” She said, avoiding his attempt to paw her.

Her move caused Palpatine to pout and she waved her nails at him in defense against the advancing Sith Lord. “It's good to see you, Sid, but I've just finished my nails and I don't want to smudge them.” She thought about the towel wrapped around her hair. “Oh, and excuse my fancy silver headwear too. I was given a free sample of extra-creamy conditioner from a salon in the Senate which I'm trying out. You've got to leave it on for exactly one hour. It's for the extra-shiny hair.”

Sid gave her an odd smirk. “Oh Buffy, you do remind me of Mother.”

Buffy frowned, totally baffled and a little insulted. It was the first time she'd ever been told by a guy she reminded him of his mother.

Sid appeared to go off on a nostalgia trip. “My mother was extremely beautiful and so very careful with her appearance. Always trying different conditioners and lotions on her hair or going somewhere for beauty treatments. A woman who was very particular about everything in her life, always wanting the best, and everything had to be just-so. Woe betide anyone who didn't jump to her bidding or let her down in some way... I think I might have inherited that trait from her,” he added thoughtfully.

He gave Buffy a small but genuine smile. “I've told you before I chose her clothes and make-up for her. She'd say, 'dearest, you've got an eye for color and style. You'd make a fortune as a professional shopper for the ladies'.” His countenance darkened and his voice lowered; laced now with an undercurrent of anger. “Not that she'd approve of me dressing or undressing women. I wasn't allowed to have a girlfriend. Always telling me what to do, who to speak to, what to say. Never let me...” he broke off, his breathing hard.

Buffy's eyes widened and she noticed he rocked back and forth on his heels, almost hissing with old resentments.

“...Between her and Father, I was never allowed any fun. Must do this, must do that, you can't go there, you've not to speak to her. It didn't get any better when I met-” he broke off and gave himself a little shake. His eyes refocusing on Buffy, who watched him with open curiosity. “Enough of me and my old history! Are you well? I've been informed you were out slaying last night and came back covered in blood. No one was able to tell me if you'd been injured or not, so I came straight to see you.”

“I'm fine, we-” began Buffy, only to be interrupted by the door buzzer once more. “That'll be the Scooby gang,” she said. “We're having a meeting. Let them in, Andrew.”

“You're stood up, you get it.”

“You're closer to it than me!”

Andrew huffed, but got up from his chair and answered the door. Palpatine watching with interest the subtle power-play between them.

Count Dooku, despite his reliance on a cane, walked elegantly into the room with his long dark cloak billowing out behind him. He was followed by the smiling Quin and lastly Obi-Wan, who swaggered and flounced his robe, wearing a self-satisfied smile. On seeing Sid the smile died from his lips and he hesitated in the doorway. Buffy could almost see the question marks form over his head.

“Sid called in to see how I was. He heard I'd been out slaying last night,” said Buffy by way of an explanation.

“Have you now?” Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at the man. He didn't bow as he normally did and his blue eyes held more than a hint of suspicion as he stared at the Supreme Chancellor.

~Play nice~ Buffy hissed at him with her thoughts. She wasn't used to the mind-link and had no idea if he'd pick up her head pecking or not. It was all still new to her.

Although the Jedi didn't acknowledge her, Obi-Wan gave the Chancellor a polite smile. “I forget my manners, Supreme Chancellor. As always, it is good to see you and I was merely surprised to find you here, as I heard you were in a Council meeting.” He gave a short bow and Quin, who'd been watching the exchange narrowly, followed his example.

Buffy watched Count Dooku incline his head, his dark eyes boring into the Chancellor as if trying to probe the man's deepest thoughts. Which he probably was, knowing Dooku. Sid didn't appear fazed, giving a wolfish grin and ignoring him.

“May I ask how you knew Buffy was out slaying last night?” Obi-Wan's expression intense.

Sid waved his question away with one hand. “The entire Temple is buzzing with gossip. The word 'bloodbath' was even mentioned in connection with her appearance. I came to determine for myself that Lord Vader was well and hadn't sustained injuries.”

“I'm fine,” replied Buffy, taking a few steps away from Sid. He seemed to have slid around the coffee table at some point during the conversation when she'd not been looking, and had been brushing up against her. “I've got a few burns from being electro-netted by the Troglodytes but they've almost fully healed. Ubi and I rubbed bacta-cream on each other's hard to reach burns which helped with the stinging.”

“Neither of you volunteered to rub bacta-cream on my burns!” huffed Quin, only half teasing. “I had burns in some very hard to reach places too.” He knew Obi-Wan would be panicking over Buffy's intimate statement and couldn't resist stirring up a little trouble. Count Dooku had been suspicious over the younger knight's attachment to his apprentice for a long time and was bound to start making derogatory remarks at Obi-Wan's expense.

Both Sid and Dooku studied Obi-Wan and Buffy. Obi-Wan schooled his face into one of openness, innocence and cut out all thoughts of rubbing cream on Buffy's body and what that led to.

Buffy merely gave Quin a cheerful smile. “You should have said, Quin! If I'd known you were struggling, I'd have sent Andrew down to your apartment to help you.”

Andrew reddened as the Kiffar's dark eyes glanced across the room to him. “I w-wouldn't have minded,” he stuttered, not able to meet the Jedi's eyes.

There was an uncomfortable silence, during which Andrew looked at the floor as he knew Quin was staring at him. Buffy and Obi-Wan chuckled down their mind-link together. Quin panicked and wondered how he could tell Andrew he preferred girls when a Jedi was supposed to love all equally. While Sid and Dooku sniggered inwardly at Quin's obvious discomfort and Andrew's embarrassment.

Buffy broke the silence. “Sid, do you want to join us for a cup of caff?” She noted Dooku quickly sat down in the best chair so Sid couldn't have it. “I baked a special batch of cookies this morning, ready for the Jedi-Scooby meeting we're having. We found a recently abandoned vampire lair last night. You're welcome to stay...” She didn't really want a Dark Lord of the Sith at the meeting, but knew inviting him would reassure him they weren't hatching a plot to overthrow him.

Sid gave her a fond smile. His voice dropping so it became low and growly, he said, “Ah no. I'd love to, but I am already late for a meeting with Master Yoda.”

Buffy gave a sympathetic grimace. The Sith Lord chuckled deeply before sliding over into her space and pulling her against his side for a quick one-armed hug. “As long as my Lord Vader enjoyed herself while out slaying last night?”

Somehow, Buffy managed a faint smile and resisted the urge to go primal Slayer on him. “Yeah, it was fun. Maybe next time we go hunting creepies you could come with us? You could do a bit of slaying yourself?”

“Buffy!” admonished the Count. “Chancellor Palpatine is a man of politics, not of violence. He would not be interested in slaughtering Sith vampires or their evil minions!”

Buffy found herself meeting and holding Sid's eyes. “Oh, I forgot. Never mind Sid. We can't all be Slayers, can we?”

“Indeed not,” replied Sid. He paused by the door and Buffy noticed he'd got a slight twitch near his mouth. “Sadly my lot in life appears to be the one of a politician, not a slayer. Speaking of which, I'm scheduled to speak to the Jedi Council regarding problems with the charges against Viceroy Nute Gunray, and also how to deal with the Trade Federation. All of which are still causing problems in the galaxy. Therefore I shall bid you all a fond farewell... And Buffy?”

“Yes Sid?”

“Next time you go out slaying.... Don't do anything I wouldn't do.” He grinned darkly at her before making an exit.

....................................................................................

Once Palpatine left Buffy's apartment the atmosphere noticeably lightened. At least it did to Buffy, who was always nervous when her Jedi-Scoobies and the Sith Lord were in the same room together.

Obi-Wan stood looking at the door thoughtfully. “I do hope Viceroy Gunray is found guilty of the illegal blockade of Naboo,” he said. “Qui-Gon and I were sent to negotiate with him. For no apparent reason, he tried to kill us. We were both lucky to escape with our lives and then, later, we had to face down the Naboo invasion and protect the Queen from Darth Maul.”

“I had a section of my hair burned in that hangar on Naboo,” said Buffy, remembering how she and Andrew had been wished into the middle of a battle. “One minute I was arguing about Big Bird demons in a factory, next minute I was there - being blasted.”

“Yes, I can remember you showing up,” replied Obi-Wan softly, a gentle smile playing around his lips and his dimples appearing. “I thought you were very strange.”

Buffy opened her mouth, intending to say something snarky about him having a puny braid but when she met his eyes she noticed how much warmth was in them. She found herself melting and gave him a soft smile in return.

Count Dooku stared at the floor, his mind elsewhere. “There's a great deal of corruption in the galaxy in general. Much of it stemming from the Republic and the core worlds as they are wielding far too much power. Gunray was not a good leader. In fact, I'm surprised he went ahead with the invasion of Naboo and it makes me wonder if there wasn't someone more powerful, working behind the scenes, manipulating the entire situation.” He brushed off an imaginary piece of lint from his trousers. “Now if someone of intelligence, with great leadership qualities, not to mention a certain charisma created an alliance with some of the more powerful corporations we could give the Republic a worthy opponent.” A dark smile played around his lips at the thought.

Buffy dragged herself away from the desire burning in Obi-Wan's eyes and focused instead on Dooku. She had to stop him from going into politics and collecting a red lightsaber along the way, courtesy of Sithy Sid and his dodgy apprenticeship deals.

She said, “Count, I know the Republic and most of its Senators stink of corruption, but it's no use starting Star Wars over it.” Andrew, who'd walked in from the kitchen carrying mugs of caff on a tray, overheard the last part and nearly crashed into the coffee table. Ignoring her Watcher, she continued, “We've got enough to do looking for vampires and slaying the other type of creepies that are on the loose.”

Dooku appeared to be having difficulty pulling his mind from the thought of a Galactic take-over. “Hmmm,” he said doubtfully. “Recently, I've become disillusioned with how the Jedi have become mere servants of the Republic and often felt the urge to delve into politics. My family were all notable politicians and I've made many powerful contacts over the years. I'm sure I could make a great difference to this galaxy.” He sighed, accepted his Darth Dracula mug from Andrew and picked a cookie off the plate the Watcher had put on the table in front of him. “However, I agree that vampires, and especially the Sith Vampires, should be hunted down first. ”

Since Dooku had taken the only armchair, Buffy sat between Quin and Obi-Wan on the couch while Andrew, a cookie half hanging out his mouth, dragged over a chair from the table set. For a moment the only sounds in the apartment were that of caff being swallowed and the crunching of cookies.

Finally, the Count broke the silence. “Before we start the meeting Miss Summers, might I ask why you're wearing a foil wrapping around your head?” The strange silver headwear had been baffling him from the moment he'd walked into the apartment. Although he considered himself to have far more experience with the ladies than a lot of Jedi, some of his apprentice's habits mystified him.

Buffy put her hand up to touch her hair and her cheeks went pink. “Oh, I forgot! It's conditioner, it takes an hour for 'maximum shine effect'.” She sipped her caff and tried not to look down at it, since the milk made it a funny color and it put her off. “Anyway, Count, did Obi-Wan tell you how much fun you missed out on last night?”

“If your idea of fun is being dragged through decaying substances, thrown into toxic waste and then electro-netted,” said Obi-Wan, with one of his sarcastic smiles. “I can vouch we had a fun night. If, like myself, you consider these experiences not enjoyable, it could also be considered traumatic.” His smile faded. “I even lost my lightsaber during the tussle with those smelly creatures.”

Buffy leaned back against the back of the couch, looking at him from under her lashes and decided to press some Obi-Wan buttons. She smirked at him. “Yep, they annoyed you. I saw how much you enjoyed getting your own back on them.”

“The Jedi don't seek revenge,” replied Quin, genuinely shocked both at Buffy's statement and the fact Obi-Wan appeared more amused than insulted by her comment.

Obi-Wan cast a quick look in Quin's direction and schooled his face into a more Jedi-like expression. He nodded in agreement. “That is true. A Jedi never seeks revenge. We only take a life because there is no other option, and we do so only with regret for the tragic consequences.”

Buffy shrugged and bit into a cookie. “The Trogs attacked us first. We didn't go seeking them out because we wanted to start a fight. If we hadn't been able to escape they'd have taken us back to their lair and eaten us, either raw or cooked. It's not our fault they were revenged upon and got what they deserved.”

“You're not supposed to enjoy killing, even if they deserve it,” scolded Obi-Wan, gearing up for one of his lectures. “Those with the power to take lives should not do so lightly. All sentient life should be respected. One should not even jest about it for fear to do such a thing takes them down the dark pathway to ruin. No one wants to become a Sith.”

“Unless you're Sithy by nature.” Buffy said perkily, and took another bite of her cookie. Seeing the Jedi's shocked looks, she added, “Hey, don't look at me like that! I'm no Sith. I'm Slayer-Girl. We quip, we slay, we shop, we defeat the forces of evil and and avert apocalypses. The joking is how the Scoobies deal with it all.”

“Miss Summers, there is nothing to joke about!” the Count joined in the scolding. His apprentice showed far too much levity. “The Dark Side of the Force is a real danger for any Force User and it's all too easy to fall under its sway whether it is your 'nature' or not. The first requirement of a Jedi is to always try to negotiate a peaceful conclusion in a conflict.”

“Slayers are different to Jedi; they are more specialized,” pointed out Andrew. The Sci-Fi enthusiast in him understood the Jedi had a tendency to be lured to the Dark Side, but he'd seen too much evil at work in his own dimension not to back Buffy up on this. “Buffy is grayer than any of the old Council Slayers. She doesn't kill peaceful demons and even works with them at times, but there's always creatures straight out of Hell Dimensions that are pure Evil. You can't negotiate with something that wants to destroy all life and start apocalypses. When they appear it's better for a Slayer to go in swinging her weapon.”

“And don't forget quipping!” Buffy's inner Slayer was affronted by the Jedi's attempt to turn her into a pacifist. “Those Trogs kicked off my Slaydar. I'd have said they'd sneaked in from a Hell dimension but since Whistler said the PTB had trouble bypassing the Force to put us here, maybe the Sith created them with one of those dark rituals hinted at in your Archives.” She turned to Obi-Wan, still feeling annoyed with him. “As for the negotiating, I didn't see you stopping to negotiate with the Zombie Sith in the Sith Tomb. You were too busy poking holes in them with your lightsaber.” She didn't wait for an answer but turned to Quin and Dooku. “And what about those Sith Vampire Mages that were hiding out down there? You know, the ones who held you in a dark thrall as they prepared to torture you and go all sucky on your blood. How do you think your negotiating would have been received with them? You think they'd have invited us back to theirs and made us their besties?”

Dooku's confused gaze rested on her but he rallied and responded with, “You are correct in that some things such as the Sith and Sithspawn are different. They need to be beheaded, without question, for they have no chance of redemption, nor do they show mercy to others.”  
He frowned, there was something in that statement which bothered him, but he wasn't sure what it was.

Deciding there needed to be a complete change of subject, he said, “Young Kenobi has brought me up-to-date in regard to the discovery of the vampire lair last night. He's also come up with a credible theory regarding the identity of the person behind the kidnapping attempts being made on you.”

Next to Buffy, Obi-Wan tensed. He leaned forward, half turning in his seat to look at her, wanting to see her face as he spoke. Buffy saw his face had become solemn and earnest, yet his eyes held warmth and reassurance as he both saw and felt her apprehension. “Buffy, you know how...”

BZZZZZZZZ

The buzzer on the door made everyone jump. After the discussion of Sith, evil creepies and kidnappers they all stared at it suspiciously.

“Ugh, I'll get it,” said Andrew, knowing Buffy would ask him. She seemed to think Watcher also meant doorman. “We should have Tweety in here. Then he can answer the door and make the caff, instead of me doing it all the time,” he complained as he walked across to the door.

They all craned their necks trying to peer around the door and see who stood in the corridor.  
Andrew waved whoever it was into the living room and a moment later the huge Nightbrother Tenacious walked in. He wore a woollen cap and a matching rainbow colored scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face with the ends tucked into the front of his leather vest.

Since neither Quin nor Dooku had met him before they stared at the Dathomirian Zabrack in fascination.

“Hey, Ten!” Buffy gave him a little wave from the couch. “This is Quin and this is Count Dooku.”

“Hello Buffy,” he replied, his voice muffled and distorted. “Hello, everybody else. Bice to beet you.”

“What's with the scarf thing? And the voice?” she asked puzzled. She wondered if he was hiding his face because he was visiting the Jedi Temple. “Have you come in disguise?”

“By Nan bade it,” said Ten. “I'm not in disguise. I've got a bad chest and by dose keeps blocking up.” He gave a sad little cough and looked sorry for himself.

“Have you taken anything for it?” asked Andrew. “We might have some vapor-rub in the medkit.”

“Yeah, by Nan bade be a rub with some grease for by chest and some soup.” Tenacious coughed again and looked around the apartment for the parts he'd been sent to collect.

“You need to wear something under your vest,” said Buffy.“It's no wonder you've got a bad chest, not wearing a shirt.” Coruscant was supposed to be climate controlled but Buffy found it chilly and didn't blame the Jedi for going around with their hoods up.

“But the bare chest and tattoos attract girls.” Ten flexed his chest muscles for emphasis and made himself cough again. “Bi Nan says I should wear a sweater because I've got a weak chest.”

“You're Nan's right and not all girls want it put on a plate in front of them.”Buffy decided to give him some fashion advice.“Since you like the vest so much put a nice close-fitting shirt under it. That wouldn't put girls off you. Plus you've still got your sprayed-on trouser thingy going on.” She gestured at his leather trousers, his crotch at the same height as her face and blushed, as she felt Obi-Wan glaring at her down their mind-link.

“Do you think?” Ten eyes looked at her dubiously from over the edge of his scarf. “ I bight have a look for a tight shirt. Stop Nan nagging.” He coughed again and Dooku held his breath and moved his chair backward to avoid germs.

“That rebinds me. Nan said she's going to invite some of her girl friends around this week and asked if you'd like to beet them. See some rituals. Not dark ones,” he added quickly, seeing her face. He sniffed, pulled out a hankie from his waistcoat pocket and blew his nose, a long trumpeting noise, to clear it. “It's mainly a cheese and nibbles night. She said you and Andrew are welcome, but don't bring the monks.” He winked at her and gave her a dark grin.

~NO!~ Obi-Wan hissed down their mind-link.

Buffy ignored him. “Thanks, Ten. I'd like to meet her friends. Tell your Nan I'll be in touch.”

Feeling Obi-Wan intended to do some serious head pecking, she closed down their mind-link. That she'd learned how to switch it on and off so fast had surprised him, but it turned out Slayers were good at blocking out mind-bendys. Sensing what she'd done, Obi-Wan openly glared at her but she continued to ignore him. He needed to learn she was his girlfriend, not his pod person. If she wanted a night out to see what a bunch of Nightsisters got up to, he'd have to live with it.

“Buffy, don't forget you have a bounty hunter after you. I also have some very important information you should hear before accepting any invitations,” Obi-Wan's enunciated each word, his accent clipped and precise with worry. His expression became even more intense as he tried to impress her with the seriousness of what he'd been about to say before Ten arrived.

“Miss Summers, you'd do well to at least hear Kenobi out.” Count Dooku found he didn't like the look of the Zabrack. He decided once his apprentice was no longer in danger of being kidnapped he'd start introducing her around the galaxy to widen her circle of friends and acquaintances. With luck it would stop her developing emotional attachments to the unsuitable, such as a Nightbrother or even worse, a Jedi. His eyes slid across to where Obi-Wan sat next to her, frustration pouring off him in waves.

“I can tell Nan you can't come this week because of the bounty hunter, but you'll come in future. Have you got the Troglodyte parts about?” asked Ten. He blew his nose again, scowled and then pulled up his scarf. “Bet they stink,” he muttered.

“Obi-Wan, would you mind going with him and Andrew and waving your hand at the door locks so he can get the Trog parts out the fridges?” Buffy asked. She could tell he was still bristling over how she'd ignored him. “Oh,” she touched his arm as he stood up, “And if you've still got Tweety in your apartment, take him with you too. He volunteered to clean those smelly fridges. It'll stop him getting bored.”

Obi-Wan looked down at her, rubbing at the creases between his eyes with his fingers. Creases which had appeared through concentrating so hard, trying to use the Force to stop Buffy from going off doing something foolhardy. It seemed everyone in the room but her had picked up on it. “Fine,” he said, “and then we really do need to talk.”


	96. A Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy admits she has prior knowledge of the Star Wars universe

“You know how Master Yoda claims your dark presence in the Force makes you attractive to the Sith?”

The Jedi-Scooby meeting had restarted after a short break. Obi-Wan and Andrew had taken Tenacious to collect the body parts needed for his Nan's Nightsister rituals from the fridges around the Jedi Temple where they'd stashed them. Apparently, they'd almost been caught by a Temple Guardian and Obi-Wan had come back annoyed with her for involving him. Buffy had decided to take longer styling her hair in the hope he'd calmed down by the time she'd finished.

So now she sat, with her extra-shiny but slightly damp locks, listening to Obi-Wan insult her by saying Yoda claimed she was attractive to the Sith.

“Buffy, are you listening to me? This is important.” Obi-Wan sounded exasperated with her lack of response. Since Andrew had taken his spot next to her on the couch, he sat on a chair directly across the coffee table from her. Now, he leaned forward, watching her face, trying to gauge her reaction to his words.

“I'm listening, but I'm not sure what you want me to say?” She pulled a face. “Yodel's always insulting me and calling me a Sith.”

Obi-Wan tutted loudly down their mind-link. Which Buffy decided was unfair. She thought the mind-link was for relaying messages to each other, not for tutting down. Obi-Wan could be so Gilesy sometimes.

Obi-Wan's eyes flicked over to Count Dooku and Quin. “The three of us believe he is correct. We've all noticed how, during a fight, the Dark Side of the Force is drawn to you.” Seeing she'd begun to glare, he continued, “None of us believe you call upon it as a Sith does. It's more likely the Shadow Demon used to create the original Slayer becomes stronger when you fight and the Dark Side senses one of its own.”

Sensing her about to argue, he lifted a forefinger to halt her. “Yes, I know, the purpose of the Slayer is to hold back the Forces of Darkness and we've all noticed the Force becomes less murky and purer after you've fought. Yet, you do have a natural affinity with the Dark Side of the Force and for a Sith, this means you're attractive to be around.”

Buffy took a long look around her at the darker side of her Jedi-Scooby gang. Count Dooku sat in the comfiest chair watching her. He always had a dark look about him but then so did Christopher Lee. At the moment he regarded her with a half worried, half protective look on his face. He did appear to like being around her. Oddly, she felt that way about him too, but for different reasons. She wanted to protect him, to stop him falling to the Dark Side and she worried about his lightsaber changing to red.

Quin sat next to her on the couch. Neither she nor Andrew knew a lot about the guy, but Andrew believed he'd dabbled with the darker side. To her, he was a nice uncomplicated guy who reminded her of both Xander and Oz with his willingness to become involved in the fight against evil.

Then there was Andrew. He'd been sort of dark once. She doubted he'd have become a Sith though, they wouldn't want him. Across from her sat Obi-Wan. Handsome, clean, well ironed, and a bit self-satisfied; the epitome of the perfect Jedi. Or he would have been, if she hadn't corrupted him into committing acts a Jedi shouldn't do.

Buffy thought about Sleazy Sid who'd a strange attraction to her. Despite all the knock-backs she'd given him, he seemed determined to bring her round to his way of thinking and turn her into the full-blown Darth Vader. Then there was little Anakin, with his own, possibly dark, future. He told everyone she was his girlfriend and followed her around the Temple whenever he got the chance.

“Uh-huh, okay. I guess the Sith-ies with their fascination for darkness would find the inner Shadow Demon attractive,” she admitted. “The vamps in my dimension always seem to zoom in on Slayers too. I guess that might be counted as a Slayer power, since it makes the vamps easier to find and slay.” It was her turn to hold up a forefinger in warning to those watching. “You must never, ever, tell Yodel I agreed with him that I'm attractive to the Sith.”

Obi-Wan, let out a long breath. He hadn't been sure how well Buffy would take to being told they all thought she attracted the Dark Side. “We have reason to believe the person behind your attempted kidnapping is none other than a Sith Lord.”

Andrew's head turned in her direction and she was all too aware of his eyes drilling into her. No doubt her Watcher was willing her to throw Sid's name onto the table. Careful to keep her gaze in front of her, she kept her face neutral, and her focused on Obi-Wan. She wanted to know how he'd come up with this idea before she slipped the name Darth Sidious into the conversation.

When she'd first landed in this dimension, she hadn't wanted to upset the balance here by disclosing the Sith Lord's identity to anyone. Later on it became obvious the Jedi Council didn't like her and regarded her with suspicion. They wouldn't have believed her over Palpatine especially as she had no proof to back up her claim. Yoda would probably even tell Palpatine and then she and Andrew would be struck down in a freak lightning storm.

The thought of telling the Jedi-Scoobies unnerved her. Although Quin would most likely roll with it, she knew Obi-Wan would dither and say he needed to tell the Council. But her main worry was Dooku. There was a real chance Count Dooku might fly off the handle and do something crazy, such as confront Palpatine.  
She'd no idea how Sid persuaded him to become his apprentice in the Star Wars movies. Here it seemed unlikely he'd take up an apprenticeship as the Count had made it clear to Buffy how much he disliked and distrusted Palpatine. The two of them had nearly come to blows at the Ambassador's Ball when Sid found out she was Dooku's apprentice. Then, that day at the Senate when she'd been given her Darth Vader helmet, he'd warned her not to trust Sid or go near his bedroom.

“It's possible the Sith Lord's motive for kidnapping you is to make you his apprentice,” said Obi-Wan breaking into her thoughts. “It isn't as if a Sith could walk into the heart of the Jedi Temple and openly convert you. The only way he'd have access is by kidnapping. I say 'he', as although a Sith can be male or female, you did overhear the kidnappers from the Korriban Club area state 'he'd pay for you'.”

Buffy nodded, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. They were all watching her, expecting something from her. She needed to tell them about Sid now. She really did.

Encouraged by the calm way she was taking the news Obi-Wan continued, “I have reason to believe the Sith Lord interested in you is the one taken from his coffin from the tomb below the Temple. The one called Darth Desolate.”

She blinked. “What?” It wasn't what she expected. “Why?”

“It occurred to me during our adventures in the lower levels,” said Obi-Wan, his face eager yet serious as he explained his reasoning. “Your comment regarding Padmé's horrendous make-up and clothing triggered a memory of mine and from there I made the connection. On first meeting the Queen, one of her handmaidens had taken her place and was serving as a decoy to confuse her enemies. This brought me back to Shrek's description of the unfortunate girl brought back to the Sith lair by the apprentice. Her description fitted yours. I realized he must have mistaken her for you. It would explain the apprentice's delight and his master's rage at him kidnapping the wrong girl. We know she suffered the same fate as the rest of his victims.”

“She was kidnapped and killed because she looked like me?” Jumping to her feet, Buffy began to pace. The possibility one of the vampire's victims had been mistaken for her somehow made it far more personal. “How many other girls could be mistaken for me, taken, and killed? We've got to put a stop to this now!”

“I doubt that mistake will occur again,” Count Dooku said, with a slight wave of his hand.

His voice, rich and smooth as dark chocolate, felt soothing to Buffy's ears. Her inner Slayer warned her he was using the Force in an attempt to try to calm her. She shot him a glare. Letting him know she was on to him. Dooku looked back, unrepentant.

“Since it appears Jango Fett has been assigned to kidnap you, it is highly unlikely he'd abduct the wrong girl for his client,” Dooku explained. “Unfortunately, it also means he is unlikely to give up and will be even now looking for an opportunity to strike again.”

Andrew put his hand in the air and waved it. “I have questions!” Everyone looked over at him. He pulled his hand down, reddening. “Umm, can you tell me, what makes you think he's the dead guy from the tomb? Also, the Sith vamp already has an apprentice. Why would he want Buffy?” He looked from Obi-Wan to Count Dooku to Quin. “Vampires want Buffy dead, not kidnapped. Kidnapping is what happens to Dawn.”

Buffy nodded in agreement. It was odd.

“This is a Sith, not just an ordinary vampire. It's possible he isn't happy with his current apprentice, or he has another reason we don't know about yet,” said Obi-Wan said. “Regardless he appears to want her alive.”

He looked across to where Buffy now leaned against the opposite wall. She'd picked up a stake and the speed she was spinning it caused it to become blur in her hand. He sent her reassurance through the Force and a message. ~ Sit down, don't become stressed, we will work this out and very soon~

Quin answered Andrew's other questions. “We believe this Sith Vampire is the one stolen from the tomb and his apprentice is none other than the one who broke in. Somehow he found or knew the way to resurrect him. Remember how I picked up 'resurrection' from both the lever you found in the Sith Tomb and the tracking device planted on Buffy's speeder? I sense those memories are linked to the same person.”

Buffy slipped the stake into her waistband, walked back to the couch and sat down, fidgeting with her clothing as she did so.

Quin added, “Most likely the apprentice resurrected the old Sith Lord to learn his secrets.”

“It wouldn't be the first time a Sith tomb has been plundered for the knowledge stored inside,” said Count Dooku. “Sith artefacts are rare and sought after by many desperate to gain knowledge. They are willing to pay a high price for Dark Force Secrets,” he paused before adding, “Or so I am led to believe.”

Buffy's eyes rested on him and he squirmed in his chair. “I've no intention of being seduced by the Dark Side, Miss Summers.”

“Nothing good would come of it if you did,” replied Buffy. “I can guarantee it.” She gave him a glare to let him know she'd go Slayer on him if he should even try it. Before turning her attention back to Quin. “Did you manage to pick up any memories from the Padmé photo we found in the Sith lair?”

Quin nodded, his dark locks falling forwards as he moved his head. “Again I feel the memories are linked to the one who resurrected the Sith Lord. You remember how I picked up images of the recent battle of Naboo on the tracker?” She nodded and he continued, “I checked the photo of Padmé this morning and once more the planet Naboo featured heavily. I also picked up something new which could be important. The image and sense of an underground facility, possibly a laboratory, although I've no idea of its whereabouts.”

“Could this underground lair be on Naboo?” she asked.

Quin shrugged. “I wish I could say for certain that it was. I didn't feel the memories were linked so it could be anywhere.”

“Do you think Padmé might know something about this apprentice?” Buffy asked. “If he drew those love hearts on the photo, maybe she knows who's sweet on her? It could even be someone from Naboo she's close to.” She didn't say Padme had a track record of attracting Sith Lords since she was only fourteen and Anakin nine. Their relationship hadn't happened yet and perhaps it wouldn't, as this dimension seemed set on a different course.

“Asking Padmé is a good idea.” A frown line appeared between Obi-Wan's brows as he sank deep into thought.

Buffy looked down at the coffee table in front of her, her mind weighing up everything she'd been told so far. After a few minutes, she said, “I think this Sith vampire is the one who planted the newborn vamp in the closet at my Lord Vader reception inside the Senate. He wanted to send me an intimidating message. Saying he could spring a trap at the most unlikely times and places you'd never expect.”

She looked up to find everyone staring at her gloomily and gave them an encouraging smile. “It takes more than that to scare a Slayer, which he'll find out for himself soon enough. I've faced much, much worse. Before we even get to The First, I faced The Master, who looked something like the Sith with the skin and teeth, then there was the Hell Goddess of Bad Perms – Glory. And wasn't she a freak. Trust me, this guy is really no big.”

“Buffy, you told me you died after encountering both the Master and Glory!” Obi-Wan looked far from happy at her examples.

She pouted at him. “I was only dead for a minute! When the Master killed me I came back, slew him, and went out partying with my friends afterward.” She gave him a little smile. “Shame to waste the dress.”

“And what about the time they buried you? You told me you were dead for months and had to dig your way out?”

“You just can't keep a good Slayer down,” Buffy joked determinedly. She felt a jolt of panic down their mind-link from Obi-Wan and realized she hadn't covered her feelings about dying and being brought back to life as well as she'd thought. Obi-Wan was looking at her, his face pale and he'd started rubbing the back of his neck. She needed to change the subject. “This undead Sith has a new lair. We need to find it. Did you get any memories off the burnt droid that might help us, Quin?”

Quin shook his head. “No, it was too burnt up. Obi-Wan's the guy for fixing it.”

“It's going to be more difficult than I first thought,” Obi-Wan said. “ I had trouble extracting the memory cells. I called into the droid maintenance store earlier and they are going to procure the necessary parts for me. It might be easier to rebuild around them, leaving most of the working internal components in place. I'm hoping it won't be long before I find out something from it.”

“We may have a further problem,” Count Dooku said, his voice ominous. “All the talk of the battle on Naboo reminded me. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon fought and defeated a Sith on Naboo. I've been using my influence and putting pressure on certain contacts to gain information on Darth Maul. From what I can gather he was following the orders of someone very much alive. We know there have been two separate kidnapping attempts made on Miss Summers so far. You are all assuming the undead Sith Lord is behind both. What if they weren't? What if there are two separate Sith Lords trying to claim her?”

“I do hope not,” replied Obi-Wan. “This could be a whole lot worse than I first thought.”

Andrew leaned forward in his seat. He stole a look at the Jedi around him before turning to meet Buffy's eyes. “Tell them, Buffy,” he said. His voice surprisingly unwavering, without the whining tone he usually used when he was trying to get her to do something she didn't want to. “You said you'd tell them today.”

“Andrew!” His name sounded shrill to her own ears. She swallowed, as her mouth felt dry she picked up her Sith-Queen mug from the coffee table and took a sip of the remaining dregs. The caff wasn't as good as the coffee in her own dimension. Now it tasted bitter, not to mention being stone-cold. Part of her mind told her if she didn't like the caff to start drinking tea, part of it told her the Jedi were waiting for her, while another much larger part freaked at the thought of announcing Sid's name.

“Tell them. They need to know and it's not fair keeping it to ourselves any longer,” Andrew pressed. “Tell them, or I will.” His mouth was set and he'd an obstinate look in his eyes. It was a rare expression to see on Andrew's face.

Putting her cup down on the table, she was aware the Jedi-Scoobies faces regarding her with a mixture of curiosity, confusion, and anticipation. She took a steadying breath, before letting the words burst out of her.

“Andrew and I know who the Sith Lord is.” Her eyes on Count Dooku, whose dark penetrating gaze met her own, she said, “It's Palpatine. He's the Sith everyone's looking for, but we don't have any evidence to prove it.”


	97. That Went Well

“We know who the Sith Lord is.” Her eyes on Count Dooku, whose dark penetrating gaze met her own she said, “It's Palpatine. He's the Sith everyone's been looking for but we don't have any evidence to prove it.”

Buffy took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat after dropping her bombshell. She'd done what she'd promised she'd do, now it was time to see how her Jedi-Scoobies took the news. Count Dooku's brows were drawn together as he went into deep thought. At the other side of the couch Quin leaned back, his expression thoughtful, while Obi-Wan had developed twitch under his left eye.

“A Dark Lord of the Sith in control of the Republic,” said Dooku, his face dark and eyes clouded with worry. “If this is true, the consequences for everyone will be... catastrophic. Are you sure beyond all reasonable doubt that it is Palpatine?”

“He's Sith!” squeaked Andrew. “He wants Buffy to be his apprentice! He wants her to become Darth Vader!”

Buffy gave him a prod to his leg to make him shut up. Count Dooku was going to freak out. She'd seen how protective he was of her at the Ambassador's Ball and how pleased he'd been when he announced to Palpatine that she was his apprentice. She'd wanted to break it to the Count gently and not spring it on him like that. She could see him start flicking the edge of his cape as the news sunk in and he became more and more agitated.

“I've not had a direct invite to be his apprentice Count, but he's a Sith,” she said firmly. “So far it's more trying to lure me into his bed and telling me I should embrace my destiny with him. He sort of manipulates you into doing things you don't want to. He's a master manipulator and totally insidious with it.” Buffy screwed up her nose as she tried to explain. “It's like how he made me Vader. I so didn't want to become Lord Vader. One minute he told me I was the Protector of the Galaxy and the next I had the Vader helmet on my head and everyone was clapping.”

Andrew began squirming next to her, desperate to join in the conversation, but she prodded him again before he could shout out anything about Order 66.

She continued, “Yeah, Sid is manipulative, totally insidious and a sleaze. This probably is going to sound odd, but I was grateful that vampire turned up in the Senate. Palpatine had led me off down this deserted corridor. Next thing I know he'd banged the helmet down over my eyes, pushed me into his bedroom, and jumped onto the bed with me. Honestly Count, it was a relief to have my Slaydar pinged!” She stopped at the Count's shocked stare. He'd warned her not to follow Palpatine down any deserted corridors or go into his bedroom. Dooku must think she was a complete idiot for ignoring his advice.

“But has he told you he is a Sith?” asked Quin. He didn't like the sound of what Palpatine had been trying to get up to with Buffy, but it didn't make him a Sith.

“Umm, he hasn't shouted 'look at me I'm a Sith!' He sort of insinuates it but he can't fool me, I know exactly what he is and wants. Keeps asking if I've had a nice time out slaying and asking me to go back to his penthouse. He says he's got something to show me which brings him a lot of pleasure and he wants me to watch his collection of pyramid-shaped holocrons with him. ”

“The man is despicable!” Dooku's expression was hard. His hands gripped the arms of the chair, his knuckles white as he held back the urge to shake the perverted Supreme Chancellor.

Buffy nodded. Since Dooku, although agitated, appeared to have himself under control she explained, “When I met him at the Opera House he claimed the Sith and the Jedi were much the same thing, that they all want power and are afraid to lose it. Started going off about some Sith guy called Dark Plague Face who sounded like a mad scientist type...”

“Darth Plagueis the Wise!” interrupted Andrew. “That was his master. Sidious got him drunk and killed him!”

“Yeah, thanks, Andrew,” Buffy gave him a quick glare to shut him up. She didn't want the Jedi to know every detail of their lives were for public viewing. No one wants to know their worst and most intimate moments are part of a book and movie series.

She took a deep breath and started again. “That's when it started to get weird. Sid thought I was going on a date with another guy and fell into a rage. The private box we were sitting in became dark and creepy and his face began to change. It was as if there was another even uglier one hiding under his normal one. Whatever he did when he lost his temper caused the Dark Side to be drawn in around us, concealing us from the rest of the theatre. There was a real nasty lethal type of sensation with tendrils that felt all cold and slimy reaching out trying to touch me and it gave me the wiggins. The Slaydar was going off, letting me know he'd turned into something evil, a bit like when the mayor did. His face, his anger...” She shuddered. “Ugh. I thought at one point he might try to electrocute me. I was thinking, how am I going to get away with slaying the Supreme Chancellor if he tries to zap me? No one is going to believe he was trying to blast me with lightning.”

“You could have been in great danger, Miss Summers. As I said earlier I've heard rumours before ...” Dooku's voice trailed away as he looked off, his thoughts elsewhere. Sensing eyes on him, he decided to reveal his own thoughts. “Many years ago I began to suspect that a very deep game was being played out within the galaxy and I set out to unravel the mystery. Piecing together information gained from various sources, I came to believe that a Force User had involved himself covertly in the politics of the Republic.”

His eyes looked upwards as if contemplating the Jedi Council chambers at the top of the building.  
“I assumed it was an individual from the Jedi Temple who sought power. Someone who'd become disillusioned with the way the Jedi Order is now at the complete beck and call of the Republic. Frustrated perhaps with the way the Order lacks the strength, power, and foresight they once rejoiced in. When I heard about the apprentice, Maul, I took my assumptions a step further and believed this Jedi had become a full Sith Lord. It seems I was very wrong in suspecting a member of the Jedi Council had embraced the Dark Side.” His eyes now looked out the window. “Palpatine. I never trusted him. What name, I wonder, does he claim as a Sith?”

“His name is Darth Sidious!” squeaked Andrew excitedly. “That's why Buffy calls him Sid.”

“How do you know?” asked Quin. He tilted his head and gave Andrew a narrow look. “How do you know so much about him?”

Buffy and Andrew locked eyes and Andrew nodded.

“Andrew's always been fascinated with St- other dimensions. In our dimension we have Writers. They are Seers, they see into other dimensions and write down their, er, visions...”

“George Lucas!” yelped Andrew excitedly. “George Lucas had a Vision of this dimension! He's world famous even if he did start in the middle and had to go back and...”

“That's enough, Andrew!” Buffy broke in frowning. “Andrew's crazy on a lot of these 'Writers', he's a proper fanboy. It's not just this dimension. Other 'Writers' can 'See' other dimensions, like JK Rowling, she 'Sees' into the wizarding one.”

“Gene Roddenberry! He's another Writer! I have a special edition model of the Enterprise that was made for...”

“SHUT UP ANDREW!” Buffy snapped. The geek was making things a hundred times harder, bringing more and more things into the conversation. It was bad enough already. She gave the watching Jedi an apologetic smile.

Andrew pouted and gave her a glare. She ignored him.

“Anyway, these Seers can see into other dimensions and write down what they see. Sometimes the fanboys upload videos to YouTube,” replied Buffy. She waved a hand, not sure what to say. “They all say Sid is the Big Bad of this dimension. That he wants to start a huge war and play both sides...”

“Kill off everyone in the Jedi Temple!” squeaked Andrew, then shoved his knuckles to his mouth with horror at what he'd said out loud.

Buffy glared at him. “Of course, none of that might happen, as it's all conjecture and no one knows the future for certain right?” She decided it was all true, if looked at it from a certain point of view. Even she could see things were different here. Qui-Gon wasn't dead, Obi-Wan's pod person wasn't Anakin, Anakin preferred her to Padmé, Yodel was always cross, Sid was a pervert and Obi-Wan was more fun than she'd thought he'd be.

Buffy stole a look at Obi-Wan. He sat in his chair looking down at the mugs on the table. His face was pale and there was a tic going under his eye ,but she felt nothing from the mind-link. No feelings, words, nothing. He felt sort of... numb.

~Are you okay?~ she asked down the mind-link. Her words felt as if they'd hit a wall. He must be deep in thought or shock if he was blocking her.

“Master Yoda has always claimed in the past he had strong visions of the future but has now lost much of that ability,” said Dooku, drawing her attention. “It sounds to me as if these Seers in your dimension are tuning into the Force in a way we know little about. Visions of other dimensions, crossing dimensions, that is interesting,” he mused.

Andrew was opening his mouth again next to her so she shot him a full-on Slayer death glare and he closed his mouth and pouted once more. If he mentioned anything about a movie franchise, she swore she'd make him cry.

“Why haven't you told the Council?” asked Quin. “I know you've no proof but this information is too dangerous to withhold from them.”

Buffy couldn't help it. She snorted. With a voice laden with sarcasm, she said, “Yeah, right. and who would they believe? Me or that nice Mr Palpatine who's everyone's best friend in the Jedi Temple?”

A movement at the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Obi-Wan had looked up sharply at her words. She wasn't able to pick anything up from him and the mind-link was firmly closed which was odd. Still, she knew he was a deep thinker, he was probably forming an argument about how they should all go up the control tower and confess their thoughts on Sithy Sid.

Inwardly sighing, she added, “When it comes down to it, it's going to be our word against his. Andrew and I don't have a good reputation with the Council so they'd have no reason to believe us. Sid is too good at cloaking himself. The guy is a very powerful, very cunning Big Bad.”

Obi-Wan made a grating noise in the back of his throat, drawing everyone's attention. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingertips, as if his head hurt from the information, and then dragged that hand through his red-gold hair. Scraping back his chair, he slowly rose to his feet. A quiet determined intensity drawing the eye of those who were now warily watching him.

He stood; head back, the tic still played under his eye, his face white and drawn. Looking down on Buffy, he said, “I don't believe you.”

Buffy blinked. Her lower jaw slack. “What?

“I don't believe you,” he repeated. His eyes were hard, a sneer to his lips.

“I know I've no proof but...”

He cut her off. His words were as cold as ice as they poured over her, “I don't believe a Sith Lord could walk into the Jedi Temple and the Jedi not know it. Master Yoda would surely know. The Jedi Council would know. A Sith Lord would not be able to mock the Jedi in such a way. YOU'RE LYING!”

Buffy flinched as his anger hit her.

“Kenobi!” snarled Count Dooku. “There's no reason for you to raise your voice at Miss Summers like that. The Sith have ways of cloaking themselves from their enemies and Master Yoda is always telling us the Force has become cloudy and distorted. You've had experience of fighting a Sith yourself and Qui-Gon told me how neither of you were able to discern him until he was virtually on top of you.”

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrow, his face frigid as he looked down on the Slayer. “Unable to discern until virtually on top of you?” he repeated. “That sounds like someone else I know!” His voice lowered but his tone remained cold and sharp as he said, “You point the finger at Palpatine and say he is the Sith Lord? Then, from my point of view, you are worse than he is. Haven't I seen you with my own eyes laugh and joke with him? It makes me wonder, is this dark attraction mutual? Why else would you flirt with him, accept gifts and enjoy his attention?”

“I don't like Palpatine!”

“So you say. Yet not an hour ago I came in here to find him with you. Watched as you stood there allowing him to rub himself against you and pant over you... If you were truly against this Sith Lord, why would you encourage him?”

Andrew answered before she could, “ He thinks she's a Sith! If he finds out he can't assimilate her she'll go on his exterminate list!” When Obi-Wan's harsh gaze rested on him, his face puckered and he sank back into the couch.

“Why didn't you tell me?” Obi-Wan's voice cracked, showing the first hint of emotion. “If I'm your friend, why didn't you confide in me? You claimed I was...” he struggled to find the right word, “...special to you, yet you left me in the dark regarding this?” He gave a small shake of his head and snorted. “It seems to me 'special' means something very different to me than it does to you.”

He flicked out his tunic and smoothed the cuffs of his sleeves before flouncing off towards the door. Buffy used a flash of speed to overtake him. She came to stand in front of him, one hand outstretched, the palm flat against his chest stopping him. Obi-Wan dropped his head to look at the hand that touched him. His face sour, as if her touch was an abomination to him and she instinctively dropped the hand away and down to her side.

“I'm sorry it's upset you. Was I wrong not telling you? I don't know. I'm not sure if I should have told you even now. The only thing I'm sure of is it's been tearing me apart inside. I wanted to tell you, Obi-Wan. Honestly, I did.” She tried to reach out down the mental-link again. He knew she was trying, she could sense him, but still he blocked her.

“You should have told me, Buffy,” he said quietly. The tic played under his eye. His face darkened. “I want to leave and I don't want you chasing after me.”

“Really? Really? That's what's making you act like this? That I hesitated over telling you something I couldn't prove?”

He turned his face away from her, refusing to acknowledge the pain etched on hers. “You've let me down. Lied to me by omission. Kept secrets from me.” His voice was cold and emotionless. “You have no respect for me as a person or a Jedi.”

Buffy gave a harsh laugh. “Yeah, I didn't tell you. Bad me.” Her eyes flashed with temper. “But since you brought it up, shall we have a talk about respect, Obi-Wan? Why haven't you told me about your own dirty little secret? You know the one...” she broke off, fighting an emotional battle to keep the distress out of her voice.

Obi-Wan shot her a side-long confused look.

Once her emotions were more under control, she continued, “How you've been secretly spying on me and reporting back to your precious Council since the day we landed here?”

Obi-Wan recoiled, as if she'd struck him.

She caught a glimpse of his eyes darkened with pain but was too caught up in her own pain and anger to care. She hit out again, determined to hurt him as he'd hurt her. “Don't try to act the injured party in this and talk about respect. I came clean about Sid which is more than you've done for me. Funnily enough, it was Sid who told me you were spying on me. I had to hear it from a Sith! Was that why you were happy to become close to me? What did Yodel say to you? 'Get close to the Slayer, you must'? Gain my trust in the hope of more information for your precious Council? Guess I was the fool to think you could care.” With those words, she spun around on her heel and stalked back to her seat, refusing to look back at the Jedi, standing with his head bowed.

Instead, she only noticed the hiss of her apartment door behind her as it slid open and a moment later the second more ominous click as it shut behind Obi-Wan.

She sat down. Refusing to deal with the shock and dismay in the Jedi's faces nor look into Andrew's sympathetic one. It didn't matter how much her chest ached and her eyes burned, she wasn't going to break down. Not over an idiot Jedi who'd walked out on her. Staring down at the coffee table she massaged at her temples, trying to relieve the tension that had built up from the argument.

Across from her Count Dooku regarded her sorrowfully, feeling her pain as it radiated out through the Force in sharp, jagged edges. He didn't say anything to her. He simply turned his head towards Obi-Wan's apartment and gave it a black look.

Quin put his hand on her arm but she didn't look at him. Quietly, he said, “It's okay Buffy, I understand why you didn't tell the Council about Palpatine. It was too dangerous for you to do so without taking them proof. Obi-Wan is acting like an idiot. Once he calms down he'll realise that and I've no doubt will come back and apologise to you.” He gave her arm a squeeze and joked, “And if I were you, I'd make him grovel.”


	98. Andrew's Comforting Words

Count Dooku and Quin quietly left after Obi-Wan, leaving Buffy and Andrew alone.

Andrew turned in his seat next to her and gave Buffy a worried look. She didn't bother to turn her head, simply stared at the mugs on the table as if they were the most fascinating thing in her life at the moment. Eventually he said, “Obi-Wan is in denial, he can't believe the Jedi Order wouldn't know a Sith Lord if they fell over one.”

“I know.”

“He's hitting out at you because you're there. He doesn't mean it. He had the same reaction in Attack of the Clones when Count Dooku had him strung up in an energy field on Geonosis. He didn't believe him either.”

“Yeah?”

Andrew chewed his lip. He could see Buffy was trying to hold it together and he'd no idea how to make it right. “Not that you had him strung up in an energy field. He's cross because we didn't tell him earlier and he's a worrier.” It didn't seem to be helping. “Some guys have a hard time expressing their feelings, but if you're a Jedi and were raised mainly by droids it must be even harder.”

She looked at him then, a defeated expression in her eyes, which was not a look he ever wanted to see on Buffy. “Seems to me he did a great job with the feeling expressing,” she said quietly.

“Buffy, he told me last night he'd leave the Jedi for you! It totally rocked me because, like, whoa, Obi-Wan Kenobi! Who'd believe it? But he wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it. Finding out about Palpatine shocked him and, like I said, the Jedi aren't good at dealing with strong emotions.”

Andrew's face flushed with excitement as he warmed up to the subject. “Take Anakin. He had this whole epic battle going on with his demons. Not our sort of demons, inner ones. There was the secret Padmé love affair going on in the background. Couple that with bad dreams, Obi-Wan not helping about his mother, a quiet word from Sid, and the next you know.... KABOOM! He blows up, goes on a dark fuel-filled rampage and slaughters everyone in the Temple.”

He bounced in his seat, remembering his excitement at first seeing the movie. “Then Lucas has him on Mustafar fighting Obi-Wan in an epic classic of good guy against evil set against a hellish and dramatical background of volcanic lava and fire. I've seen a discussion thread on how the Force can cause Force Users to slip over the edge and...” he stopped, aware she wasn't listening and he wasn't helping.

“I made the 'splainy worse, didn't I?” he asked, changing the subject. He knew he'd become over-enthusiastic during the big disclosure. He always did when any of his Sci-Fi favorites cropped up in the conversation. “Did I give them too much information?”

He watched Buffy pull herself together. “Andrew, We can't let them know they are in movies. How would you like it?”

It was the wrong thing to say. He grinned at her and she scolded him, saying, “It's not funny! Imagine if you found out your life was on screen for everyone to see and judge you on. You've not exactly been a golden hero.” His face blanched, and she quickly added, “I've had low moments in my life, done stupid things, made bad decisions. Stuff I did, or didn't, do led to people being injured or even dying. No one likes finding out they've been secretly filmed.”

She rolled her neck and shoulders, trying to loosen all the tension knots that she'd developed during the meeting. It seemed she'd attracted the attention of a Sith vampire and his dark apprentice who employed bounty hunters, not to mention skeevy Sid the undercover Sith. And, to top it off, she and Obi-Wan had argued. He'd accusing her of lying, of having no respect for him, and she'd thrown the spying thing in his face and then rubbed it in by saying a Sith had told her.

“This is probably a parallel dimension to the Star Wars one anyway,” said Andrew, breaking into her thoughts. “If you change certain key points in a timeline, it results in a completely different set of unfolding events.”

“You get that off Dr Who?” she asked.

“I might have done.” He gave her a little grin before adding, “We have to hope there is no reset button in this dimension.” She stared at him vacantly, so he added, “You know, where the timeline tries to put itself back onto its original track. That might be why the PTB put us here, as a wild card to stop...” he trailed off, aware she'd stopped listening again. She looked more relaxed than a few minutes ago, so he took the chance to ask something that might annoy her. “We've told them about Darth Sidious. Do we tell them about Anakin?”

“No! Definitely not.”

“But Buffy, he's...”

“He's nine years old, Andrew! He's a strange kid, but this time he's got Qui-Gon mentoring him, his mom's on Naboo and he doesn't seem to be obsessing over Padmé. He is under enough pressure from the Jedi Cult. We don't want everyone around him to start acting like him going Dark is a foregone conclusion, 'cos then it will happen. Little guy needs a chance,” she explained to him.

“What about Sid's interest in him?”

She made a sour expression. “Sid is more interested in me than Anakin. Let's keep it like that.”

“Is that why you joke and treat him like a friend? To stop him going after Anakin? I thought it was because you didn't want to alert him to the fact you knew he was a Sith.” Andrew had been wondering how Buffy managed to keep her temper with the skeevy Sith. If she'd gone into protective mode over a young child it explained a lot.

“Better he's an interest in me than let him groom a lonely nine-year-old who misses his mom.” She said. “I warned Qui-Gon and... Obi-Wan. I told them he wasn't a good example and shouldn't be left alone with the boy. Qui-Gon agreed with me, but I'm sure he thought I was trying to tell him Palpatine was a kind of molester.” She stood up, starting to clear the mugs and plates from the table. She halted what she was doing to give Andrew a stern look. “Don't tell the Jedi any more stuff. I know you get over-excited and speak without thinking, but everything here is changing from the movies. Like you said, we don't want it going back on track. That would end up as a train wreck with us inside it.”

Andrew nodded. “Yeah, okay. Don't want a train wreck with us inside it. Gotcha.” He grabbed the last couple of the mugs, ready to take them into the kitchen with her. She took them off him.

“I want another caff before I nip to the Archives to go research-girl on Naboo. Can you run and grab some milk from the Jedi kitchens? The Count always has his caff extra milky and he took the last bit.”


	99. Master of Our Own Destiny

Obi-Wan stood in the corridor outside Buffy's apartment. His brain still reeling from the shock of finding out Darth Maul's master was none other than Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. Images ran through his mind of the Chancellor walking the corridors of the Jedi Temple. Of himself bowing to the man, of a smiling Palpatine walking alongside the Masters, and finally, images of the Sith Lord and Buffy smirking at one another.

Why hadn't she told him Palpatine was the Sith Lord? Why hadn't she trusted him?

Yet when she had, he'd denied it. It had been far easier to accuse her of lying rather than believe the Sith Lord that the Jedi Council were looking for was right under their noses.

Master Yoda was being fooled by a Sith! The entire Temple had missed a Sith's presence! The thought sickened him to the core.

A Sith Lord controlled the Republic, was plotting the demise of the Jedi and she'd known for months and not said anything.

She'd also known he'd been set to spy on her by a suspicious Council.

Shying away from that thought, he marched to his door, punched in the keypad code and slipped through the doorway into the privacy of his apartment. Inside, he was met by silence. The protocol droid, the one she'd named Tweety, was nowhere in sight. It must still be busy trying to clean the Trog bloodstains from the fridges in the empty apartments.

A wave of annoyance rose up and he made no attempt to fight it. He'd nearly been caught breaking into empty apartments alongside a Force Void and a Dathomirian Zabrack! She'd entangled him in a conspiracy to store body parts for Dark Side rituals inside Temple fridges. How had she done that? He was supposed to be a Jedi knight! How would he have explained his actions to the Council? It seemed like a good idea at the time?

He dragged his hand through his hair, an action he seemed to be doing more and more since she'd arrived. For Force sake, how had she managed to put him in such a precarious position? Time and time again she'd dragged him into her wild schemes and then expected him to sort out the mess she made. Why wasn't he learning? Why did he fall for it every time?

His life would be so much simpler without her.

Across the room, the burnt out partly-stripped astromech droid sat on his table. A droid whose previous owner was most likely an undead Sith vampire. What was happening to him? Having an item previously owned by a Sith in his apartment would have once been an anathema. Now, due to her influence, he no longer regarded a Sith's possession as being dangerous to a Light Force User. He'd even sat next to the thing and ate his breakfast!

Obi-Wan found himself wishing Qui-Gon was back at the Temple. He badly needed the counsel of his old master. If only he could speak to him, relay what Buffy had told him and seek his advice on how to handle this. No doubt he'd know a way of warning the Council that Palpatine was a Sith. A way that wouldn't point the finger to the source of the information and put Buffy in danger.

Sithspit! A dead Sith wanted to kidnap her and a live one wanted to marry her! She wasn't the Chosen One to bring Balance to the Force. She was the Chosen One to cause Chaos to both sides of it! He caught himself rubbing his hands through his hair again, and stopped. He shouldn't be letting himself get into so much emotional turmoil. Plus if he kept rubbing at his hair all the time he was going to end up suffering from premature baldness.

Qui-Gon would take one look at him, see how disturbed he was and order him to a deep meditation chamber. No doubt telling him to stay there until all his negative emotions had been released into the Force and he was back under full control. It was a good idea but Obi-Wan didn't believe meditation was what he needed right now. Not after finding out about Palpatine and arguing with Buffy. What he needed was action. He needed movement. He needed to swing his lightsaber, and hone every skill he had in preparation for the vicious fight ahead.

Heading to the bedroom to change, he came to a halt just inside the room. Next to his bed the Vader helmet sat on the side table, looking ominous. Had the Sith Lord prepared it for Darth Maul? Did Palpatine want Buffy to be his apprentice now Maul was dead? His apprentice and lover? And if that thought wasn't enough to annoy him, the one trailing right behind it certainly did.

Did Buffy find the Sith's Dark powers attractive? Is that why she'd concealed his identity for so long?

He fought down the ugly emotions that line of thought caused, reaching instead for the helmet with the intention of taking a closer look at it. As he did so, his reflection in the mirror caught his eye. When Buffy looked at him what did she see in him? Did she still see him as the nerdy, up-tight padawan she'd met on Naboo?

Back then, despite the intense battlefield situation, he'd noticed her. Andrew had been bouncing around excitedly wanting autographs, but he'd watched her. And he'd seen the way she'd looked at him. Noticed the way she'd taken only a split-second to run her eyes over his face, hair and clothing, then look away. He was a Jedi. It shouldn't have hurt being dismissed like that, but it had.

His studied his reflection and his reflection studied him back. The scar over his right eye stood out vividly in his pale face, there were dark shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep and his hair was a mess from rubbing his hands through it. He grimaced. Today was definitely not one of his better hair days. Buffy was always telling him even the vampires wore gel and styling mousse in her dimension and being a Jedi was no excuse not to. He pulled the helmet over his head so he didn't need to look at the state of his hair.

His thoughts turned now to the Vader helmet. Despite its dubious benefactor, the previous night the helmet had been invaluable providing information when his Force Ability was at its lowest. He activated the visor, noticing how everything became red and his breathing became noisier. The vent holes were obviously the wrong size and needed altering. Was there a way of altering the visor to allow him to see a full spectrum of colors during the day? It made no sense to see in shades of red. That was annoying. Who'd want only to see in red? Had Palpatine set up the helmet to drive someone insane? No wonder Buffy had started to panic when she couldn't find the button to lift the visor.

He took another look in the mirror, and scowled at himself. Something else about him she'd changed. Before she'd arrived, he wouldn't have noticed how a shiny black helmet didn't go well with his brown Jedi suit. As long as he'd been spotlessly clean with his pleats well-pressed, he'd have been perfectly happy. Now he'd feel uncomfortable walking around with miss-matched clothing and it was all her fault.

After dressing himself head-to-toe in black with the Vader helmet over his head, he made his way through the living room to the door. There he paused by the coat rack, his hand hovering over his favourite brown robe, before pulling the long black duster coat from its peg and shrugging it on. No one could tell him he wasn't color co-ordinated now.

Obi-Wan strode down the deserted corridor outside his apartment heading towards the elevator. Tugging the lightsaber from the hook on his belt he checked its settings. As he'd thought, he'd forgotten to turn the lightsaber back to training level after it using it to defend himself the previous night. Unaccustomed to the weapon, he twisted the various controls on the hilt trying to find the correct setting and accidentally caught the power switch. Taking him completely by surprise, the long red blade shot out from the hilt with a lethal hiss.

A high-pitched cry of pure terror sounded from further down the corridor. Without hesitation, Obi-Wan instinctively took a defensive stance. Legs apart, half crouched, lightsaber pointing upwards, he peered down the red hued corridor trying to find the source of the screaming. Was the Temple under attack? Had the Sith broke in and gone on a blood-thirsty killing rampage? There was no disruption in the Force but the Sith were good at camouflage. Yet the Vader helmet was only telling him of one other life sign in the corridor besides his own.

And the only person in sight was Andrew.

“D-Darth Vader!” Andrew whimpered. He'd thrown himself against the corridor wall and was now lying half slumped, staring up at Obi-Wan in wide-eyed horror, surrounded by a collection of milk cartons.

Being called Darth Vader by someone who, (despite being the biggest idiot in the Temple) had known Palpatine was a Sith before he did, didn't improve Obi-Wan's mood.

“Oh for Force sake! You know it's me. Get up off the floor Andrew.” Obi-Wan switched off the lightsaber, swished his black coat and strode towards him, coming to a halt once he was level with him. Raising the visor he gave Andrew a suspicious look. “I hope you aren't saying I'm destined to go Dark? Is this a polite way of saying I'm going to become a Sith?”

“Wh-what?” Andrew asked. He sat on the floor, still looking pale and wild-eyed at the shock of seeing the dark figure striding towards him brandishing a red lightsaber.

“Did George Lucas say I'm going to become Darth Vader?” It worried Obi-Wan to even think it, never mind ask, but there must be a reason why Andrew had freaked out at the sight of him.

“Wha-? Whoa, no way Obi-Wan! Not you, you're like... No!” He scrabbled to his feet and began to pick up the milk. “You scared me. It was, like... the dark clothing, the breathing, the red lightsaber, and the way you were looming menacingly in the corridor. You know, after we told you about...” Andrew took a cautious look around him to make sure no one was about, “...Palpatine,” he whispered.

Obi-wan looked at him thoughtfully. Andrew had always been strange and prone to over-dramatic and hysterical outbursts. “You should have told me his identity before now. Is there anything else George Lucas foresaw I should know about?”

Andrew gulped, although not vulnerable to one of the sneaky Jedi mind tricks he still felt as as if he could crumble beneath the Jedi's intense scrutiny. “N-no, not really.” He pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to buy time before answering.

“Er, things are,like, different. Umm, I think, sorta Lucas would be shocked. Yeah, he'd definitely be shocked at the way things are now. Buffy told me... she told me she doesn't like visions or prophecies. She's had a few run-ins with them and says they often turn out nothing like what you thought they would.”

Obi-Wan continued to stare at the Watcher, running over what he'd been told in his mind. He'd a feeling Andrew was avoiding mentioning something, but what he did say made sense. Weren't the Jedi taught the future was always in motion? Force Visions were not always accurate for that very reason and the Jedi who received them were always told to be wary of them. If things were different now who needed to know of an alternate future?

He gave the Watcher a slow nod. “Very well. Then we shall all become masters of our own destinies.”  
With that he dropped the visor and strode off to the elevator.

Andrew, still clutching his milk, watched him until the turbolift doors closed and hid the dark-clad figure from sight.


	100. Duel Of Dishonour

In his search for someone to train or spar with, Obi-Wan headed towards the section of the Temple that was far busier than the area where he normally trained. The first training room he came across had a class going on, the tiny younglings learning basic lightsaber moves under the watchful gaze of their instructors. Raising his visor, he remained in the doorway so as not to disturb the class as they worked. Having been asked to take on a number of training classes, he'd already taught some of these younglings himself in the past few months. Although they were very young, several of them were already showing promise and had impressed him. Obi-Wan folded his arms and watched them as they ran through the basics of Form One - Shii-Cho.

He'd been asked by the Masters, on gaining his knighthood, what requirements he'd look for in a future padawan. It was a subject he'd thought long over in the past and he'd already had the answer ready for them. He'd wanted a padawan with all round Force ability, good lightsaber skills, who was obedient and had unswerving loyalty to the Jedi Order. Yet when the names of promising padawans had been suggested to him, he'd cried off, saying he wasn't ready to take on the responsibility of a young padawan.

It had been partly the truth. The full truth was he hadn't wanted just any padawan. He wanted Buffy.

An image of Buffy appeared in his mind, pouting at him with that little half smile on her face, saying he'd no chance. She'd never turn into a pod person. She was the Slayer with no loyalty to the Jedi Order, her Force ability was sporadic if not downright Dark, and she didn't know the meaning of the word obedience. Why had he wanted her for a padawan? Perhaps because she could be something more than a padawan? He snorted and huffed to himself with annoyance.

Refocusing on the room, he realized the small group of the younglings closest to him had broken off their exercises to gape at him. He drew in a ragged breath. Oh for Force sake, he'd allowed the thin veneer of calm to slip and they'd sensed the ugly mood he was in.

Turning abruptly on his heel, he walked on to the next training room. This one was also occupied by younglings, but they were a slightly older group. Most were coming up to their thirteenth birthday and still hadn't been chosen by a master. Obi-Wan felt a wave of sympathy for them, knowing it was an awkward and uncomfortable age to be a youngling at the Temple. He remembered when he'd been that age and how his hopes had crashed when no one chose him as their padawan. How he'd fought to keep his emotions in check as he boarded the shuttle leaving the Temple to take him to work in the Agricultural Corps. He'd been lucky to have met Qui-Gon again, for the knight to have chosen him and that they'd gone on to forge a good working bond.

When he'd mind-bonded with Buffy so quickly, he'd foolishly taken it as another sign they were meant to be together. He'd known Buffy had thought it should make an instant appearance during their single meditation session together (he didn't count the one where they'd thrown each other into the pond), but during their fights in the lower levels it had suddenly clicked into place. Was that why her concealment of a Sith's identity hurt as much as it did? Because he'd thought he'd known her so intimately?

Aware the younglings were giving him sidelong glances and not wanting to get their hopes up, he decided to move on to the next room.

He found that one far more promising. He stood in the doorway, eyeing those it contained. Kit Fisto stood laughing with another knight, and a couple of padawans of similar age to Obi-wan sat nearby. They were all watching a lightsaber practice duel going on between two Jedi almost ready for their trials.

“Kenobi!” someone called out his name. The rich baritone voice, came from behind him in the corridor. More heads than his turned to look as its renowned owner limped into the room.

“Are you looking for someone to duel with?” Count Dooku asked. The older knight had been walking slowly down the corridor, when he'd spotted the younger knight standing just inside the doorway – hands on hips and shoulders back. A pose that suggested arrogance and conceit to an already irritated Count.

Obi-Wan half turned as Dooku limped past him. The Count, who still needing to use a walking aid, had chosen an elegant if old fashioned walking stick which would have looked odd used by anyone else. With the Count it only served to increase his impressive persona.

The younger knight ran an eye over the older one. The Count's darker clothing and long cloak with its ornate silver trim also made the man stand out from everyone else in the Temple. The cape he wore fell gracefully from his shoulders, ended at his calves and it swished from side to side in a dramatic fashion as he walked. It caused a surge of cape envy in Obi-Wan and another wave of annoyance as he remembered something. When he'd turned up at Buffy's apartment wearing a cloak, she'd thought it hilarious and asked him where his mask was. He bet she'd never asked Count Dooku to leap onto her dining table and swing his lightsaber around making flashing 'Z' signs in the air.

“Are you looking for someone to duel?” repeated the Count. Wondering if Obi-Wan had purposely ignored his question or if he was drunk again. He always made a point of sniffing when near him but apart from that one time he'd come across him slumped in the corridor hadn't detected the smell of alcohol since. Of course, he might simply be good at hiding it. Many alcoholics were.

Giving the older man a polite bow, Obi-Wan replied, “Indeed I am.” He wondered why the man stayed in residence at the Temple. He'd heard just before the conflict in Naboo that, after inheriting a castle and a fortune from his brother, the Count intended to leave the Order. Did he only remain to train Buffy?

“Then I'm more than happy to duel you.” The Count smiled darkly at him, his eyes boring into him, letting him know that any fight would be hard and fierce. “I'll enjoy seeing what you're made of.

Around the room, the knights and padawans no longer watched the lightsaber duel. Their attention had switched to the two dark-clad figures by the door; the renown Count Dooku whose injury meant he still couldn't walk unaided and the younger knight wearing the odd helmet.

Obi-Wan gave a polite laugh and looked around at the watching audience. Surely, this must be a joke? Count Dooku wasn't recovered fully from his injuries. Even now he walked with a cane.

“I fail to see anything amusing in my challenge.” There was an icy chill to the words and Dooku's face darkened.

Obi-Wan fell back on his innate politeness. “You are a notable duelist. Any other time I'd find you a very worthy opponent, but it would not be dignified to fight a currently crippled knight.”

The Count's mouth curled with disdain. “I see. Happy to bully the apprentice but runs scared when the master approaches!”

Taken aback, Obi-Wan blinked at the put-down. Buffy was Dooku's lightsaber apprentice. This was about her. But why accuse him of bullying? He'd simply made his feelings known and walked away. She was the one who'd let everyone down.

Around him he felt a wave of surprise through the Force from the watching Jedi. He knew his own feelings of shock, embarrassment and his spike of anger at being branded a coward had been also broadcast to the room. A wave of heat went through him and he squared his shoulders, returning the disdainful expression with one of his own. “I am not afraid of you, Count Dooku.”

“Then fight me Kenobi!” The Count stepped into the training area, oozing confidence in his ability to teach the man a lesson. “Never mind my injury. I can take you with two good legs or only one.” With one hand he unclasped his silver cloak fastener and removed his cloak with a flamboyant flourish. The cloak floated to the ground behind him like a menacing cloud of darkness.

Normally, Obi-Wan would be filled with envy and seek to emulate the flourish of cloak removal in future. Now the action only annoyed him further. He smoothly shrugged off his own coat, allowing it pool at his heels in what he hoped was a sinister manner.

Dooku hobbled forwards, still leaning heavily on his walking stick, and ignited his green lightsaber. He took up a position from his favourite fighting style, Makashi.

Obi-wan responded by lowering the visor on the Vader helmet once more and igniting his own weapon. As he held the red humming blade in front of him, he knew he'd need to be wary. He'd watched the Count training Buffy in the past and the man's style and ability would be formidable, even if he did limp.

Dooku raised an eyebrow as the red blade was raised at him. “Is there something you haven't been telling us about Kenobi?” he mocked.

Obi-Wan was already aware the Jedi in the room were all gaping at him and his lightsaber. The intense suspicion pouring off everyone was so palpable he could almost taste it.

Reddening behind the visor, he replied somewhat defensively, “It's Mr Sparkly. It's only until I get a new one.” He made sure he spoke loudly and clearly so everyone could hear him. The Jedi knew him. Surely they wouldn't believe he'd gone to the Dark Side simply because he fought with a crimson blade? Had this been Buffy's reception at the Temple? Suspicion in every face for owning a red lightsaber?

Something else now bothered the Count as he faced the younger knight. He waved his lightsaber at the helmet Obi-Wan wore “Remove that ridiculous helmet,” he sneered. “You are a Jedi, not a child playing dress-up.”

“I think not.” Obi-Wan didn't see why he should remove the Vader helmet. Not only was he using it for a reason, but he'd forgotten to brush his hair. “It's Buffy's, and I intend to explore every aspect of it for her.”

The Counts dark stare hardened even more. “You have her lightsaber and her helmet, what else of hers do you avail yourself of?”

“Nothing she doesn't allow me full access to,” replied Obi-Wan, with a slight smile. If there was one thing Buffy wasn't it was selfish. Then, on seeing Count Dooku's eyes narrow, he realized it hadn't been his wisest choice of wording.

“You scoundrel!” The Count threw his walking stick down with a clatter, simultaneously swinging his lightsaber high with deadly intent.

Obi-Wan stepped forward, flourishing the sparkling red blade around his head in a high arc. Both blades humming through the air before meeting a clash. Pirouetting, the crimson blade circling overhead, Obi-Wan met and parried the green blade away from him once more.

“I don't wish to fight you over this. Not now, not ever,” he said as he closed the distance between them. The two blades momentarily joined blazing red against vibrant green, hissing menacingly between the Jedi. “We are on the same side.”

The Count made a guttural noise but didn't answer. He broke off, pushing away the crimson blade before he attacked once more with surprising ferocity. Obi-Wan, still unwilling to attack the injured man more than he needed to, found himself falling back onto the defensive. The green lightsaber blade flashed through the air. Rose upwards and then, in a surprising move, jabbed forwards, landing on Obi-Wan's inner upper thigh. The shock from the blow narrowly missing the fork of his legs, making him gasp out loud. It wasn't an area the Jedi normally aimed for while practicing their dueling skills.

“It's only on training level,” The Count sneered, as he stepped backward. “You've been a disappointment to me in so many ways Kenobi. Surely you can do better?” The green blade hummed through the air once more. “I aim to teach you a valuable lesson here today regarding the wisdom of...” Obi-Wan's red blade fended off the green, blocking it from another near strike to his outer leg. “...ever hurting my vulnerable young apprentice again.”

The fight quickened. The strong smell of ozone lingered in the air as the fight continued. Both Jedi spinning across the training room floor, their blades humming as they slashed through the air. Dooku searching for a weak point in the Kenobi's defense. Obi-Wan intent on using the minimum amount of energy to defend himself whilst allowing his opponent to wear himself out. The two blades were about to collide once more when, out the blue, the Count's weakened leg having already taken too much strain gave way and he stumbled. Falling to the ground with a loud thud.

But the Count's fight was not over. Even as he fell to the ground, his hand reached, palm outward sending a tremendous push through the Force. Taken by surprise, Obi-Wan was torn off his feet and sent flying backward. He was flung across the training floor and hit a row of seating encircling the area. There was no sign of any reduction in speed as he crashed through them, chair legs entangling around him, skidding along the floor before slamming into the wall head first.

The watching Jedi rushed over, some moved to Dooku, who was only able to stand with help, and others climbing over to assist the younger knight. The knight who lay unmoving against the wall under a mountain of broken chairs.


	101. Spaceball Ricochet

Quin sat in the cafeteria talking to Master Tholme over the remains of their meal. The two of them were catching up on each others' news when Quin noticed a trio of youngsters entering through the door. Something in the way the two human younglings hung on every word of the older Bothan caught his attention, but he continued to talk to his former master until they'd walked past him.

It was then when Quin overheard 'duel' and 'Dooku and Kenobi' and he leaped into action. He left his master in mid-sentence with a look of surprise on the man's face at seeing his former padawan springing from his seat like he'd been shot from a blaster.

Striding across the cafeteria, Quin made a point of circling around and blocking the youngsters' path. He planted himself in the aisle in front of them, folded his arms and gave them a stern look. “What's this about a duel between Kenobi and Dooku?”

The trio stopped and gaped at the tall Kiffar knight standing in front of them.

The red-haired Bothan male flashed him a worried, toothy smile. “They say Kenobi donned black armor and his lightsaber has gone red and sparkly. He was going from training room to training room looking for a fight. Then he challenged Count Dooku and when Kenobi couldn't beat him, he kicked his sore leg out from under him and Dooku had to Force Push him across the room to stop himself from being killed.”

Quin snorted and gave the Bothan a disapproving look. “Who is spreading this drivel?” Obi-Wan hadn't been happy after the meeting but Quin knew his friend too well to believe this of him.

“It was... it was.. some younglings we met. He definitely fought with a red lightsaber though and he was wearing a black helmet.”

“The red lightsaber is on loan from Lord Vader and he's also testing the Vader helmet at her request. I suggest you don't go around the Temple spreading misleading gossip, or else I shall have a word with the Council in regard to your behaviour. If you've spare time on your hands, I can have a word with Jocasta Nu. She is looking for students to catalouge holocrons for her.” Quin smirked when the hairs stood up on the Bothan's head with horror. Master Nu wouldn't put up with gossiping or idleness in her Archives.

“Do you know where Kenobi and Dooku are now?” he asked, as the trio appeared too nervous to volunteer any more information after being threatened with the librarian.

“Er, they were on their way to the Halls of Healing when we walked past.”

Quin darted off, leaving the trio gaping after him and causing even more gossip. The trio made sure they spoke quietly and well out of earshot of their elders from then on, though.

Down in the south-western part of the Temple, Quin walked into the medical wing and was met by medical attendant droids who hovered around him, eyeing him hopefully.

“Name? And is it an injury or medical condition you seek assistance with?”

“Quinlan Vos, and neither. I'm here to see Count Dooku and Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

The med-droids, disappointed at the lack of another victim to apply their skills to, replied, “Both human males are currently undergoing testing in regard to dueling injuries. You are welcome to stay in the waiting room and will be contacted shortly.” They then floated off to attend other patients further inside the Halls of Healing.

Quin hovered indecisively for a moment. The voice of the Chief Healer, Twi'lek Vokara Che, could be heard in the distance as she gave orders to others on her team. She wasn't known on holding back blistering lectures to those who she regarded as trespassers in her territory, nor would she think twice of complaining to the Masters. On the other hand, he was sure he heard the Count's voice from one of the bays a little further along one of the corridors.

Following the voice, he made his way along the corridor, turning off and stopping at the entrance of a small examination room. The Count sat on a bench complaining bitterly to a droid holding a small medical device.

“It is perfectly fine. I do not need any more probes being stabbed into my leg, blood samples being taken, nor do I wish for another scan.” He pushed the hovering droid away from him. “I shall simply rest and use my own Force Healing. I don't intend to become imprisoned in one of your sick bays for a minute longer than I need to be. The last time was bad enough.” He cleared his throat and gave the droid a death glare. “Nor will I allow you to perform tests on my mind. Insinuating I have a mental problem because I challenged another knight to a duel when my leg wasn't fully healed? Go find me a member of the medical corps. I have no wish to continue to argue with you, you jumped up lump of metal with delusions of intelligent life...”

Quin, listening to him, couldn't help wondering if the Count was related to Buffy in some way. Neither of them made good patients and both had death glares and put-downs refined into a fine art. Seeing as the Count wasn't naked and looked like he'd be glad to see a non-droid face, Quin slid out of hiding and walked into the room. Immediately, the med-droid tried to shoo him out. He ignored it.

Dooku realizing the droid hadn't taken a subtle hint that it wasn't wanted, shouted, “Leave my sight at once, you out-dated slab of scrap-metal!” The droid froze, possibly from shock. Then it shot past Quin and flew off down the corridor with what could only be described as an affronted look on its face.

“Count,” Quin greeted the irascible older Jedi, “Is it true Obi-Wan challenged you to a duel? What's happened to your leg?”

The Count, who was still glaring after the droid, turned at his question and shot Quin a frosty look. “It was I who challenged him.” He rubbed at his scarred leg and Quin guessed it must be hurting him more than he would admit. “Kenobi was strutting around the Temple, posing in doorways. A fight he was looking for and a fight he got. My old leg injury caused me to stumble, otherwise he'd be the one walking with a limp.”

“You weren't kicked then?”

“Kicked? Is that what they are saying? As if I'd ever let him close enough to kick.” Dooku sneered at the thought. “The insolent whelp got off lightly. Accusing Miss Summers of lying after she finally trusted us enough to reveal the Sith's identity. The man isn't even fit to be a Knight with his alcohol problem... I'm surprised at Qui-Gon for allowing him to develop such an addiction. Then again, Jinn was always too laid back for a Jedi. I told him, nothing good will come of trying to be gray. You need to be one thing or the other. Obi-Wan Kenobi is lucky I won't report him to the Council for speaking to her as he did. I suppose he could be trying to dry out and it's affecting his brain.”

“Obi-Wan isn't an alcoholic,” said Quin. The thought of his uptight friend being a drunk almost made him laugh out loud. The only time in his life he'd gotten himself completely drunk and Dooku had come along and caught him. Talk about bad timing. “He's too strait-laced and cautious to have an addiction. I agree with you he's in the wrong to take it out on Buffy as he did but I think ...”

“...he's gotten himself emotionally entangled with her,” interrupted the Count. His face had gone from stern to downright miserable. “Nothing good will come of it; only pain and suffering. Does he think he's the only Jedi who's fallen for someone? He'll get hurt and so will she. It's always the way.”

Quin blinked owlishly. Momentarily dumbfounded at Count Dooku's comment, he opened his mouth and shut it again. One question, after another darting through his mind but none quite made it into words. Finally, he asked the question he knew Obi-Wan would want to know the answer to. “Are you going to tell the Council about them?”

Dooku shook his head. “No, I shan't. The Council is bad enough when it's one of their own that is involved, but a Jedi and a Slayer...” his comment trailed off. His voice was full of worry when he continued, “There is no telling what they'll do. I don't trust them not to have a knee jerk reaction to this. No, the whole thing needs to play out without their interference, but I shan't abandon Miss Summers when the time comes and she needs me.”

Astonished, Quin found himself opening and shutting his mouth, before he realized a fish impression wasn't a good look for a Kiffar. What exactly was the Count saying? Had he seen repercussions of romantic entanglements in the past in the Jedi Order or was this something more sinister? Had the Count had Force Visions of Buffy and Obi-Wan's future? Quin found he didn't want to ask.

“So we say nothing then?” he asked, trying to feel his way with this. Surely if Dooku had a premonition of the future he'd alert Buffy if not Obi-Wan?

Dooku replied, “We can't mention this to anyone. You'd better go find your friend. He probably has a headache.” Then he added with a sudden glare, “I don't want you telling him or Miss Summers that I know what they are up to. It will be better to keep them both wary and on their toes.”

Quin simply nodded.

......

Quin left Count Dooku and, keeping a cautious eye out for the Jedi Healers, ventured further into the infirmary. A little way on he found Obi-Wan sitting decorously on an examination table, holding the Vader helmet on his knee and politely answering each of the med-droid's questions in great detail. Another smaller droid buzzed excitedly around him, scanning his face and skull with a small device that hummed as it charted his head.

He grinned over at his friend. Obi-Wan was always scrupulously well mannered. From droids to sentient species, from the scruffiest pirate on an Outer Rim armpit-of-nowhere planet to the highest politician in the Republic. The smile fell from Quin's lips. That thought had brought Palpatine back to mind. Sithspit! Didn't that just suck the joy out of life.

When he'd spoken to his old master earlier, he'd quietly told him he'd learned from a reliable source Palpatine was a Dark Force user. His old master had raised an eyebrow at this but surprising didn't argue. Tholme went on to ask if he could back up the claim, stating that the Jedi Council wouldn't investigate without evidence. Quin replied there wasn't any, that was the problem. He also admitted he couldn't tell the Council himself in case the trail led to his informant who had a valid concern for their safety. Tholme studied him for a long time without speaking but finally promised to drop a word into the right ear and not pass on where he'd had the information from.

Count Dooku also intended to speak to Mace Windu about his investigations into a Force User subverting politics. It would be easy enough for him to suggest the supposed identity of the Sith came from one or more of his many far reaching and long standing connections. It was the most either of them could do without endangering Buffy and Andrew and drawing the wrath of an angry Sith down onto their heads.

The taller med-droid, who'd been attending Obi-Wan, suddenly spotted Quin. It floated towards him with the obvious intention of driving him off. “This area is private. All visitors will remain in the waiting room until called.”

Quin merely smirked and stepped around the droid.

“Intruder in medbay,” the droid intoned. “Security will be alerted. Return to the waiting room, immediately.”

“Leave him,” said Obi-Wan. “He's here in reply to a message I sent. Thank you for your help.” He bowed his head politely at the droids to let it know the examination was at an end.

The two droids, paused, hovering behind the Kiffar for a moment before floating sedately out the door and down the corridor.

Quin watched them until they disappeared from sight, closed the door and stepped over to his friend's side. Snatching the helmet from Obi-Wan's lap he inspected the large dent in the top of it. “I see the Vader helmet came in useful for when you attacked the wall with your head.”

“It's a pity whoever designed the Temple put it there in the first place,” said Obi-Wan. “A training room is never a good place to build a wall.”

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the partition behind him. Despite the helmet's protection, his skull ached. There'd been no lasting damage, but one of the medical Jedi had suggested he'd be better off in a Force Healing trance. He was waiting for her to arrive with the healing crystals that would aid him in achieving the deep meditative state to allow Force healing to occur.

“What happened with Dooku?” asked Quin. It was obvious his friend was in pain, although he guessed a large part of it wasn't from a bang on the head.

Obi-Wan sighed. “He challenged me to a duel, and Force Pushed me into a wall when his weak leg gave out.” Realizing his friend must have heard about the altercation, he opened his eyes and fixed them warily on his friend. “What rumors are going around the Temple?”

“You marched through the Temple clad in black armour and wielding a red lightsaber. You challenged a crippled knight to a fight, and when you started to lose, kicked his leg out from under him before trying to kill him.” Quin threw the helmet into the air and caught it, then twirled it around in his hands.

“How lovely,” Obi-Wan replied sarcastically. He shut his eyes once more and thought about the rumor and what people would make of it. “Violent, lacks fighting skills, a bully and resorts to underhand means to win arguments,” he mumbled. “It might take me a good while to live that one down.”

Quin threw the helmet into the air once more. Higher than before. He grinned as he caught it. “Do you really care what the Temple younglings and padawans gossip about?”

Obi-Wan thought about it. At one time he'd have been truly mortified at having such a rumor going around the Temple about him. He remembered when he'd heard the one that he and Siri Tachi were more than friends. He'd blushed every time he'd seen her for over a year afterwards and that only fueled the gossip. In the end, Qui-Gon had to sit him down and have a long man-to-man talk to him about it. In hindsight, Obi-Wan realized his old master must have been relieved it was only his padawan's embarrassment soaring out of control and not his heart. Hearts were more difficult to reason with.

As for the Temple gossip regarding the duel, he found he didn't give a damn what they said about him. He knew the truth. Gossiping younglings with too much time on their hands were the least of his worries.

He opened an eye and watched Quin throw Buffy's Vader helmet so high that it almost scraped the ceiling. Sometimes his friend could be very, very, irritating.

With both eyes shut he used the Force to gauge the helmet's whereabouts and snatched it mid-air before Quin could grab it. Placing it firmly back in his lap and putting both hands on top of it, he asked, “How's Count Dooku?”

“Apart from his leg, fine. Complaining bitterly. When I left him he was grumbling the med-droids were trying to imprison him and he was going to stage a break-out.”

Obi-Wan snorted. The man was worse than Buffy.

There was silence. From the other bays floated the soft sounds of voices, the beep of machinery and the distant rattle of medical instruments. The two men listened to the background sounds of the Halls of Healing content in their own silence and thoughts for the moment.

Obi-Wan was thinking how Buffy hated the medical facilities. She claimed it had all started in her own dimension after she'd found a demon creeping about in one and her aversion to them had grown from there. She also said the Temple medical staff asked far too many questions about her fast healing, Slayer abilities and lack of midiclorians. That she wouldn't put it past Master Yoda to lock her into a cell down here and perform weird Initiative-type experiments on her.

Quin broke the silence. “Master Tholme is back at the Temple. I spoke to him earlier.”

“What's he been up to? Or can he not say?”

“Investigations into mid-rim pirates. It was good to catch up with him.” Quin wasn't sure how to bring Buffy and what happened at the meeting into the conversation.

“I wish Qui-Gon was back. I could do with his counsel right now.”

“When's he due to return?” Quin asked. Wondering if Obi-Wan intended to admit to his old master he'd developed an attachment to Buffy. He couldn't see that conversation going well. No wonder Dooku was worried.

“Supposedly, tomorrow.”

Suddenly struck with inspiration, Quin asked, “When you were a padawan, did your master ever withhold information about one of the missions from you?” He added, “Master Tholme did with me, especially when I was younger.”

“Yes, Qui-Gon did the same and it was extremely provoking when he did so.” Obi-Wan's lip curled as he remembered all the times his master had done that to him. “He'd reveal it to me later. Usually after I'd spent hours forming several different theories, destroying them within minutes with whatever knowledge he was holding back.”

“When he held back, was there usually a good reason for doing so? Or did he at least think he had a good reason?”

“Yes. He usually did,” Obi-Wan opened his eyes to watch his tattooed friend. Guessing this was about Buffy, he wanted to start arguing on principal. Instead, he bit back a stinging retort and waited for his friend to get to the point.

“Yet you lost your temper with Buffy for doing the same thing.”

“Buffy isn't my master,” Obi-Wan replied shortly.

“You accused her of lying? Did you accuse master Qui-Gon of lying if he'd withheld information from you?”

“Of course not!” snapped Obi-Wan. He bit down on the anger that threatened to bubble to the surface whenever he thought about Buffy's confession and instead gave a deep sign. “In hindsight it was wrong of me to call her a liar but I was in shock. She was concealing a Sith! She's battled them enough times since she came here so knows how evil they are. Why not tell us? She's supposed to be on the same side as the Jedi.”

“You think she is on the side of the Sith?” asked Quin, surprised.

An image of Palpatine fawning over her, trying to blackmail Buffy with shoes, expensive speeders and even a marriage proposal came into Obi-Wan's mind. It annoyed him, and his headache suddenly became much worse. “No, but Palpatine is desperate to have her on his side. She should have informed the Jedi before now.”

“The majority of the Jedi Council distrust her to some extent or other. If she'd told Master Yoda do you think he'd believe her? Or believe Palpatine?”

“Palpatine would be believed before her,” admitted Obi-Wan grudgingly. His head was throbbing, he winced and rubbed at his forehead trying to relieve the pain. “None of that should have stopped her telling me. Why didn't she speak to me of this? I'm supposed to be her special friend.”

At another time Quin would have tormented Kenobi by asking him to describe the privileges of a special friendship but this time he didn't. Obi-Wan was already projecting enough distress over his quarrel with Buffy.

“Are you going to inform the Council Buffy told you Palpatine is a Sith?”

“No. For the same reason Buffy said nothing to Master Yoda. It worries me he might not believe her and passes on her allegation to Palpatine.” Obi-Wan thought of all the ways a Sith Lord could react. Buffy and Andrew were right in being cautious.

“I thought you'd been charged to spy on her?” pressed Quin, “to report back to the Council on everything she says or does?”

“I don't tell them everything,” Obi-Wan replied irritably, “I never have.” He gave the Kiffar a glare and stopped when he realized it wasn't his fault. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes once more. His pain was almost as bad as on first being brought in. “Buffy and Andrew sought help from the Jedi after the Vengeance Demon sent them. The Council instructed me to stay close to them at all times and report back on their activities. It's always felt like a dishonest and humiliating mission for a Jedi.”

“Buffy's known for a while you were spying on her.” He both saw Obi-Wan cringe and felt the Force hitch around him. “Perhaps she didn't tell you about Sid so as not to put you under pressure to reveal her secret to the Council.”

“Possibly,” allowed Obi-Wan, while looking unconvinced that was the real reason why she hadn't told him.

“I think that's why she didn't tell you.” Quin insisted. “That, and the longer she hid it, the harder it became to tell anyone. After you left as you did she was upset.”

Obi-wan looked mutinous for a moment before he schooled his face into a bland expression and pressed his lips together to avoid saying anything.

“Her lack of trust angered you?” Getting people to talk and open up wasn't one of Quin's natural abilities but it was one he'd been trying to improve on over the years.

A tic played under Obi-Wan's eye and he cautiously nodded. It wasn't as if Quin hadn't seen him become angry with Buffy or wouldn't have felt it through the Force. He'd been reeling from shock at the time and hadn't been able to conceal or disperse his strong negative emotions.

Quin regarded him steadily. “Master Yoda says fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate and suffering.”

Obi-Wan snorted. “Yes, I have heard that one before.”

Quin continued, “What do you fear?”

Obi-Wan shot the Kiffar a thoughtful look, then dropped his gaze to the Vader helmet in his lap. He knew what his friend was doing. On the rare occasions he'd become angry in the past Qui-Gon had used the same question, as probably Dooku had to him when he was his padawan. What lay at the root of his anger? What was the fear? Finding the fear was the best way to understanding the anger.

Why was he so angry? He knew part of the anger was against Buffy but not all of it. When he'd discovered the identity of the Sith Lord he'd been scared the Jedi Order wasn't as strong as he'd always thought. That Master Yoda wasn't as strong as he'd thought. Darth Maul had been evil and ferocious. His master could only be worse...

Obi-Wan knew he didn't fear death. He feared others dying. Of the whole Jedi order being wiped out by a Dark Lord of the Sith. The Force would be unbalanced in favor of the Sith and the galaxy in turmoil.

“My fear is that Palpatine will find a way to slaughter the entire Order and take over the Galaxy. That he will be too powerful to stop.” There. He'd said it. His root fear.

Quin nodded. He could understand that fear but it was obviously not Obi-Wan's only issue.

“And Buffy?” Quin pressed, “You were angry with her. What is you fear regarding Buffy?”

Obi-Wan massaged his temples to ease the pain. “For Buffy? That she becomes a Sith apprentice. That she walks away from the Temple and goes Sith.” Obi-Wan didn't say his own fear was that if it came to a choice for her between him and Palpatine, he was worried the Supreme Chancellor had more going for him than he did.

“I don't think that is your root fear, ” said Quin, knowing his friend was hiding something, possibly even from himself. “She disclosed the Sith Lord to us. If she intended to become a Sith she wouldn't have bothered telling us. You said you were upset she hadn't told you earlier. That you had a special,” he almost grinned but fought it back, “friendship. Why did it anger you so much that she hadn't told you before?”

Obi-Wan squirmed with embarrassment. His friend was asking him some invasive and personal questions here, more than Qui-Gon had ever done. This was far worse than the Siri conversation or the one they'd had after they'd chased a suspect into the Swokes Swokes strip club and he'd had nightmares about it for weeks afterwards.

Finally, Obi-Wan replied, “That she didn't trust me.” It angered him that she didn't trust him. Yet how could she? She'd known he was spying on her and thought he was betraying her on a daily basis to Yoda. And perhaps, if she thought that she also thought he didn't care about her. There was another thought behind that one he couldn't identify. His head ached, the self analysis and embarrassment Quin was putting him through aggravated the pain and fogged his thinking.

Quin wasn't done yet. “Then maybe you should do something about it? Talk to her. Tell her you never passed important information on to the Council. Give her reasons to trust you. ”

Obi-Wan stared down at the Vader helmet unseeingly. Master Yoda claimed attachments led to the Dark Side and Jedi should avoid them. He'd felt irrationally angry since their argument and even had the urge to take that frustration and anger out on others. Was this why the Jedi were told relationships were dis-allowed?

Eventually he said, “She's broken my trust as well. If we distrust each other perhaps it's better to take a step back from our... friendship. The Jedi Code tells us not to become emotionally involved and it does that for a reason.”

Quin couldn't help himself, he snorted. From what he'd seen it was far too late for Obi-Wan to start quoting the Jedi rules. “It sounds to me as if there' a fear behind the trust issue. If you can't admit it to me at least admit it to yourself.”

Obi-Wan looked at him dubiously, and Quin wondered if the blow to the head had addled his brain even more than usual. He'd known Obi-Wan most of his life and knew how annoyingly over cautious and downright stubborn he could be at times but he'd always been fair and reasonable.

“I shall think about it,” Obi-Wan said, his mouth grimly set.

Quin thought about arguing but took a good look at the pain etched on Obi-Wan's face and decided not to. His friend needed time to heal and think. He'd asked him to search out and know the fear behind his anger, the rest was up to him.

Deciding a change of subject was needed, he asked with a barely hidden grin, “So tell me, Obi-Wan. Are you looking forward to the Council meeting later?”

He laughed out loud when his friend groaned, put his head in his hands and shook his head.

“Uh-huh, that's what I thought you'd say. But at least with Buffy and Andrew it's always fun.” Quin raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Who do you think will win this round? Buffy or Master Yoda? My credits, if I had any, would be on Buffy...”


	102. Council Meeting - Lower Levels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy confuses the Jedi High Council with her report.

Buffy and Andrew spent the rest of the day in the Jedi Library. First, they'd researched Naboo and then Pau'an anatomy. Buffy was hoping she'd have the chance to fight and stake the undead vampire Sith before the Jedi did. She said after all the stress he'd been putting her through she was really looking forward to giving him abuse over his undead good looks. After researching, the pair of them had eaten a quiet meal in their apartment, so missed out on the latest cafeteria gossip. The first they heard about Count Dooku and Obi-Wan's duel was on arriving at the Jedi Council waiting area and finding Quin sitting on his own.

Buffy didn't ask where Obi-Wan was, but she'd made a point of looking around for him as soon as she exited the turbolift. He was always early for Jedi Council meetings and his absence worried her. Had he gone to confront Palpatine? She instantly had the urge to brain message him to find out where he was, but fought it. She'd carefully shut down their mind-link, even though it physically ached to do so. And she wasn't going to ask where the infuriating Jedi had gotten to either.

Andrew had no such inhibitions. “Where's Obi-Wan? It's not like him to be late.”

Quin looked over at Buffy, who was affecting disinterest and looking out the window. “I imagine the healing trance went on for longer than he expected,” he replied.

Buffy's face shot in his direction. “What?!” she squeaked. “Whaddya mean a healing trance?”

Quin's brow creased. “I thought someone would have told you by now?” Then he remembered their plans for the day. “Ah, you've been in the Archives. That explains it. It's nothing to be worried about. Obi-Wan was thrown headfirst into a wall this afternoon while dueling with Count Dooku...”

“A wall?!”

“Oh, he's fine. He was wearing the Vader helmet and it's made a big dent in it. You'll need to get someone to knock the dent out and check it hasn't damaged any of the internal circuits...”

“Never mind the Vader helmet. What's up with Ubi?” she asked. She shifted uneasily from one foot to the other in front of the Kiffar's chair, as if she might dart off down to the medical wing at any moment.

“As soon as I heard about the duel, I went to the Halls of Healing and spoke to both him and Dooku. Dooku needs to rest his leg and Obi-Wan had a headache. I was told that a healing trance was a precaution. That it would help with any minor healing and stop the pain. At that point I was chased away by the medical staff, but I'm sure he'll be here shortly.”

Behind them, the doors to the Council Chamber slid open and Master Ki-Adi-Mundi beckoned them in. They were all surprised to find Obi-Wan was already stood inside the circle waiting for them. Buffy ran her eyes over him, checking for injuries. He was so pale the dark shadows under his eyes looked like bruises, his red-blonde hair was a mess and needed restyling, but he didn't appear injured. She noticed the way he carefully avoided looking in her direction so she decided to follow his lead and pretend he wasn't there. Two could play at that game. Instead, she turned her attention to Master Yoda, whose eyes narrowed on the Slayer as she approached the big circle on the floor where they normally stood.

Had Obi-Wan told the Council Palpatine was a Sith? She hoped he hadn't. Andrew said if they sold her speeder they'd be able to afford a passage to an Outer Rim planet and start a new life out there. He said they could become Adrian Wells and Anne Summers. Apparently, in this dimension, if you changed your first name everyone thought you were a completely different person and no one would ever put two and two together, even if you were on the Galaxy's most wanted list and they had your picture.

Andrew had asked if she'd a preference to what sort of planet they should hide out on. Buffy said she preferred somewhere warm, there had to be working showers and then, as an afterthought, added she wasn't going to start dancing for giant slugs for a living. So Andrew had become research-boy searching for a planet with plenty of sunshine, a reasonable standard of living and was Hutt free. Just in case.

Not knowing if Obi-Wan had betrayed her to the Council, and seeing as he was pretending she was invisible, she let Quin stand beside him. Andrew took the spot next to Quin, and she stood beside her Watcher at the opposite end of the line from Obi-Wan. As she took her position she gave Yodel a sharp look to make sure he knew she wasn't in the mood for annoying questions. She then waved to Nick Fury who was always friendly. The Master half raised his hand to wave back, caught the annoyed look Yoda shot him and pretended he was rubbing his forehead instead.

Once they were all assembled, Yoda leaned forward in his chair, his hands on top of his gimmer stick in order to stop himself from overbalancing and toppling forwards. He gave the group an intent and accusing look. “In the lower levels, hunting vampires you were, hmm?”

Since normally Obi-Wan made good with the 'splainy, Buffy didn't bother to answer him. Instead she looked over at Ki-Adi-Mundi's new boots. They were very shiny with an interesting heel and a side buckle fastening she'd not seen before. Obviously, the toe was cut squarer than she liked but they might do something similar in a ladies size and possibly in black. Nick Fury's boots caught her eye then. Ooooh, he was wearing exactly the same pair in black. That looked promising. It might be worth checking out the Jedi store later to see if they'd got a new supply in...

“Anyone answer, hmm?”

Belatedly, Buffy realized no one had replied to Yoda. Normally Obi-Wan would be rattling off by now as he usually found it impossible to leave a long silence when in front of the Masters. Buffy hoped his head injury hadn't taken a turn for the worse and wondered if the Jedi healers knew what they were doing. She supposed she should make with the splainy since Obi-Wan didn't feel up to it.

“Yes, that's right. I got a tip-off...” she started. At the same time Obi-Wan said, “Yes Masters, we went to...”

They shot each other a sheepish look, accidentally caught each other's eye which caused them both to look away sharply and stop talking. Since neither Buffy or Obi-Wan wanted to speak over each other it created an awkward silence. Quin and Andrew shuffled anxiously between the two of them, aware of the strained atmosphere and unsure what to say or do for the best.

The Council all stared at Obi-Wan. The Force around him buzzed disjointedly and the young knight blushed awkwardly under their scrutiny. They then turned to look at Buffy, who appeared engrossed in examining Master Ki-Adi-Mundi's boots. To every Jedi in the room, it was obvious Obi-Wan and Buffy had quarreled.

Master Windu looked first at Buffy, then at Obi-Wan and then back at Buffy again. He sat up straighter in his chair. “Buffy,” he kept his voice low and gave her an encouraging smile. “Would you like to tell us why you went into the lower levels hunting vampires?”

“Covered in blood, the inside of the speeder was,” sniped Master Yoda. After seeing the state of them when they'd arrived back last night, he'd a made a point of asking at the hangar. The maintenance crew had confirmed the speeder seats were full of bloodstains and they'd also discovered a sharp stick that had rolled under the seats. It had obviously been used as a vicious weapon as it was covered in blood and there was something stuck to it which looked like part of a dried intestine. Yoda had gingerly dropped it into a bag and brought it with him to the Council Meeting. He'd put it under his chair as evidence, in case she'd tried denying it.

Buffy grimaced. “Oh, er, sorry about that. Did they manage to get the stains off the upholstery okay? Human blood stains are bad enough but some demon blood needs special cleaning fluids to lift them. Giles used to get annoyed about it. He'd be there for hours trying different concoctions and methods of stain removal. In the end, he bought a rubber mat from Walmart so if the bodies we stashed in his trunk leaked, it didn't discolor the fabric. No one likes breathing in vampire dust but at least they don't leave behind icky marks.”

“I'm sure the speeder cleaned up just fine,” said Ki-Adi-Mundi, giving her a kind smile. He was feeling pleased his new boots were gaining so much attention. “The maintenance crew are used to dealing with odd stains. Don't worry about it.”

She smiled back in return. “Ah, that's good news. Anyhow, we were in the Outlander Club...”

“I like that club,” chimed in Master Plo Koon from behind his mask. “The music is good and the drinks containers are clean. Did you find any interesting demons in there?”

“Interrupting, you are. Let her speak, you will,” snapped Master Yoda. The small Master rubbed at his forehead with frustration. Every time she appeared before the Jedi Council, the Masters began to act oddly. They forgot they were Jedi, talked about going out clubbing and discussing what drinks they preferred. To cause such strange behavior amongst experienced Jedi Masters Buffy must be a powerful Sith. He'd been monitoring her since the beginning of the meeting, in case she made any suspect hand movements that suggested Dark Force mind tricks, but so far hadn't seen any.

Buffy winked at Master Plo Koon and he smirked back at her as they shared a private joke between the two of them about Yoda.

Yoda picked up on this interaction and it irritated him even further. He peered at her. Perhaps she was doing mind tricks with her face? He decided the pouts and half smiles she pulled were a kind of Dark Side Alchemy and it was only the fact he held so much power that they had no effect on him.

“Yeah, anyway,” continued Buffy, “there weren't any demons in the Outlander Club but the music was good. I don't know about the drinks. It might be better asking Kenobi about them.”

The Masters all noted she used Obi-Wan's surname. Buffy had always used his first name or a nickname in the past, which suggested the argument between them had been over something important. They decided he must have said or done something extremely nasty to upset her and they all stared at him suspiciously. Around Obi-Wan, the Force bounced in troubled spikes. Buffy, however, refused to look in his direction, and if she had, she wasn't yet aware enough to pick up how much distress he projected.

“...So we met these guys. They told us Coruscant Security found a body in the lower levels that had been drained of blood and I thought it sounded promising. Anyhow, cliff notes. We went down. Got attacked by Trogs, er, Troglodytes and netted. Thankfully, this Ogre guy came and helped us...”

“A Coruscanti Ogre?” asked Nick who couldn't resist interrupting. “What did he look like? I've never seen one. I've heard they are an elusive, highly vicious species with limited intelligence.”

“He was sweet,” replied Buffy, “and he was very chatty. I couldn't understand what he was saying at first, but later on Tweety translated for us.”

“What's a Tweety?” asked Ki-Adi-Mundi, his very tall forehead a mass of confusion lines. “Do they live in the lower levels along with the Ogres and Troglodytes?”

“Tweety is a protocol droid, Master,” replied Obi-Wan, who'd finally found his voice. “I thought it might be wise to take one with us and he proved very useful.”

Buffy added, “I called him Tweety Pie, as he thought he was being crept up on all the time. There's a bird in my dimension who... Andrew, is Tweety Pie a canary?”

“Eh?” asked Andrew. He'd become bored with the meeting and started looking out the window trying to identify the various spacecraft flying past.

“Is Tweety a canary?”

“I thought he was a protocol droid?” Andrew replied, dragging his eyes away from the window. “Oh, you mean the cartoon bird thing? Yeah, I think he's supposed to be a canary.”

“Important this canary is?” asked Master Yoda, who'd a feeling the meeting was going off subject again.

“He is to canaries,” replied Buffy with a grin. “Anyhow, Shrek was great as he...”

“Who's Shrek?” asked Nick, feeling confused. He was still struggling with the canary and now someone called Shrek had made an appearance.

“Oh, he's the Ogre guy. But it isn't his real name.” She smiled at the Masters. “ It's the name of a famous Ogre in my dimension. He had four arms which were really useful for hitting Trogs with.” She frowned, that hadn't come out quite right. “Not the Shrek from my dimension who married a girl called Fiona and lived in a swamp. He only had two arms. The one we met in the lower levels had four arms.” Buffy paused, the Jedi Masters were still looking confused. She wished they'd keep up with her. “The Coruscanti Ogre, he's the one with four arms and his wife isn't called Fiona. I don't even know if he's married. It would be kinda funny though if he had a wife called Fiona. Anyway, this guy with the four arms that I called Shrek had been spying on the Sith Vampires and he led us to their....”

“Sith!” Yoda interrupted with a croak of horror. He cleared his throat and repeated, “More Sith you visited, hmm?”

“Not really. We found their lair, but there was no one home when we knocked. We did find two clues though.”

“I found a burnt out droid which I'm hoping once repaired will contain recordings that may pinpoint the whereabouts of the Sith vampires,” said Obi-Wan. “I also have reason to believe the Sith vampire is the same one who was originally buried below the Jedi Temple.” He prodded Quin in the arm, who looked at him vacantly for a moment before coming to life.

“Oh! Is it me? Yes, I used my abilities on a photo of Padmé Amidala found hanging on a wall down there. I sensed the same person touched it who installed the tracker on Buffy's speeder and also used the lever Obi-Wan found in the Sith tomb. The memories I received suggest the Sith apprentice has strong connections to Naboo and we believe his master is the one Buffy discovered missing from the Jedi basement.” He pointed downwards with his forefinger.

“Darth Desolate, the Pau'an,” said Mace Windu thoughtfully.

“We also believe he's the one who's been trying to kidnap Miss Summers, but we don't know why,” said Obi-Wan.

Buffy noticed the formal title and the cold tone he used. She stared stonily in front of her and tried not to let it get to her. Unknowingly, the darker part of her altered the Force around her and projected her distress. Several of the Masters picked up on it and turned to glare at Obi-Wan, who in turn sent out a wave of pain and hurt.

Master Yoda, although well aware of it, ignored the disharmony in the room.

After hearing about the duel between Kenobi and Dooku that afternoon, he'd been concerned the two of them were falling under Buffy's Dark influence. He'd stopped Count Dooku when he'd seen him limping along the corridor, and asked why he'd been dueling with Kenobi. The Count had replied the duel was a private matter and you wouldn't find him gossiping in corridors even with a Master. The man had given him such a dark and piercing glare Yoda almost wished he'd never asked. Even as his padawan there'd been something sinister about Dooku.

Since the older knight had refused to discuss it he'd called in Kenobi, knowing the younger knight would readily answer his questions. Obi-Wan assured the Council it had simply been a training duel that had got out of hand and there was nothing to worry over.

As for the fact Obi-Wan Kenobi and his charge were quarreling it was no doubt because Obi-Wan had lectured her on the perils of the Dark Side. She was sulking about it and Kenobi was worried in case he'd jeopardized his spying mission for the Council.

Mace Windu on hearing Buffy was the target of Sith vampires was extremely concerned at the turn of events. He smoothed out his robes, straightened the line of his trousers and was glad he'd put his new boots on and was looking his best. This quarrel with Kenobi could work in his favor.

“Buffy,” said Mace, “if you feel unsafe in Kenobi's care you need only to say and I'll take you into my protection. As you know, I'm the only one in the Temple who fights with a purple blade and I've far more experience...” he slanted Yoda an uneasy look, before continuing, “...in certain areas than a knight like Kenobi. You're more than welcome to move into my apartment if you wish.” Seeing Yoda's raised eyebrow and pinned back ears, he quickly added, “In my spare padawan bedroom of course.”

“Thanks Nick, that's very kind of you to offer.” Buffy gave him a half smile. “I'm hoping I'll be okay for now, but I'll bear it in mind.”

Obi-Wan's eyes slid in her direction before they narrowed on Mace Windu. The Master was beaming so much his shiny head had started to reflect the light around the room.

Mace Windu shifted in his chair, trying not to appear too eager. “If you ever feel in danger, don't hesitate to find me. Any time of day or night, don't feel as if you are imposing. I'll be ready, willing and raring to go. Or, even if you feel like some intelligent conversation and a caff don't hesitate to come over.”

Mace Windu leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs to show off his new boots. He and Ki-Adi-Mundi had gone down to the store trying on the new boot styles they'd ordered in, and he'd seen Buffy admiring them already. A worrying thought occurred to him. “You know where my apartment is, don't you? If you'd like to wait once the meeting is over, I can show you how to get there. That way you can have a good look at my bedroom, in case you want to move in permanently.

“Jedi Master you are, should not be wanting to show girls your bedroom,” said Yoda peevishly.

“It's my spare padawan bedroom!” corrected Mace Windu with a hiss.

“About the Sith, need to know more we do,” continued Master Yoda.

He ignored that Buffy was in danger of being kidnapped. If you walked around with a swirl of Dark Power inside you and bragged you were the Sith-Queen, it was going to cause Sith interest. What did she expect? The Jedi were lucky the Sith/Jedi wars were no longer raging, otherwise they'd have hordes of Sith banging on the doors trying to get in to check out her Dark Side.

Yoda added, “Still searching for the living Sith Lord, we are. Keep finding live dead ones we do. Undead live ones more elusive, they are.”

Three of the four vampire hunters in front of him suddenly found the swirling pattern embossed into the flooring at their feet intensely interesting. The fourth (Andrew) simply continued staring out the windows at the passing spacecraft.

“No more to say, you have, hmm?” Master Yoda looked at the heads of the three who studiously examined the floor. He ignored Andrew, who he thought might have learning difficulties.

“Nope,” replied Buffy, finally looking up. She gave him a dazzling innocent smile.

Yoda's face crinkled with suspicion. Had she finally realized that he was the most powerful Jedi in the Temple? It was bound to happen at some stage. He knew her plan. She'd start being nice, and then when he'd relaxed his defenses, begin working her seductive wiles on him in an attempt to lure him to the Dark Side. He would resist, of course. He was the Grand Master and above that type of thing.

He gave her a little lopsided smile in return. “No more questions we have. Ever in need of pearls of wisdom, you are. Come and find me, you must.”

Buffy wrinkled her nose but kept the smile frozen in place. “Yeah, thanks. I'll try to remember that.”

“Do or do not, there is no try,” he said smugly.

“Oookaay,”

“Size matters not.”

“Yeah, er, I think I'll be going now. I've remembered I've left my curling tongs switched on and I'm concerned they might cause a fire. Nice seeing you all,” said Buffy. She was unsure what to make of Yodel, who was giving her an odd knowing grin, and thought it might be the best time to depart in case Sith Lords were mentioned again. She gave them all a wave, including Yoda who waved back, then scuttled to the door.

Behind her, the Jedi-Scoobies made polite bows before following her.

In the end, the only one who remained was Andrew. He stood in the circle of Masters, his eyes fixed on an unusual passing spacecraft until he realized his friends had left without him. His face reddening, he scuttled to the doorway. Where he came to a sudden stop as it occurred to him how rude it would look to leave without saying goodbye.

Turning back to face the Council, he said the first appropriate thing that came into his head. “This is Ripley, last survivor of The Nostromo, signing off.” He finished off with a sloppy salute to the Masters and then darted from the chamber.

Behind him, the Jedi High Council stared after him in silent bemusement.


	103. Call Of The Dark Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Obi-Wan feels the call of the Dark Side...

“Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will,”  
Yoda.

…......................................................................................................…………………………….

Call of The Dark Side

The repairs to the R2 astromech droid they'd found in the Sith vampire lair were not going as planned. Obi-Wan placed the soldering tool, designed for intricate work, down onto his table and stared at the droid parts. It appeared whoever ordered this droid originally had it custom built for them. He'd already needed to substitute several of the components and was now waiting for another delivery from the Jedi stores.

Master Yoda had given the go ahead for the rebuild, which made obtaining the parts much easier. The small Grand Master had been eager to discover the whereabouts of the Sith vampire and asked to be updated once the droid was rebuilt. Obi-Wan had agreed, hoping by the end of the day at the latest, he'd have the droid up and running. Yet it seemed every time he made a little progress something else would go wrong and he'd either need to make a new repair or find a new part. As time passed he was becoming more and more irritated with the task.

The truth was, he wasn't in the mood for tinkering. He knew he should follow Quin's advice, speak to Buffy and clear the air between them, but he kept putting it off. It wouldn't be an easy task, not if she continued to act the way she'd done at the Council meeting. Apart from the once when they'd both started talking at the same time and she'd accidentally looked at him, she'd refused to even glance in his direction.

She'd even referred to him as Kenobi. She never called him that. He was either Obi-Wan, Ubi or some strange, playful corruption of his name which was annoying but not the same as being called 'Kenobi' by her. That was... hurtful.

He turned his attention back to the droid. If he could start to reassemble the...

BLEEP!

He snatched up the comlink and checked the code. It was Quin.

“Want to scrap some droids?” drawled the Kiffar.

Obi-Wan stared dully at the burnt out shell of the droid, then at all the parts and tools strewn across his table. He really should get this job finished first.

His expression lightened.

“Yes. Yes, I would rather enjoy that,” he replied. He smirked at the dismantled droid. It would simply have to wait until he was in a better mood.

And so he found himself in a training room alongside Quinlan Vos, destroying droids instead of rebuilding one from scratch. Both Jedi in harmony, fighting the multiple attacks of hover droids, trainer blaster bolts and the occasional assassin bot that leaped out at them. Quin wielded his trusty green lightsaber, and Obi-Wan brandishing the crimson Mr Sparkly and wearing the Vader helmet as he tested out the features in a controlled combat environment.

Obi-Wan began to relax. Slowly, the stresses of the last few days dispersed. His mind eased as he entered the soothing battle meditation that enabled the Jedi to fight efficiently and with precise control. His balance in the Force increased as he used a rhythmic rise and strike of the lightsaber to protect himself and his ally. The high and low swings as he hit the hover droids gave him a sense of defined purpose. The spins, the somersaults, and the Force leaps he took to avoid the assassin droids were a direct result of...

Something was watching him.

The slight ripple in the Force the watcher produced was almost imperceptible, yet Obi-Wan felt it. What confused him was that this faint ripple originated from the Dark Side, the side of the Force most Jedi weren't able to see into with any clarity. Buffy's hunts were always leading him into places where the Dark Side was at it's strongest. Had his recent repeated exposure to the Dark Side changed his Force Sensitivity? If that wasn't the reason, could it be because he wielded a Sith lightsaber?

Whatever the reason, the faint disturbance suggested someone nearby was using the Dark Side to mask them. Obi-Wan used his new found sensitivity to pinpoint their whereabouts and looked up sharply.

This room came equipped with a transparisteel viewing window to allow instructors to view trainees. Above him, at that window, a familiar figure stood watching him. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Was it a habit of the Sith Lord to watch the Jedi during their training sessions? What had caught the Sith Lord's attention in this instance? The flash of a crimson lightsaber or the distinctive style of the Vader helmet? Was Palpatine looking for Buffy?

An unchallenged Sith walked the corridors of the Jedi Temple.

Inside Obi-Wan, the anger and frustration surged up once more at the way the Sith Lord made fools of the Jedi Order.

His Jedi battle meditation completely shattered by the watching Sith, he missed the blaster shots he should have known were incoming. One hit his chest, another stung the side of his shoulder and then a third stung his wrist. Without thinking, he leaped forward, his lips curling into a snarl of pure rage as he brought down the crimson blade onto the side of the blaster droid. With gritted teeth, Obi-Wan pressed his weapon across and through the enemy droid. His lightsaber buzzed and shrieked menacingly, as if in response to its owner's anger, as it cut through the metal. When the droid clattered in sections at his feet, Obi-Wan used the Force to fling the sections into the wall on the far side of the room. The parts crashed high on the wall shattering, before falling in a shower of sparks and small components.

As the droid's parts rained down on the floor behind him, Obi-Wan turned to stare into the face of the man he now knew was Darth Sidious. The Sith Lord's expression had sharpened at the display of aggression and he looked down on Obi-Wan, his face one of calculation. It was a look Obi-Wan had seen before on Darth Sidious's face whenever he looked at Buffy, although with her it was accompanied by barely concealed lust.

The Vader helmet and the Force warned Obi-Wan more hover droids were being released and, spurred on by hate for the watching Sith, Obi-Wan whirled around and brought the crimson blade back into play. As he fought on in a frenzy of destruction, he caught sight of Quin's shocked face but ignored the warning that look should have given him. The Dark Side siren's call sang to Obi-Wan, pointing out the presence of a powerful Sith nearby and whispering promises that, by utilising every part of the Force he'd be enough strong enough to meet any threat Darth Sidious threw at him.

Softly the Dark Side sang to him, promising a destiny in which he could stop the Jedi Order falling to the scourge of the Sith. If he embraced the power, he could protect all those who needed him. The other Sith Lord would not be able to take Buffy from him and make her his Sith apprentice. Obi-Wan would be in the position to put an end to all the disharmony and corruption he'd seen during his missions as a Jedi padawan. With so much power Obi-Wan could forge a new Empire; law and order would be enforced around the galaxy and he'd rule all as its Emperor. He could have Buffy openly at his side and there'd be none strong enough to stand in his way. Not even the Jedi. He'd become invincible, all he needed to do was...

No!

He was not going to embrace the darkness. All his life he'd fought against the Dark Side of the Force. Forewarned was forearmed and he now knew who the enemy was. The rage that fueled Obi-Wan became a low simmer and he continued to swinging the lightsaber and deflecting blaster shots coming his way. There were other ways to beat the Sith than giving in to his anger and frustration. The Dark Side of the Force was not for him.

Obi-Wan eyed the lightsaber he held, its red blade humming loudly and appearing to sparkle more than normal. Had it been tempting him? It had been created by a vicious Sith Lord who'd used the Dark Side to permeate the crystals with evil. Obi-Wan could still sense its creator. Yet the weapon was no longer the Sith's. It was Buffy's.

'Weapons from my dead enemies,' she'd called them when he'd first met her. She'd said it was no big. It had made him nervous to know she owned it, never mind watching her wielding it, but she was right. Just because a Dark Force user imbued the crystal didn't mean it could only be used for evil purposes, nor did he need to respond to its Dark beginning. It could go on to serve the Light, it all depended on the mind and will of the person using it.

As he swung the lightsaber deflecting the blaster shots, Obi-Wan realized he could sense the effect of Buffy's Slayer side overlaying the weapon's crystal. Her special brand of darkness contained by light which fueled her crusade against all that was evil. A smile curled Obi-Wan's lips. Who needed the Dark Side of the Force? He had Buffy, Quin, Count Dooku, and even Andrew on his side. The Sith, dead or otherwise would be defeated, along with everything else the Dark Side sent their way.

A golden glow of calm infused him and he felt lighter and more positive than he'd done since Buffy revealed the Sith's identity. Deftly Obi-Wan swung the sparkling lightsaber, taking out droid after droid, and deflecting shot after shot, completely ignoring the Sith Lord who stood at the viewing window above him.

….......................................


	104. Darth Sidious & The Sith Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Palpatine pushes his luck

“Buffy Summers!”

Turning, Buffy spotted a young red furred Bothan padawan, his Jedi playsuit and over-sized brown bathrobe swirling around him as he rushed down one of the intersecting corridors towards her.

“Huh! Hi, um, Oz wasn't it?”

The Bothan boy came to a stop in front of her, suddenly looking very shy. “It's Pur Thia'an. You keep calling me Oz. I don't mind.”

“Oh, sorry. Oz was a good friend of mine and you remind me of him.” Buffy eyed the Bothan. The Oz likeness was only fleeting, it was the red hair and the way Bothans looked a cross between a human, a wolf and a cat. Not that Oz looked a cross between a wolf and a cat on a good day. Only on his bad days and even then he looked more werewolf than a Bothan did. Thinking about it Buffy decided it was probably only the red fur and the long ears that made her think of Oz.

“I bring a message,” replied Pur. He gave her a toothy smile. “I'm on message detail today. Sometimes I guide visitors and sometimes I do the messages. I don't mind doing it as I can find out what's going on and get all the juicy intel.”

The visible skin on his face went pink and his fur tightened to his scalp as he realized he'd admitted he enjoyed gossiping. He hoped Buffy wouldn't tell the Kiffar knight she sometimes hung around with what he'd said. That knight had threatened him with the Archives and Jocasta Nu for gossiping about Knight Kenobi and Count Dooku.

“What is it?” asked Buffy.

“The latest gossip?” The Bothan's lower jaw dropped open and his whiskers twitched in panic. He'd hoped she wouldn't ask. Most of the best gossip in the Temple was about her. How she came back from slaying drenched in blood, that her Jedi knights fought with red lightsabers and she'd got a mug with Sith-Queen written on the side and the Council knew about it.

“Tsk,” Buffy, tutted impatiently. She was off to find Count Dooku and ask him why he'd pushed Obi-Wan into a wall. After finding out about the duel she'd gone looking for him the previous evening, but the Count had managed to stay elusive despite her hunting him all over the Temple. She had the feeling he was avoiding her until she calmed down. “The message? Is it important?”

“Oh, umm, sorry. Yes, it is. Master Windu told me to find you. The Jedi Council wish to see you.”

“Ugh, not again!” She moaned. Twice in two days must be some kind of record. If this carried on, she was going to ask if she could have a special chair up there with her name on it.

The Bothan grinned at Buffy's groan. He'd thought it was only him who hated being called in to see the Masters, but it seemed even the self-assured Lord Vader hated facing them as well.

“When did they say they wanted to see me, Oz?” Buffy asked warily.

“Now.” His long, furry ears flicked with sympathy at the revulsion in her face.

***

When the doors slid open to allow Buffy entrance into the Council Chamber she spotted Palpatine standing in the center of the room. The Sith Lord, dressed in a green suit, a matching tweed robe, and soft brown boots, raised an eyebrow as she hesitated in the doorway.

Since Quin had told her Master Tholme and Count Dooku were going to pass on the information Sid was a Sith to the Jedi Council, Buffy immediately thought, 'Oh shit, I hope they haven't told Sid that the rumors trace back to me. I'm so zapped'.

She got a huge surge of adrenaline as her inner Slayer powered up for fight or flight. Running wasn't an option. With an unconscious swagger, she sauntered into the room and made her way over to the opposite side of the circle from Sid so she was near Yarael Poof's chair. With any luck, it would give her a place to dodge if Palpatine went Electric Man on her.

Yoda gave her a friendly smile. It didn't put her at ease.

“Greetings, Slayer.”

“Hello, Jedi,” she replied back. Before giving the other Jedi Masters a friendly wave, even the seven or eight blue ones who weren't really there, as they'd gone out for the day and were holograms.

Finally, she turned to greet the Sith Lord. Only to find while she'd been waving he'd walked across the circle to stand next to her.

“Hello, Sid.” She eyed him warily. Her inner Slayer prickled at his proximity, but she wasn't sure if it was due to him being the enemy in the room or if it was the effect of the aftershave he wore.

Palpatine's cold blue eyes raked over her face. “Are you wearing a new perfume?” His eyes slitted as he breathed in deeply. “It's very lovely. Irresistible in fact.”

“Er, it's not new. It's my honey and almond body butter. Suitable for forty-eight hour hydration even in hostile climates, and guaranteed to make your skin appear noticeably softer over long-term use or your credits back,” replied Buffy. It was the one she'd always used since coming here. Was the Sith Lord getting pheromone whiffs from her Slayer adrenaline surge? He was definitely gazing at her with an odd light in his eyes.

Around her, she could see the Masters watching the interaction with puzzled faces. She guessed it mustn't be normal behavior for the Supreme Chancellor to go Hannibal Lecter over her Jodie Foster.

Sid hadn't finished. “I hope you don't think it's too forward of me to say, but you look absolutely ravishing today. The recent bout of slaying you've done has brought a delightful bloom to your cheeks, a sparkle to your eyes, and...” his voice lowered to a breathy growl and his eyes rested on her mouth, “...seductive plumping to your lips.

Buffy could feel his breath on her face. She sucked in her lips, (to cut back on the seductiveness) and shifted her weight from one foot to the other, instinctively trying to put a few inches between them. A small inflection of the Sith Lord's eyebrows betrayed he wasn't happy with her evasive move.

To cover her thwarted attempt at escaping to the furthest reaches of the Jedi circle, she smiled brightly, and answered chirpily, “Thanks, I've always enjoyed hunting and killing nasty creepies.”

The answer pleased him, probably a little too much, as it seemed to make him giddy. “So what's a bad girl like you doing in a nice place like this?” he asked, looked around and he chuckled at his own joke.

The surrounding Jedi Masters all looked at him blankly. Buffy guessed they weren't familiar with the centuries old pick-up line. Most of them probably didn't know any pick-up lines, old or new.

“And you Sid? What are you doing here?” replied Buffy and, since Spike reckoned Slayers had a death wish, added softly, “Then again... I know how much you love the Jedi Order.”

The Sith Lord's eyes sharpened and he gave a dark smirk. “Absolutely. It's lucky for me my work allows regular access to our Jedi friends.”

Buffy looked over to see Yodel, leaning on his stick. His froggie-chihuahua face twisted oddly as he watched the Sith Lord flirting with her. Buffy had no idea why he was pulling such an irritated face. It wasn't as if he had a creepy Sith panting down his neck.

Mace Windu steepled his fingers against his chin and with a thoughtful look in his eyes said, “Buffy, the Supreme Chancellor has requested to see you in your official capacity.” At her frown, he added. “As Lord Vader, Protector of the Republic from Vampires. As such he's a number of questions he wishes you to answer in regard to the vampire lair you found in the lower levels.”

“The Sith Vamp place?” she asked.

Sid's eyes took on a strange glitter. “Yes indeed. The Jedi Masters have been telling me you discovered a Sith vampire lair.”

Buffy noticed he pronounced the word Sith oddly, almost as if it was a foul word. Which was an interesting thing to do since he was one.

“Can you tell me what makes you think he is a Sith? Master Yoda has been giving me a lot of information on the Sith and what they get up to. Apparently, there used to be rather a lot of them, but then they reduced their numbers until only two were in existence at any one time.” Palpatine gave a grin which showed a lot of his teeth. “Master Yoda seems to be quite the expert on them.”

“Yeah, I was told they only exist in master and apprentice pairs too, but there seems to be a lot of undead ones about who don't know that rule,” she replied. “We found this vampire lair in the lower levels and Quin did his magical mojo thing on clues we found there. He found a connection to the Sith Lord whose body is missing from the Sith Tomb in the Jedi basement.” Buffy wasn't sure how much information she should give to Sid.

Not only didn't she trust him, but it had already occurred to her and the Scoobies that the Naboo apprentice could be him. The Naboo connection was a big one and Sid was hungry for Dark knowledge. Maybe Sid had a thing for Padmé as well as her? Eww, the Creepzoid! Padme was only fourteen. She inched away from him until she was right on the edge of the circle.

“What connection was that?” Palpatine's stare became more focused and she felt a cold probing sensation in her head as if he was trying to penetrate his way into her brain. And wasn't that an icky thought.

“Er, a lever was dropped next to the guy's coffin and Quin picked up the word resurrection.” Buffy eyed him from under her lashes. Was he the one who'd resurrected the dead Sith? Could Sid be attempting to pry out the secrets of eternal life? He'd told her his buddy Plagueface the Wizened had been dabbling in the secrets of life and death. Did he have a similar interest?

Sid loomed over her, attempting to overpower her with his presence or possibly his aftershave. It was one of those specially formulated ones meant to drive women wild. If wild meant causing them to fight and claw for breath.

“How do you know the Sith hiding out in the lower levels is a vampire?” Sid asked.

“He was sucking the blood out of people and dumping their drained bodies,” replied Buffy trying to lean away from the smell, but not wanting to look as if the Dark Lord was intimidating her. “In my experience, that's usually a big clue to being a vampire. I've been slaying them since I was fifteen so I've met a few.”

“Attractive to vampires, Buffy is,” replied Master Yoda, leaning on his stick. “Dark recognizes one of its own, it does. Come flocking, the Sith will.”

Buffy shot him a look intending to blast him down with how she was a Slayer who held back the forces of darkness when the small green Master's eyelid lowered on one side. Had he winked at her?

Buffy looked quickly away and straight into Palpatine's watchful icy blue eyes.

“Hmm, I'm sure Lord Vader is attractive to more than just dead Sith and vampires,” replied Palpatine, his voice low and husky. He stared at her with such a naked, hungry expression that Buffy backed away and collided with Master Yarael Poof's chair. Luckily the Master was only attending in his blue holographic form and simply waved his long neck from side to side with the unexpected excitement

“Chaos she brings,” said Yoda, watching Buffy redden with embarrassment as she pulled herself back through Master Poof's hologram. Sid was right behind her, fussing around her and using the cover of his robes to grope parts of her anatomy in a supposed attempt to help her regain her footing. She slapped his hands away and served him a death-glare. He pouted at her before smirking broadly and allowing room for her to move.

Buffy stiffly walked back over to the very center of the circle. She held head up proudly and faced the attending Jedi Masters with as much dignity as she could muster. She ignored Palpatine. Even when he came over to stand slightly behind her, so close that his robe pressed against her, she ignored him. Why wouldn't he go away and give her some breathing space? Literally, breathing space, seeing as his aftershave sucked up most of the oxygen in the room.

“Anyway, if we do find out where the Sith guys hang out I'll let you all know.” She addressed the Masters but shot Sid a black look as she said 'Sith guys'.

She'd been felt up over a chair in the Jedi Council Chambers by a Sith Lord, in front of an audience of Jedi Masters who'd sat there naively thinking nothing untoward was going on. No wonder in the movies there'd been a Jedi apocalypse. They couldn't see what was happening under their own noses. As for Sid, that guy was like a freaking octopus with his hands! Why her? Why did she get all the weird stuff happening to her?

“Please make sure you contact me personally if you find out any more information about these elusive Sith,” Sid replied, looking exceedingly smug with himself as he rocked on his heels. “I'm not happy about there being another Sith...vampire on the loose. From what Master Yoda says, these Sith are a big threat to the Republic. We don't want them taking over, do we?”

“The Sith have long been an enemy to the Jedi,” stated Mace Windu. Buffy noticed his eyes seemed to linger on hers, although she might be imagining it. “They are indeed a threat to our freedom.”

“A thousand years, none appear. When Miss Summers appears, crawl out of the woodwork they do.” Yoda frowned and gave her an accusing look.

“I think you'll find the Sith I deal with are the ones who crawl out of graves, not woodwork. And said graves are in tombs under your Jedi Temple,” pointed out Buffy. “Maybe you should go and check what's lurking about in your basement more often rather than blaming others when the creepies appear.”

Most of the Masters looked sheepish, except Yodel who looked smug. “Darth Maul appeared, same time as you he did.”

Buffy was still feeling violated and creeped out by the way Sid's hands had slithered over parts they should never have slithered. The death-glare she'd given him would have driven most demons off but he'd only become more excited by it. “You can't blame me for the current Sith-boy revival!” she snapped.

“Absolutely not!” said Sid. His arm slid around her in a supposed gesture of solidarity against Yoda accusing her of bringing about a new Sith renaissance. The proximity of his hand for another grope was undoubtedly intentional. “Lord Vader does the job that must be done and I'm sure she'll make an excellent job of slaying any unwanted Sith.”

“Oh, you'd better believe it,” muttered Buffy. She pushed Palpatine's arm off her. As expected his hand had gradually inched downwards towards her rear. Honestly, she was going to go Slayer on him if he carried on sleazing all over her. She could even feel the Sith Lord's lightsaber in its hidden pocket pressing into the small of her back now. Well, she hoped it was his lightsaber. She shot him a suspicious look, but he was looking straight ahead wearing his, 'I'm such an innocent politician, expression'.

Buffy took a small step forward to give her a bit of space between her and Sid's lightsaber. The Jedi Masters, as usual, didn't seem to think anything was amiss. Obviously thinking since the Supreme Chancellor had already declared his fascination for her this was normal courtship behavior. With them never having much experience of normal male and female romantic interactions.

“More to speak to you about, we have,” said Yoda. His expression had become very serious and behind her, even Sid tensed.

Her mouth dry she swallowed before saying, “Oh, yeah? What have I done now?”


	105. MIA

Inside the control tower, the Jedi Masters looked uncomfortable, even the ones who were holograms and not really sitting in their chairs.

“We have a problem and thought you might be able to shed some light on it. We aren't accusing you or anything,” said Ki-Adi-Mundi. He bobbed his long head and smiled hesitantly.

Buffy took that to mean someone had accused her of whatever it was and she shot a suspicious look over at the Grand Master.

“One of our Jedi has gone missing.” continued Ki-Adi-Mundi. “Master Sifo-Dyas. He told us he needed to take a sabbatical and departed from the Temple. Since then he failed to make his monthly check-in and isn't answering our calls. We wondered if you knew anything about it?”

“Seen arguing, you were,” said Master Yoda. His eyes were narrowed as he stared at her in an attempt to see into her deepest thoughts. Unable to pick anything up he snapped, “Upset afterward, Master Sifo-Dyas was.”

Buffy screwed her nose up as she thought. “Syphilis?” she asked. “I don't think I've met him. I'd remember if I had.”

“Sifo-Dyas not Syphilis. He was in charge of bringing in the new Force sensitive children.” Ki-Adi-Mundi explained. “I believe you had an argument with him in front of the Temple.

“Oh yeah, I so remember him now! The child snatching guy. I told him it wasn't on what he was doing. The parents didn't want to give their little girl up and the kid was in tears. That Silo guy has a heart of stone.” Buffy huffed at the memory. “I gave him a good talking to and he deserved it. Can you honestly say child stealing is good publicity for the Jedi Order?”

“Force-sensitive younglings, rare are. A shortage, there now is,” explained Yoda. He remembered how, in the days of his youth, the Temple had been buzzing with life. Every room was filled to capacity.

“That's no reason to go around robbing other people's kids,” retorted Buffy, “if things are that bad, you should let the Jedi have their own.”

“We're not allowed families,” replied Nick Fury. “It's not the Jedi way and it's against our rules.”

Next to him, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi ducked his head and tried to look invisible.

Nick continued, “That's why it's mandatory for all babies born to have their midichlorian levels tested and those who show promise are brought in for training.” He gave a small sigh, it wasn't the first time he'd explained this to her. “The Jedi are not stealing them. It's Republic law they are given up to us. We show compassion and don't usually force the parents who want them to give them up, otherwise, it's better for all if they come to the Temple. We don't want the Sith getting hold of them.”

“Indeed not,” agreed Palpatine softly, “That would be a great tragedy.”

Buffy snorted. She knew the Temple had a section containing a nursery and there were crèches with young kids in them. Some of them were orphans or from very poor families eager to see their children have the opportunity of a better life but she bet a good number had been snaffled by over-zealous Jedi scouts. Knowing how sad and mad it would make her, she'd avoided going anywhere near the kids' area.

“Better for all? I don't think so. The Watcher's Council in my dimension was exactly the same, taking the girls away from their families. I was lucky to escape their evil clutches and have my family and friends help me survive. Freakin' Watcher's Council, trying to churn out obedient Slayers like some kinda freaking clone army...” she grumbled.

She felt Palpatine tense, his gaze shifted from the Masters and his eyes bore into her like lasers.

“Er, not that you can clone a Slayer. They are normal girls but with added mystical powers. It's not genetic or anything. And you couldn't have an army, as when one dies another's powers are activated and no one knows who's gonna receive them...” She trailed off. There was no way she was going to mention how Willow activated all the potentials. “Anyway, if you cloned me you'd just get a normal girl with a healthy shoe addiction and a strong desire for caff.”

So low that only a Slayer could hear, she caught Palpatine growl, “pity,” under his breath.

“Has anyone else besides this Silo disappeared recently?” Buffy asked. Hoping to change the subject away from Slayers and clone armies.

The Jedi Masters shot each other a wordless look that spoke volumes.

“A number of our knights have not reported in and several of our Service Corps workers have been logged as missing,” admitted Nick. “What made you ask?”

“I was trying to work out if Silo's disappearance was a one-off or part of a pattern.”

“Jedi disappearing. That isn't good news,” responded Palpatine cheerfully. “What are you intending to do about it?”

“We are sending people to investigate,” replied Ki-Adi-Mundi. “The disappearances have occurred from all over the galaxy, not simply one sector. It could be a coincidence.”

“Generally it isn't,” said Buffy, screwing her nose up. “Or at least I've usually found it to be the case. If someone is making Jedi disappear you need to find out who it is, why, and do it fast. You never know if there's a demon plotting an apocalypse. Or maybe in your case a Sith.” She carefully didn't look at Palpatine but she wouldn't put it past him having a group of assassins out there picking off the Jedi for the fun of it. She'd have to ask Andrew if he was known for getting up to tricks like that.

“Indeed we shall be looking into this,” replied Nick Fury. “Thank you for attending, Buffy. If the Supreme Chancellor has no further questions and you're unable to help us with Sifo-Dyas's disappearance you are free to go. Oh, and don't forget what I said to you yesterday. My offer stands, should you have need of it.” He gave her a sunny smile.

Palpatine pressed his hidden lightsaber into her again as he twitched around to look over at Master Windu, obviously wondering what the offer was about. Buffy shuffled a few inches forward, out of pressing distance. “Thanks, Nick. I appreciate your concern. If I feel the urge, I'll head over to yours.”

“Well, I've no more questions,” said Palpatine. “Also, I really must love you and leave you, as I've another appointment I daren't be late for.” Sid put his hand on Buffy's shoulder. “Buffy, since our mutual friends have done with you, I'm more than happy to walk you to the elevator.”

He gave the Jedi a formal bow and, putting his arm firmly through Buffy's, escorted her from the Jedi Council Chamber.


	106. Suspicious minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Obi-Wan feels the Dark Side and Buffy faces it

Obi-Wan walked with Quin through the doors of the Jedi cafeteria where they'd eaten following their training session.

“Feeling better now?” asked Quin. As one they turned left onto a narrower corridor and walked along together. The Kiffar shot his friend a quick searching glance when he hesitated.

Obi-Wan knew he wasn't being asked about his sated appetite. Quin had witnessed Obi-Wan's minor tantrum in the training room and, although Obi-Wan had already assured him it had been a hiccup, his friend had been casting across watchful glances ever since.

“I'm fine now. It was simply a shock...” Obi-Wan looked about him, but for the moment the corridor was clear, “...to see Palpatine staring at me from the viewing window.”

He didn't mention how, during his angry outburst, he'd heard the call of the Dark Side beckoning him to embrace its full power and become a Sith. Quin would no doubt know he'd been tempted by the Dark Side to some degree, but couldn't know the extent of it and Obi-Wan wasn't going to tell him. His friend could be relied on to keep this between themselves. Qui-Gon, on the other hand, would have been far more worried at how his former padawan reacted. He'd have known the extent the Dark Side must have lured him, and no doubt bustled him off to visit Master Yoda for a number of one to one sessions.

Obi-Wan didn't feel worried. Nothing had come of it, and it wasn't as if it was the first time in his life he'd fought and conquered the urge to use the dark, heady flow of power. The time he and Buffy first explored the Sith Tomb and they'd come upon the room where the Dark Side was at its most lethal he'd fought and beaten it. Only once had he purposely tapped into its powers. That was the time he'd needed to fight the Mind-Net the Sith Mages had placed over him and the other Jedi down inside the Sith tomb. It had been a life or death situation and he didn't regret it.

“Do you think the red lightsaber attracted Palpatine?” Quin nodded to where Obi-wan carried Mr Sparkly dangling from his belt.

Obi-Wan touched the weapon hanging from his utility belt. The weapon still resonated with Dark Force power, yet he could also sense Buffy's Slayer influence on the crystal.

“It's possible. He might have seen the red flashes and thought Buffy was in the training room.”  
That reminded him. Did Buffy know Palpatine was in the Temple? He needed to find her and warn her before the Supreme Chancellor emerged from his meeting with the Jedi Council. He should have looked for her before. What if the Sith Lord had already left his meeting? He could be searching for Buffy at this very moment. He needed to find her first. “Quin, I must find Buffy and speak to her.”

“Thank the Force for that!” Quin paused until a group of younglings fresh from their class had passed them before continuing, “The longer you leave it without speaking, the more awkward it will be to talk to her. Plus you've been acting like an idiot,” he gave a smirk, “well more of an idiot than normal since you flounced from her apartment.”

“I don't flounce!” snapped Obi-Wan, feeling irritated. Buffy had accused him of flouncing. Why did people think he flounced? He didn't flounce, he merely walked with an energetic bounce in his step. He'd no idea why people said he flounced.

Quin merely snorted. “Obi-Wan, you not only flounce, but you've also developed a habit of posing in doorways.”

“Have I?” Count Dooku had muttered something about him arrogantly posing in doorways before challenging him to the duel. Obi-Wan had assumed the man was being caustic and irritating, in order to initiate a fight. “Does it... does it look bad? I didn't realize I was doing it.”

Quin grinned. “It's more amusing than anything. And, look at it this way, everything's been nicely ironed when you pose.”

“I'm not giving up ironing my pleats,” replied Obi-Wan, a slight smile to his lips. He tried not to swagger or swing his robes as he walked. It was more difficult than he thought. Was he a habitual flouncer? “This flouncing and posing in doorways you say I'm doing, I don't like the sound of it so shall try stop. However, I shan't give up my iron. I don't do creased clothing.”

Quin laughed, and gave his friend a sidelong look, “What about Buffy? Are you giving her up?”

There was a long silence in which Obi-Wan panicked, and his stomach flip-flopped at the thought of a life without Buffy. It felt... empty. He eyed the group of Jedi padawans walking towards them and used their proximity as an excuse to gain time to think of an answer to Quin. When they arrived at a quieter stretch of corridor, he said softly, “She may very well have given up on me,”

“I doubt it. What makes you think so?”

“Quin, you must have seen how she treated me in the Council Chamber? She's made no move to approach me since, either.”

Quin snorted. “For Force sake! You're the one who charged off and left her. This brooding you're doing is getting out of hand and is starting to affect your balance in the ...”

Realizing his friend was no longer walking alongside him, Quin frowned, came to a halt and looked back down the corridor. Obi-Wan had stopped a few feet behind him, his gaze fixed on something in a side corridor. Quickly Quin retraced his steps to find out what had caught his friend's attention.

At the bottom of this corridor was a turbolift junction. The doors of one car had slid open and several padawans were scurrying off in different directions but they weren't the ones holding Obi-Wan's focus. Quin knew straight away what his friend's attention was on.

Inside the compartment, Buffy stood, her back pressed against a wall. Facing her, and standing so close it would be hard to slide a datapad between the two of them, was Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The Sith Lord held Buffy's hand in his, his face lit with a smile and he gazed down on the watching Slayer with an expression of complete enrapture. As they watched, Palpatine raised her hand to his lips, bent his head and kissed her knuckles, his eyes never leaving the girl in front of him.

Obi-Wan turned on his heel and strode away in a flurry of robes.

Quin made no move to follow him. Instead, he folded his arms and continued to watch the scene unfold. With an apologetic smile, Buffy gave Palpatine a small push to make him step away, slipped loose of Sid's grasp and backed out the elevator. The doors closed with a soft hiss on the still smiling Sith Lord. Buffy stood, staring at the shut doors as the lights flashing on the control pattern showed the turbolift's departure. Seconds later she bounced up and down, shuddering, shook out her arms, and then began vigorously rubbing the back of her hand on her top. Finally, she turned, spotted Quin and hurried over to where he stood.

“Hey Quin!” she smiled uncertainly as the Jedi didn't reply. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at her but she ignored it. She desperately needed to share with someone what had just happened during the Council meeting. “I've just been in the Council Chambers at Sid's request.” She looked about her, to check no one was close enough to overhear her. “He was asking about the Sith lair we found and talking about the Sith, completely pretending he hadn't a clue what they were. Ewww, it was horrible.”

“I've just seen you,” replied Quin coldly. “You were gazing into each other's eyes and letting him kiss your hand. You didn't appear to think he was horrible then.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Don't start. I've had a traumatic meeting. I fell over Yarael Poof's chair and Sid took the opportunity to go in for a fast grope under cover of his robe. None of the Masters noticed! After that, he kept coming over and pressing his lightsaber hilt onto me, and by the time we got to the turbolift he'd gotten himself all het up. I'm so grateful a group of padawans caught the elevator at the same time as us because there's no telling what would have happened otherwise. Believe me, letting him kiss my hand in order to escape was the least of the possible evils. As if I wanted him to kiss my hand!” She tutted, with a disgusted look at the Jedi. “I could take real offense at that.”

“Obi-Wan already has,” replied Quin shortly, thinking about what he'd seen. It was true that, after the elevator doors closed, the first thing Buffy had done was shudder and wipe her hand off. It was a pity Obi-Wan had taken off earlier but Quin didn't blame him. If he'd a 'special friend' he wouldn't be happy watching a Dark Lord of the Sith paw her with no sign of resistance and wouldn't have hung around either.

He unfolded his arms. “Buffy, Obi-Wan was with me a moment ago and he saw you and Palpatine together. To Obi-Wan it looked as if you and Palpatine were enjoying an intimate moment together, especially with him kissing your hand and giving you lingering looks.” Quin paused, watching Buffy roll her eyes. Should he tell her Obi-Wan revealed his fears to him the day before? Would it be betraying his friend's trust? On the other hand, it was affecting Obi-Wan's relationship with Buffy. She should know for all their sakes.

“When Obi-Wan and I spoke yesterday, he admitted to me a lot of his anger is due to his fear Palpatine's power can't be stopped, and he'll find a way to destroy the Jedi. You can't blame him for storming off when he saw you and Palpatine together. He cares for you and he told me he's worried you will be turned Sith and become Palpatine's apprentice.”

“I'm not going to become a Sith apprentice!” She yelped. Realizing two Jedi Sentinels were walking towards them, masked faces turning to look at her, she lowered her voice, “Where's he gone?”

“He was intending to find and talk to you until he saw you just now. I imagine he's gone to his apartment to try to regain control over his emotions. That's most likely what I'd do if I were him.” Quin hoped Obi-Wan had gone to his apartment and not set off to intercept and challenge Palpatine. He decided if Buffy checked Obi-Wan's apartment, he'd go to the speeder hangar to make sure the Supreme Chancellor had safely left.

Buffy hesitated. Should she try to speak to Obi-Wan? If he'd just seen her with Palpatine and misunderstood as Quin had, he wouldn't be in the mood to talk to her. What if he told her to leave him alone again? He'd refused to look at her during the meeting last night. He'd even hung back and refused to take the same elevator as her. Would he reject her again?

Noticing Buffy's indecision, Quin said in a low voice, “Keep this between ourselves, please. I think you should know Obi-Wan had a bad moment earlier on. He spotted Palpatine watching us in the training room and Obi-Wan became... he, er, he lost control.”

“What do you mean, had a moment and lost control?” she whispered back, urgently. The Sentinels had passed them by but she didn't want them overhearing anything that might be reported back to the Masters.

Quin bit his lip anxiously. “A moment as in, the Dark Side reached out to lure him and he listened to it. It's an issue when you're a Force user. Fear, aggression, anger, they all draw the Dark Side to you. It's something you're taught to be aware and wary of as part of your Jedi training.”

“He'd better not be lured over!” She wasn't going to stand by and watch Obi-Wan go Angelus on her. She'd been there, done that, and she even had the freakin' 'I've slain my lover' t-shirt. No way was she letting Obi-Wan go Dark.

Which meant she'd need to find him straight away. Would he refuse to talk to her? She guessed there was only one way to find out.

......

Buffy hurried away from Quin. Determined to catch Obi-Wan she used a dash of Slayer speed on the open stretches of corridors, slowed to a sedate walk in the more inhabited parts, (to avoid the shouts of 'no running in the corridors') and sped up once again when the corridors emptied. At the turbolift junction for the accommodation levels, she was lucky enough to find an empty one and darted inside quickly pressing her floor. She leaned against the rear wall and chewed her lower lip as she watched the lights on the panel slowly change as it passed each level.

When the doors slid open to her level, she felt a flash of relief as she caught a glimpse of Obi-Wan at the far end of the corridor, turning onto the corridor that led their apartments. She'd caught up to him!

Sprinting down the empty passageway she skidded to a stop at the intersection. A short distance in front of her, Obi-Wan stood in the center of the hallway talking to Anakin Skywalker. One of Obi-Wan's hands was on the shoulder of young boy, the other cradled the Vader helmet. Anakin was looking up at Obi-Wan with a guilty expression.

“You've been told before to stop hanging about in this corridor, Anakin. Don't let me find you here again without a good reason.” Obi-Wan looked across as Buffy came into view. His face darkened, abruptly he spun on his heel and walked away from her.

“Obi-Wan!” she called, as she hurried past Anakin.

“I have no wish to speak to you!” The Jedi called back to her, not even looking over his shoulder as he strode away towards his apartment door.

“Tough, because I'm going to talk to you whether you like it or not!” Buffy yelled back, springing after him.

Her dash came to an unexpected halt as she was flung off her feet by a sudden blast of the Force. Thrown back, she slid back along the corridor floor until she was level with a gaping Anakin.

Taken by surprise she looked down the corridor. Obi-Wan stood, his arm held up, his palm facing her. Buffy noted uneasily that his eyes were not only darkly shadowed and but they'd taken on a sinister, angry glow under the artificial corridor lighting.

His voice, when he spoke, was formal, his Coruscant accent all the more apparent as he over-pronounced and emphasized each word. “Listen to what I tell you for once. I've no wish to speak to you, after what has transpired this day.”

Anakin stretched out his hand to help Buffy as she rose to her feet.

“There's no need to get pushy with me!” she shouted back at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan face darkened, he flicked out his fingers, she got another Force Push, lost her balance and fell down on her butt at Anakin's feet once more.

“No need to get pushy?” Obi-Wan he hissed. His piercing, angry glare chilling her. “You dare tell me what to do after...” he swallowed, his lips moved silently, words lost. Gathering himself, he waved his hand. “You betrayed me with him!” His lip curled with distaste and anger. “You know exactly what he is. How could you? How could you... with him?”

Buffy glanced at Anakin, not wanting to speak of the Sith Lord in front of the young child. She needed to talk to Obi-Wan alone. As she climbed to her feet, she didn't notice at first how Obi-Wan's hand turned, his fingers began to close, making a slow pinching movement but Anakin did. The small padawan bravely placed himself in front of her.

Obi-Wan glowered at the small boy.

“Buffy didn't know I was coming here so we've not betrayed you!” he yelled at the knight, determined to defend her. “I only came to ask if she'd found any master vampires!”

Sensing Buffy tense behind him, Anakin looked up her. The Slayer's green eyes weren't focused on him they were set on the knight beyond him. They glittered, oddly cold, dark and intent as she stared down the corridor to Obi-Wan. Her face wore an expression that Anakin had never seen before and he blinked, suddenly uncertain. Turning away from Buffy he looked back to his master's former padawan. The man's hand was still outstretched towards Buffy, although he no longer called on the Force.

Anakin stared at the position of the knight's hand and his eyebrows shot up. “Obi-Wan! That's a... that's a Force Choke! You were going to strangle Buffy! Qui-Gon told me you shouldn't go around choking people, it's illegal!”

Obi-Wan's face blanched. His eyes moved from the young boy, then to Buffy, and finally to where his hand still hovered in front of him. His arm dropped, shoulders slumped and, without meeting the accusing eyes of Anakin or even glancing in Buffy's direction, he turned away, heading for the door of his apartment.

Buffy watched him, feeling numb. Remembering another man who'd changed. Memories of Angelus flooding her mind. Was history repeating itself? The similarities were there despite the differences. Angel and Obi-Wan. Vampire and Jedi. Two men who should have been off limits to her for very different reasons. Both had been tender, loving, and protective of her, and yet, once they'd become lovers, it had all gone wrong.

Was Obi-Wan losing his soul to the Dark Side? Would he turn on her friends as Angelus did? Back then she'd promised, no matter what her feelings, she'd never allow anyone else to hurt her friends the way she'd allowed Angelus to. An icy calmness descended over her as she mentally steeled herself for what might lie ahead.

Anakin pulled her out of her memories. Shaken and upset by what he'd witnessed, the young boy decided to throw the worse threat he could think of at the departing Jedi. “I'm going to tell Qui-Gon what you've done and he'll tell Master Yoda!”

If Obi-Wan heard him he took no notice, instead, he continued down the corridor to his apartment door. Buffy's gaze shifted onto the young boy. She put a hand on each of his shoulders to reassure him.

“I want you to leave Obi-Wan to me now. Don't try to follow me or do anything rash no matter what you might hear.” She looked towards at Obi-Wan's retreating figure, and added in a hollow voice, “I've dealt with far worse, believe me.”

She slipped into stealth Slayer mode, or what Master Yoda would claim to be the Dark Force and sprinted after Obi-Wan. She made it to the doorway and slipped inside, just before the door shut. Leaving a worried Anakin Skywalker alone in the corridor.

…............


	107. Bad Romance

Obi-Wan threw the Vader helmet and Mr Sparkly down on his couch and ran his shaking hands over his face and through his hair. What had he done? What had he nearly done? Had he really been about to use a Force Choke? On Buffy?

When he'd seen her in the corridor, at first he'd only meant to push her away from him, but then he'd allowed - no, welcomed - the way the anger rose up inside him. The Dark Side power had filled him, taking over, and drowning out the hurt she'd caused within him. It was only when he'd seen his hand clenching in front of him that he'd fought it.

His stomach churned and he closed his eyes, fighting back nausea. How could he have gone against all his training, his intentions, everything he stood for? In the training room, he'd not beaten the Dark Side completely as he'd thought. He hadn't even come close to it. Why hadn't he realized the fear and anger simmered below the surface, waiting for him to weaken?

Something moved in the Force behind him. He turned, just in time, as a blur of speed seemingly coming out of nowhere struck him hard in the chest. Slammed backward off his feet, his Jedi reflexes kicked in and he threw out a hand, this time in defense. Unable to roll or soften his fall, he landed heavily onto his back, but still managed to respond to the attack. Another Force Push sent his assailant sailing into the air and this time he used the Force to keep them suspended there.

Buffy?

The glare the Slayer gave him as she hung above him was that of a cold, calculating, apex predator. Her face watchful, eyes narrowed and glittering, as if something primitive inside her was assessing him, searching out his weaknesses before striking. Obi-Wan rose to his feet and strengthened his hold on her. He wasn't going to release her, not until he'd explained.

Buffy though, had other ideas. She threw out both her hands trying to physically pull herself out the Force hold, a move that should have no effect, yet Obi-Wan felt his hold fracture. And then he saw why. As she'd stretched out her arms her sleeve rolled back exposing the bracelet she'd bought from the Nightsister and the amulet glowed with a sinister green light. The Force Hold shuddered as if something had torn and Buffy was free. The Slayer jumped down, landing lightly on her feet.

Obi-Wan turned in a half crouch, preparing for the attack he sensed she was about to make. He opened his mouth to speak to her, to explain how he didn't want to fight or hurt her but stopped. Inside him there were two halves at war, each shouting very different instructions. While one half of him was begging him not to hurt her, the other half was hissing angrily about betrayal and making her pay.

He threw out a Force Push, intending to stop her from attacking him. If he could only keep her at a safe distance until he became more balanced he could explain what was happening to him. He could ask for her help in overcoming this, but his ability was as out of control as his emotions. Instead of the gentle, steady push he'd intended, the blast of the Force flung her up and into the wall. She slammed into it so hard that when she dropped he could see cracks in the plaster from where her back had impacted against it.

Another wave of nausea hit him as he looked at the evidence of his loss of control. Without meaning to, he'd hurt her again. If he couldn't control himself he might kill her. He felt like vomiting.

The Force screamed a warning to him and he ducked, as a chair whizzed over his head, breaking against the opposite wall. Again the Force warned and Obi-Wan dived to the right, rolling across the floor just as she slammed down his couch into the very spot he'd stood. His couch? Had she gone crazy? Or was he the crazy one?

He sprang to his feet and dragged a chair from underneath the table. Holding it out in front of him to fend off the next projectile she threw at him. The Vader helmet spun towards him and he batted it away. His heightened abilities sending it flying across the room.

Unfortunately, the helmet flew in the direction Buffy had chosen to cartwheel across to. As she flipped herself gracefully to her feet the helmet slammed into the side of the head. Her head turned slowly to look at him, and if he'd thought she was crazy before, she definitely was now.

Her eyes flashed, gold and murderous. Gold?

His fingers tightened around the chair. The dark part of him shrieked, recognizing his danger, telling him to use the Force to kill her before she killed him. The other part of him was crying, telling him he loved her, begging him to stop and ask her for help.

Buffy leaped high and sideways, avoiding the up-turned couch by springing off the wall and using the momentum to leap down into the clear space a few feet from him. Her eyes were dark now, in strong contrast to her pale face. She drew back her lips in a curious mixture of a snarl and a sneer as she suddenly lashed out with her foot. Not at him but at the table beside him. He dropped the chair and jumped clean away. At the same time the table, holding the lower level droid he'd been working on, was flung over and he watched as his hours of hard work were instantly destroyed.

Rage flowed through him. Overpowering, intense anger that shook him to his very core. A huge surge of dark power shot into him and without thinking, he threw a powerful Force Push at her. A green light shot out from her amulet, shimmering as it took the form of a shield between him and Buffy. His intense Force blast fell impotent as it was absorbed by the green light of magic that protected its owner. The green shield hung in the air before slowly dissolving.

Snarling at how she'd thwarted his powerful blast, Obi-Wan stalked towards her, his eyes yellow, intentions dark. Driven by the need to make her pay with pain for her transgressions against him, his urge to dominate her with Dark Side powers at its strongest.

Buffy's eyes narrowed, her body ducked and spun to use a butterfly kick against him. But her Slayer fast kicks had no chance to land. The Jedi somersaulted clear, his hand shooting up as he dropped to his feet. This time his Force Push was weaker but it still sent her flying over the top of the overturned couch. He smirked. The amulet had failed to save her. It seemed the Dathomirian amulet needed time to power up its magic, which meant now he'd the opportunity to prove how weak a Slayer was in comparison to him. The Dark Side of him cackled with evil delight at how she was going to suffer. While at the same time another part of him still screamed and begged him to stop before it was too late.

Curiously, this time Buffy made no attempt to defend or attack. She remained oddly motionless watching him with her head cocked to one side. He approached cautiously, his Dark Side senses on high alert warning of a possible trap.

“Sith boys don't scare Slayers. We'll happily play all day, as we're made from something far worse than what your Dark Side has to offer. It also means we never suffer from the skin complaints.” Then she added perkily, “I can recommend a selection of good moisturizing products though, to delay the effects of premature aging.” They were the first words she'd spoken to him since entering the apartment.

He came to a stop, blinking as the tide of burning rage fuelling him stuttered. Her words didn't make sense. Or did they? Was he a Sith? When did he become a Sith? Was she really made from something worse than the Dark Side of the Force? Skin complaints? Moisturiser recommendations? His mind reeled under the confusing effect of her words. The Dark Side's hold on him snapping apart like a dry branch.

And a moment later his legs were kicked from under him and he fell backward onto the floor. Self- preservation kicked in and once more he threw up his hand, this time drawing on the Light Side of the Force in self-defense. He sent her flying into the air and once again held her there, this time making sure her arms were pinned tightly to her sides.

Obi-Wan took several deep breaths to slow his breathing, pull together his scattered thoughts and fight the darkness that still lingered.

“Strike!” the Dark Side seemed to hiss, “Do it now! Use all your anger, use your all hate!”

“No!” he replied. His voice sounded hoarse, he swallowed and continued, “I'm not going to fight her any more.” Hearing himself speak aloud strengthened his resolve. The Dark Side retreated. “I'm a Jedi, not a Sith,” he added firmly, reinforcing the break.

His balance in the Force steadied, he took another deep breath trying to restore his usual Jedi calm and tranquillity. Not an easy task, when everything around him was in disharmony, his apartment lay destroyed, and an angry Slayer floated above him, wiggling as she attempted to free herself.

.........

Lying on the floor of his living room amidst the chaos and debris of his furniture, Obi-Wan tried not to think what excuse he'd use to explain the mess to the Council. Instead, he focussed on keeping his breathing steady and allowing himself time to start rebalancing in the Light Side of the Force. At the same time he made sure Buffy stayed safely balanced above him. He didn't dare let her down in case she attacked him and he lost control once again.

Jedi and Slayer watched each other for a long moment with neither of them speaking. Finally, Buffy broke the silence. She'd never been great at leaving tense silences unfilled.

“Are you going to go dark on me again?” There was a note of hope in her voice. She could see something had changed with Obi-Wan over the previous few moments. It wasn't only how he'd declared he wouldn't fight her any more, nor the denial of being a Sith, it was more how the shine was coming back to his aura.

Had Obi-Wan beaten the dark urges? Hopeful, but still wary, she searched for the truth in his eyes.

Eyes like deep blue pools, pain, confusion, and a great deal of emotional hurt reflected in them, stared back at her.

“I... I'm not sure,” he answered. He wasn't sure of anything any more. Who he was now, what he was now, what he was going to be or what she was to him. Everything felt confused and completely off balance.

“You'll be surprised to know that answer kinda reassures me,” Buffy replied. It was true. She'd have been suspicious if he'd made an outright denial.

“Are you being sarcastic?” he asked. He'd lost control to the Dark Side, part of him had wanted to badly hurt her and she was feeling reassured by his ambivalent answer? Creases appeared between his eyebrows as he attempted to puzzle out her comment.

“No, I'm being honest. You're uncertain because you know you've acted dark and you shouldn't have. If you're aware of it, you have a chance of of guarding against it. Which is way better than saying outright it'll never happen again and waving it off,” she explained. “Now that would worry me. Trust me on that.”

She looked down at the floor below her and wondered if it was time to break his Force Hold. It wasn't uncomfortable levitating in the Force but it felt weird hovering above someone trying to hold a conversation. Since he was talking and not trying to throw her into a wall, she decided to remain where she was for now.

“I allowed the Dark Side in, Buffy!” Obi-Wan's voice filled with pain and confusion as he tried to explain. “I was in the training room with Quin earlier and spotted Palpatine watching me from a viewing window. I saw him and grew angry at the way he walks through the Temple unchallenged. The Dark Side tempted me, offering the strength of all its powers to stop him.” The tic twitched under his eye, “It... it wasn't a slight lure. It was very powerful and very nearly overtook me.” His gaze turned inward, no longer on her but thinking of his own internal battle. “I fought back. I was so sure I'd beaten its influence and... I became complacent.”

He lost some of his Force control and she wobbled in mid-air. “Then in the corridor... I started to lose control again. I'd gotten into position to Force Choke you!” His voice shook, “How could I do that? How could I let myself get to that?” With his free hand, he scrubbed at his face and then gestured around them. “Look! Look around us. When you came in here my first thought was only to keep you at a distance, but I wasn't able to control myself or my abilities.” He looked over to the cracks in the wall where he'd thrown her and shot a worried look at her. “I threw you into a wall! Force sake, Buffy how badly are you injured?”

Buffy turned her head to look at the wall. She gave a small shrug of her shoulders, “Nothing broken or damaged that Slayer healing won't soon deal with. The Vader helmet to the side of the head really stung though. You've got a throw like a Hell Goddess on steroids.”

“I didn't mean for the helmet to hit you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything.” His voice was almost a moan. On the side of her face he could see where the helmet had caught her. She was going to be badly bruised all over and he was the cause of it. “When I realized it was you, I didn't want to fight you but I was already so angry, the Dark Side took control. It fed off my anger at the same time I was trying...” he swallowed, remembering how he hadn't been able to regain control. “I wanted to stop, but couldn't. It was intensifying my rage, to the point I couldn't break free.”

Buffy eyed him and caught her bottom lip between her teeth. He was looking so lost that she desperately wanted to comfort him, pull him to her and tell him everything would be okay. Something similar had happened with Willow after Tara died. Her best friend had gone dark; fear, anger, grief, and loneliness causing her to lash out at those who cared for and loved her. Xander had been the one who'd finally reached her, showing her he loved her, and he'd brought her back. For Willow, Tara had been the cause, but was it solely Palpatine's threat that made Obi-Wan dark? Or was there something else?

“Obi-Wan, what's really behind all this?” She tilted her head, giving him a long considering look. “Out in the corridor when you made the clenching motion with your hand. The Force Choke. I take it that's something you wouldn't normally do?” While at the Temple she'd never seen a Jedi perform that particular move. In fact, she'd only seen it done in the movies and that was Darth Vader. She remembered snorting at the time and saying, 'he so wants his ass kicked'.

“No,” he wouldn't meet her eyes as he said, “it's dark. You need to call on the Dark Side of the Force, as it's a highly aggressive move fuelled by dark emotions such as fear, anger, and hatred.” His voice echoed his shock and self-disgust. “Its use has been strictly forbidden by the Jedi.”

“I noticed you managed to stop yourself before Anakin jumped in front of me.” She knew he'd never called on the Force to complete the move against her.

“I didn't complete it by calling the Force, but I wanted to. I stopped the rage before it took over, but I knew the anger was still there. That's why I walked away; to try and regain full control.” He held up his free hand, making a fist and stared at it. “When I held up my hand, I wanting to choke you for...” he stopped, unable to say the words, the pain from the choice she'd made biting deeply into him again.

“For what? Choke me for what? Talk to me Obi-Wan.” Buffy still hovered above him, her long blonde hair dangling into her face. Surely his lashing out wasn't about Sid kissing her hand in the elevator or how she hadn't revealed the identity of the Sith Lord until she felt ready? This had to be about something else. Didn't it? But what? Obi-Wan needed to talk to her. She couldn't keep second guessing him.

Her eyebrows came together in sudden alarm. “Have you done something you shouldn't have and don't want me finding out about it?” she asked. “Do you think I'm going to slay you or something if I find out? What have you been up to?”

Obi-Wan blinked, confused by her accusation. “I haven't done anything I don't want you to find out about. I got angry because you betrayed me! With a Sith! I saw you with him in the elevator. He was kissing you, and you stood there enjoying it!”

He fought to control the emotions that were trying once again to overbalance him. Floating above him, Buffy wobbled in the Force and got ready to make a crash landing.

Obi-Wan continued, “You came to me You told me you wanted me and I believed you!” His bewilderment and vulnerability plainly showing on his face. “You've changed your mind. Wasn't I good enough? You prefer Palpatine. Is it the money, the power, or is it something I did? Why?”

“Eww! As if I'd go for Palpatine!” Affronted by his suggestion, Buffy's lip curled in distaste. “He's the one who forces himself on me! He's not only a Sith but he's a creepzoid! Believe me, that's far worse.” Then her jaw dropped in disbelief. Surely this fall into the dark zone wasn't a case of boyfriend jealousy. “Is this what drove you to the Dark Side? Thinking I wanted Palpatine?”

Obi-Wan tensed. The question made him feel uncomfortable. Had his possessiveness driven him to the Dark Side? No, it was Palpatine. It must be Palpatine. His root fear was a Sith take-over and that he'd entice Buffy. Yes, that was it. He didn't want her to choose a dark future with a Sith Lord over him. Right?

Buffy watched him. If jealousy was driving him, she could put his mind at rest on that score. “I've not changed my mind about you, Obi-Wan. I love you, not Palpatine. I thought the way I'm always with you would have been a big clue to that?”

“You love me?” Sudden surprise and doubt warring with hope on his face. “Palpatine is everything I'm not. He can provide you with what I can't...”

For a moment a scowl crossed Buffy's face but then it turned sly. “Yeah, you're right! Let's make a list. Let's see, first, we have the crinkled Sithy face because, you know, the one you see is just a mask. Then we've got his amazing but deadly sense of humor,” she cocked an eyebrow at him. “He's also got the slithery, clammy octopus hands and the mad cackling laughter. The mad cackling laughter is a major bonus point if you're looking for your next boyfriend. Imagine the fun you'd have at parties with a cackling guy by your side. Now, let's get to the really good stuff. Not only do we have the Force Choke coming as standard but for an extra special treat we have the electrocution service thrown... ummph”

One moment she was in the air, the next the Force pulled her and she found herself lying on top of Obi-Wan wrapped in his arms.

“I think you've made your point,” he said drily. “He's not your type. You really love me?” She nodded. “What about?” he used his hand to gesture to the evidence of their fight. “We fought. I hurt you. How could you still trust me?”

Buffy turned her head to look at the mess they'd made. It seemed, whenever she got into fights with her boyfriends, they trashed the place. Sometimes, even when they weren't fighting, they trashed the place. But Obi-Wan wasn't asking about a trashed apartment. He was worried about his fall to the Dark Side and how it affected their relationship. Buffy guessed that when it came to it Obi-Wan had his own abandonment issues going on. She wondered how much of that was caused by being brought up by droids and not having developed the emotional bonds loving parents gave their kids. Freaking Jedi, robbing kids.

“I love you and I trust you'll figure out the right thing to do, despite the freakout.” She said firmly and gave him a half smile. “I still think I've picked the best Jedi in the Temple to fall in love with.”

His lips tilted upwards in a soft heart-stopping smile. She tried not to smile back or get distracted by the way his body lay under hers, achingly close.Bad Buffy! She was not getting distracted by his body or his smile dimples. What just happened was too serious to let go. She so didn't want a Sith boyfriend. She wiggled her way out of Obi-Wan's arms, sitting up and ended up straddling him. He dropped his hands onto her hips.

Prodding his chest to make sure she still had his attention, it seemed to be wandering, she continued, “If you keep getting angry and letting the Dark Side in, it's going to cause major problems between us.” She chewed her lip. That wasn't quite right, she forced herself to think. “Well, I'm not bothered if you get angry, lots of people get angry. I get angry all the time, it's better than bottling it up. It's how the Dark Side took control that causes me concern. You need to talk to me. Tell me what's bothering you and not go flouncing,” he gave her a sharp look at the word flouncing, “off every time we argue.”

“I don't find it easy to talk about emotions,” he explained, “The Jedi aren't supposed to have strong ones and if we do, we mainly deal with them by meditating and chanting-”

Buffy cut him off, “Trust me Ubi, that's not going to work in our relationship.”

He gave an exasperated huff. “I was trying to explain why I found it difficult to talk to you. I'm not used to dealing with an attachment. It's all new to me, the powerful emotions, the fears... Fear leading to anger. Palpatine. I still worry that he's going to be too strong an enemy to stop but hopefully, once Master Tholme and Dooku alert the Council, they can investigate and he'll be unmasked.”

“I nearly had a heart attack when I got called into the Council and Sid was stood there,” Buffy confided. “I thought the Council had told him he'd been accused of being a Sith and they'd traced it back to me. I was so relieved he only wanted to ask me about the Sith lair we found. Then he was all over me like a rash, I couldn't shake him off. Even in the elevator.” She shuddered thinking about how Sid had backed her up against the wall before she could escape through the door. She'd thought she'd have to stake him to get away.

“I saw you. It's why I thought you'd chosen him over me.”

“So it's the fear of Palpatine which caused this? That, and me going off with him?”

He nodded, “The Dark Side offers fast, easy powers and blatant strengths to its practitioners. It's how it lured me in the training room, afterward when I saw you in the elevator I was convinced I'd lost you to him. The anger rose up and swallowed me.”

“Talk to me in future Obi-Wan. Don't ever just assume like that again.”

Obi-Wan asked, “What about you Buffy? When we fought, didn't you feel the sway of the Dark Side?” He was thinking of how her eyes flashed gold at him and the murderous look in them.

“Huh? No, I didn't. I've never felt the Dark Side whisper to me, but I do feel my inner Slayer growing stronger sometimes. Like when you hit me with the Vader helmet. Not that I wanted to stake you, but it really got me mad.”

He gave her a little grin that showed off his dimples. “Good to know you don't think I'm 'stakeable'.”

“I couldn't stake you. You're the only one in this dimension for me,” she replied, her arms going around his neck and snuggling down onto his chest.

Obi-Wan's arms tightened around her. He'd nearly lost her. Not to a Sith Lord, but because of his own jealousy and distrust. Now he was holding her against him, soft and warm in his arms. Smelling the body lotion she liked to use and, below the soft swell of her breasts pressed on him, he felt the reassuring bump-bump of her heart against his chest. A horrible thought occurred to him. She'd made a habit of dying in her own dimension, but in this one, if her heart ceased beating he'd lose her forever. No one would bring her back to him. Fear clenched at his own heart and for the first time he realized there was more to his fear than simply losing her to a Sith Lord. If something should happen to her, he wasn't sure how he'd handle it.

Obi-Wan breathed in and slowly exhaled. No, he wasn't going to lose her. She wanted him and he'd fight alongside her to make sure she always stayed safe. They had the Force on their side. Nothing would go wrong.

His chin rested on top of her head. “I love you too, Buffy.”

“You love me?” Sitting up and straddling him once more, Buffy's delighted smile lit up the room.

“Of course, how could I not?” The words may have been over formal but the goofy grin accompanying wasn't. It became even wider when Buffy returned it with one of her own. Pink sparkles floated around them in the Force. He ignored them. She was smiling at him and he couldn't take his eyes off her.How could he not love her?

Her long blonde hair swished forwards as she dropped her head to plant a quick kiss to his lips. Frustrated it hadn't lasted longer, Obi-Wan stifled a groan. He supposed after his behavior he'd need to grovel and show some serious remorse before he'd get another. Although she was still sat on him and hadn't moved away so there was always the possibility of more to come. The corners of his lips tugging upwards, he decided the time had come to press his luck and kiss her. Buffy, however, had other ideas.

The smile left Buffy's face. “You know Palpatine thinks I'm a Sith? He wants to turn me into Darth Vader but he's got no chance.” She snorted and curled her lip in distaste. “The trouble is, I have to play along with him. As soon as he realizes I've no intention of becoming his next apprentice I'll become 'expendable', as in dead, and he'll look for someone else. He'll probably go for Anakin next.”

“Anakin? Why.. ahh, the midichlorian level.”

Buffy nodded. “Yeah, that and the 'Chosen One' label Qui-Gon dumped on the poor kid. Trust me, that's not an easy title to live up to. Anakin's nine and, despite having Qui-Gon, you've seen for yourself how lonely he is here. If some perv like Sid starts grooming him, he'll be sucked right into the Dark Side. That's why I put up with Sid fawning over me, not because I like the sleaze. He gives me the wiggins.” She shuddered, remembering the feeling of his hands slithering over her. She tapped Obi-Wan's chest again. “That means until we find a way of stopping Sid in his Sithy tracks, we've all got to continue playing as deep a game as he is.”

“What you mean is you intend to play along and not rebuff his advances.” Obi-Wan's focus seemed to shift for a moment. “I don't like it, Buffy. I don't like it one bit.” His fingers tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “It's hard for me....”

Buffy, smirked and bent down to whisper, “I've noticed,” into his ear.

Obi-Wan went a touch pink but rallied and smirked back. “You probably have. Er... Oh yes, Palpatine... I dislike the way he looks at you, never mind how he touches you.” Since she was in range he put an arm around her and chanced a quick claiming kiss to her lips. If she complained, he'd say he needed a distraction to stop himself from falling to the Dark Side.

Buffy returned the kiss, using her finger to trace the line of his jaw, feeling the prickle of a beard he insisted he needed to grow to make him look more mature. She planted another gossamer light kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“Imagine how I feel?” she said. “I want to go Slayer on him, yet I have to stand there as he slithers over me and pretend I don't wanna kill him.” Nuzzling against his neck, she breathed in. Savouring the sharp, ozone smell of lightsabers, ironing spray and something undefinable yet irresistible that was Obi-Wan. She eased his tunic down a little, to expose more skin, then began to trail a series of butterfly-soft kisses along his collarbone and smirked as his breathing quickened and he groaned.

“We need to find evidence of what he is and let someone else deal with him,” replied Obi-Wan. Despite Buffy's distracting kisses, the Sith Lord bothered him. His jaw tightened, thinking of how Palpatine looked at Buffy as if she was already his and there was nothing anyone could do about it. He stroked through her soft hair, fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of her neck. He didn't want the Sith Lord going anywhere near her.

“Yeah, I'd rather let someone else sort him out. Slayers don't normally kill humans. We're more demon orientated.” Suddenly she sat up, straddling him, not wanting to talk about the Sith Lord any longer. She gave him an appraising look. “You know the best thing about having a big argument and falling out?”

He frowned at her suspiciously. “Is this one of those trick questions? The answer being, not arguing in the first place?”

“Nope,” she said, popping her 'p', a delighted smile on her face. “Making up.”

“Phfft, I really don't think this is worth the stress of...” the rest of his words were lost as her mouth covered his.

After a moment he rolled her over so that she was the one underneath him, deepening the kiss, allowing her to fill his senses until they both had to break off for air.

“Buffy!” Obi-Wan squeaked. He wasn't sure if he should be affronted. “You sent me a naughty message via our mind-link!”

She didn't apologize, instead, sent him another, and another. He groaned, giving up scolding her since it only incited her to do worse. Instead, he responded with a deep kiss, savoring the taste of her and becoming intoxicated on the heady mix of emotions being with someone who wanted him caused. He grinned and whispered softly into her ear. “You know, I'm sure there must be a rule against padawans sending explicit messages and images to their masters.”

The thought the Jedi Order might have a rule written down regarding sending explicit mind-link messages made her chuckle. She wouldn't put it past them. “Not a podperson, Ubi, and you are so not the master of me,” she replied and wriggled underneath him. “You know I like lightsabers, but yours is digging into me right now.”

“That is odd,” replied Obi-Wan, sitting up, unclasping and sliding off his utility belt with a smirk. “As I'm not wearing one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan's version of Anakin's fall is, of course, far tamer than Vader's. He has a very different personality, reasons to stress, and Buffy already has experience in dealing with the darker aspects of her boyfriends, unlike poor Padmé.
> 
> The fall to the Dark Side seems to be a reoccurring theme in the SW dimension. Also, the warning for the Jedi that attachments are forbidden, one of the reasons being they seem to suffer from possessiveness and jealousy more than most people do.  
> I wondered why that could be?  
> I researched and found out an interesting study made by researchers who observed the children from orphanages in central Europe. The babies and children had the basics done for them but had developed no emotional bond to the caregivers. These children grew up either unable to have a close relationship or they had abandonment issues. The conclusion was that emotional (loving) bonds are a crucial part of bringing up children and denying it results in adult issues. There are plenty more studies done on it.  
> So is that why the Jedi forbid relationships? They knew the Jedi weren't able to cope with their emotions due to their upbringing? It's one of the reasons why I wanted to work it into my story, plus I just like researching when I write (I am a geek, my secret is out).
> 
> *Chapter title is Lady Gaga's


	108. The Padawans Of Qui-Gon Jinn

Anakin Skywalker stood in the corridor and watched the door of Obi-Wan Kenobi's apartment slide closed with misgivings. Buffy said she was going to deal with this and then she'd, sort of, faded before his eyes. Only his strong Force sense was telling him she'd dived into Kenobi's apartment.

Anakin chewed at his bottom lip. He knew letting a non-Jedi deal with Obi-Wan wasn't a good thing, but what could he do? He'd only just become a padawan, and although his master said he was a fast learner, he'd no idea how a more experienced Jedi would deal with this situation. Should he ask his master for help?

Master Qui-Gon had arrived back at the Temple from a mission and intended to take a nap after lunch before going to the Council with his report. Anakin could wake him and ask his advice. He hesitated, not because he didn't want to disturb the older man but because he didn't want Buffy to think he didn't trust her. He wanted Buffy's friendship. He wanted her to notice him. He wanted Buffy waiting for him to grow older so he could be her boyfriend. Not that he wanted to do the kissing and stuff. Anakin scrunched his face up at the thought. Ugh. No, they wouldn't do that. It would be like with his Mom. He'd live with her and they could go off slaying each day. He'd fly them to a sector of space, they'd choose a planet to land on and they could hunt the 'creepies'. They could have space battles and do everything together.

Buffy claimed she was too old for him and he should find a girlfriend more his own age. The Jedi told him he wasn't allowed any girlfriends, at any age, and to stop going on about it. One day though... One day he'd be old enough and he knew he'd still want Buffy. She was the Chosen One just like him. It was a bit confusing and the Jedi kept arguing about it, but he didn't care. They could be Chosen together, it made sense.

Anakin paced the corridor, keeping well away from Kenobi's door in case she came back out and told him off for disobeying her. What was going on in there? A loud bang from inside the apartment echoed down the quiet corridor as something hit the wall, followed by the sound of something shattering. Were they going to kill one another? Anakin stared at the door. Buffy had told him not to worry whatever he heard. He decided not to worry.

This corridor was always quiet so no one came along asking him what was going on or telling him off for lingering. It was one of the reasons he liked to come up here. Even if he didn't catch a glimpse of Buffy, he could sit on a side bench and be on his own. Anakin looked over at his favorite bench, walked over, sat down and began to swing his legs. He'd rather be here than with padawans of his own age. They made him feel awkward with their stares and sniggering behind their hands.

All the Jedi younglings he'd classes with had known each other for years and years. He was a stranger, the odd one out and they often didn't include him. If his master wasn't at the Temple and he needed to sleep in the dormitory, some of them started teasing him. They said he was too old and shouldn't have been allowed to be a Jedi. Then they called him Slave-boy and said no one wanted him. Anakin's grip tightened on the edges of the bench as he thought about the bullies in the Temple. Usually he lost his temper, got into a fight and it ended with a telling off and more meditating.

Buffy had arrived at the Temple at the same time as he'd done, but no one bullied her. She wasn't training to be a Jedi though. She'd told him it was because the Jedi had too many rules and she didn't like the clothes. Master Qui-Gon said she couldn't be a Jedi as she had zero midiclorians and she couldn't control the Force. Yet the Jedi Council were always asking to speak to her. She was in the Council Chambers more often than a lot of Jedi knights were.

Anakin wished he could be a Slayer and not a Jedi. They had more fun. Buffy said if you were a Slayer the only rule you followed was don't die. Then she'd laughed and said she'd even broken that one a few times. Master Yoda overheard her laughing about it and he'd given her a dirty look. Master Yoda liked lecturing the younglings on obeying rules. Qui-Gon said Master Yoda didn't like Buffy because he thought she was a bad influence and he didn't like her lightsaber color. Anakin wished his lightsaber blade was red, but he had a blue one and Qui-Gon had a green one.

Buffy already had her own apprentice called Andrew, who was a Force Void and enjoyed cooking. She also hung out with her Scooby gang. Count Dooku, Andrew, Quin, and Obi-Wan were all members of the Scooby gang and they went off hunting demons in nightclubs and having exciting adventures like crashing speeders while chasing dangerous bounty hunters. He wanted to be part of that Scooby gang but they kept saying he was too young and he had to learn how to be a Jedi first.

Anakin knew the Jedi Masters thought Buffy was amazing. It was why they asked her to live at the Temple and kept asking to see her. One day he'd even overheard Master Windu planning a demon hunting trip around the bars of Coruscant with some of the other Masters so they must want to be like Buffy too.

Even the Senators of the Republic admired Buffy. After she'd killed the vampires and zombies who lived underneath the Temple they'd asked her to the Senate and given her the title of Lord Vader. She'd got a black helmet to wear, a top of the range fast speeder, and been featured on CNN. The Supreme Chancellor Palpatine wanted her to be his girlfriend and he was a really powerful if very old man. Buffy was just the best. Everyone wanted Buffy, even the vamps.

Anakin sat on his bench thinking of all the fun he could have if he became a Slayer. He swung his legs, leaned forward and stared down the hall to Kenobi's door. He'd been here for hours now or at least twenty minutes and she'd still not come out although he'd heard some loud bangs not long after she'd gone in.

Finally, he sneaked to Kenobi's door and pressed his ear against it. Was there a faint murmur of voices? Closing his eyes, he felt out through the Force the way Master Qui-Gon had taught him to. Obi-Wan's presence he could feel clearly, he'd a strong Force Signature like all the other Jedi. Qui-Gon said you couldn't sense Buffy as she was a Force Void, but he could. She was a swirl of darkness in the Force.

Anakin knew he shouldn't do it and he wouldn't admit it to anyone, but when he was meditating he often sought Buffy out. He enjoyed testing himself to see if he could sense where she was in the Jedi Temple. It was always a challenge finding her. That odd swirl of darkness and light in the Force, so very faint it was hard for him to sense, but it was there. Now, he could feel her Force presence close to Obi-Wan's. What were they doing?

He moved away from the door, pacing for another few minutes. Time was moving on, and he became more and more worried. Why hadn't she come out to tell him everything was okay? Surely she hadn't forgotten he was waiting outside for her?

What if Obi-Wan had choked her to death in there? No, if she was dead her presence wouldn't register at all. What happened if he'd tied her up and was torturing her? Anakin stared wide-eyed at the door. What if he'd Force Choked her and she was lying unconscious on the floor? She might be dying right now! If he didn't act she could die!

Anakin ran to the elevator at the end of the corridor, taking it to the next level where he and his master shared an apartment. Once there, he ran down the interconnecting corridors, dodging past Jedi and ignoring the calls to 'slow down' until he reached Master Qui-Gon's apartment.

Bursting through the door, he shouted at the top of his voice, “Master Qui-Gon! Master Qui-Gon! Quick!”


	109. Qui-Gon and the padawan

In his bedroom, Qui-Gon Jinn jumped awake at the sound of his padawan shouting his name so loudly it would wake half the Temple. So much for taking a short refreshing nap before facing the Council. He gave his head a little shake, Obi-Wan had been far more respectful when he'd been napping.

“MASTER QUI-GON!! WAKE UP!!”

Wincing at the volume his new padawan could create, he pulled on his boots and went into the living area to see what the shouting was about.

“Whatever is the matter Anakin? I hope there's a good reason to disturb me. An old man like me needs all the rest he can get.”

“Please, sir! Master Qui-Gon! I think Obi-Wan Kenobi has killed Buffy!” Anakin shouted. He took a couple of breaths to steady himself. “She never came out of his apartment! I waited for hours, well, over twenty minutes. He'd Force Pushed her down the corridor and he was going to choke her. Master Qui-Gon, she told me to wait and I did, and then there were loud bangs from inside his apartment, and she didn't come back out, and now she might be dead, and she won't be able to be my girlfriend!”

Qui-Gon rubbed his beard as he listened. His former padawan's first mission as a knight was to guard Buffy Summers, a task which wasn't as easy as a lot of Jedi thought. Within days of Obi-Wan being assigned to her, she'd not only gotten him into a fight at Dex's Diner but had completely embarrassed him when she'd forced him to model ladies underwear for her in a public area. Then there'd been the unauthorized slaying and tomb raiding she'd dragged him into. In addition to this, she collected weapons from Dark Side users. It said a lot regarding Obi-Wan's commitment to the Jedi Order that he daily managed to contend with Buffy and Andrew's constant shenanigans with such stoic patience.

Qui-Gon had no doubt Buffy and Obi-Wan had argued in the corridor, but it was likely there was far more to this story than Anakin was telling him. Still, his young padawan was extremely distressed. It would be better to look into it.

“Anakin it's highly unlikely Obi-Wan has killed Buffy. Come, we'll call at their apartment together to put your mind at ease and you can tell me exactly what's been going on.” The two of them walked out of the apartment and into the corridor. The tall, long-haired Jedi with his small, blonde padawan at his side.

“So, Obi-Wan Force Pushed her? What had Buffy done?” asked Qui-Gon. Buffy was always throwing Obi-Wan around in the training rooms and he'd seen Obi-Wan Force Push her in the past, shortly before getting his ass kicked. He hoped his former padawan was alright.

“She hadn't done anything! I was in the corridor outside their apartment.” Qui-Gon gave the boy an admonishing look and he whined. “I was let out early from my lessons and I wanted to speak to her! Obi-Wan told me off for lingering in the hallway outside her apartment.”

“Anakin, you've been told before the Jedi aren't allowed girlfriends or attachments. This stalking of Buffy needs to stop.”

The small boy pouted. “I only wanted to know about vampires, master. I've not asked her to be my girlfriend for months.” He grinned cheekily. “I'm going to wait until I'm older and ask her then.”

Qui-Gon rolled his eyes. Quite possibly Anakin was the chosen one to send him insane. They entered the elevator and watched the doors swish to. “So what happened in the corridor?”

“Obi-Wan complained about me being there. He always complains if he sees me. Was he always complaining when he was your padawan?”

“Often,” said Qui-Gon and at Anakin's smug grin added, “but he also did what he was told and he was never cheeky nor forward and he never asked girls to become his girlfriend. He knew he wasn't allowed any.” Anakin's face fell. “Go on Anakin, tell me what happened with Buffy?”

“Buffy turned up as Obi-Wan was telling me off. She said she wanted to talk to him. He walked off and then he Force Pushed her down the hall! Then he pushed her again when she tried to stand up!”

The pair of them exited the elevator on Buffy's floor. “Did he throw Buffy into anything or did he simply push her away from him?”

“He pushed her down next to me in the corridor. I went over to help her up,” said Anakin. “And then he said she'd betrayed him with me!”

“What?” asked Qui-Gon, almost coming to a halt. It sounded a very odd thing to say. Until then he'd been reasonably sure of finding all was well between his old padawan and his charge. Accusing her of betraying him sounded... ominous. “Are you quite sure he said that she'd betrayed him with you?”

“He said, 'you betrayed me with him!' and then he looked in my direction! I think he looked in my direction. There was no one else around when he said it, so it must have been me. I told him I only wanted to ask about vampires and Buffy didn't know I was waiting for her.” Anakin hopped up and down in agitation as he walked. “And then he went to Force Choke her!”

“Are you quite sure about this? He was going to Force Choke her?” Qui-Gon picked up his pace.

“Yeah. I told him he shouldn't be doing it.” Anakin started to trot alongside his master in order to keep up. “He raised his hand and did the clasping motion. He didn't call the Force though. I stood in front of her. I told him, 'you shouldn't Force Choke people because you lose your temper and especially not girls who can't Force Choke back'. I'm right aren't I?” At Qui-Gon's nod, he continued, “He stomped off into his apartment and she went after him. She didn't come out. Do you think he's killed her? Please, can we run really fast in case she's not dead but lying on the floor, dying?”

“I'm sure it hasn't come to that Anakin. It's most likely a misunderstanding,” Qui-Gon said, trying to calm the boy. Truth was, he'd no idea what Obi-Wan was thinking of going for a Force Choke. That was calling on the Dark Side and he was sure his former padawan knew he must never do so. He would have stopped training him long ago if he'd shown any inclination of veering towards the Dark Side.

“Obi-Wan fights with a red lightsaber now and he wears black armor. He challenged Count Dooku to a duel and kicked his good leg out from under him...”

“What? When did this happen?”

“I think it was yesterday. The night before when he went to the lower levels, he came back to the Temple drenched in blood.” At Qui-Gon's disbelieving look he added, “It's true! Everyone knows it!”

Qui-Gon's tall form strode along the accommodation corridor with Anakin running alongside. What the Force had happened with Obi-Wan while he'd been away? He remembered the last time he'd spoken to him. All seemed well. He'd noticed at the time the boy was mind shielding but hadn't wanted to pry. Obi-Wan was a knight now and shouldn't have his old master breathing down his neck. Surely Obi-Wan hadn't gone Dark? The boy was too pedantic and too much of a stick in the mud to go Dark. It was the more excitable types who tended to struggle with dark urges.

As they closed in on Obi-Wan's apartment Qui-Gon reached out and tried to contact his former padawan by their mind-link but there was no response. Was he still shielding? Or simply not hearing his call?

“Sit there, Anakin,” Qui-Gon pointed to the bench in the corridor, “and stay here until I call you.”

“But I want to...” began Anakin.

“No my young apprentice,” he gave the boy a reassuring smile, “you need to stay there. I shall deal with this.”

Qui-Gon stopped outside Obi-Wan's door. Already, through the Force, he could sense Obi-Wan, but wasn't able to sense Buffy, which wasn't surprising as she was a Force Void. He paused, his hand hovering over the buzzer. Something making him stop. Leaning his head closer to the door, he listened. A faint noise came to him. A cross between a groan and a whimper.

Was someone dying in there? Had Obi-Wan finally been driven to the Dark Side by the infuriating Slayer? Or had she hurt him? The whimper came again and this time he didn't hesitate. He waved his hand, Force opened the lock and quietly stepped inside.

Qui-Gon Jinn came to a halt in Obi-Wan's living room. His first thought was a tornado had hit the room, his second thought was... He felt his jaw drop, his eyes pop, and his brain stuttered to a stop.

Should he... should he say something? A discreet cough? Shout? Raise an alarm? Leave?

There was a movement behind him. For Force sake, Anakin had followed him! He turned around, intercepting the young boy at the door and placed his hands over the boy's eyes. “Shhhh,” he said softly, and pushed him out the apartment, not disturbing the couple entwined on the floor.

Once in the corridor he removed his hands from Anakin's eyes and closed the door to Kenobi's apartment.

The young boy blinked up at him. “Was everything alright in there, Master Qui-Gon? It was very untidy.”

“Yes, yes it was fine. Nothing untoward going on and nothing to worry about,” he replied absently. He started to walk briskly down the corridor, needing to put distance between himself and the scene he'd just come across.

Oh yes, everything was fine in there. He'd only come across Obi-Wan lying half-naked on the floor, completely Force blind as he was too involved with Buffy to notice. Yes, everything was fine. Pink sparkles everywhere. Not only bending the Jedi Code but from the look of it completely breaking it. Yes, everything was fine, his uptight padawan had finally loosened up. So loose he hadn't noticed his door opening or his old master standing in his living room, gaping at him in shock. Everything was fine, fine, fine, fine...

“I saw Obi-Wan's bare bottom!” piped up Anakin out the blue.

Inside Qui-Gon stilled, outside he maintained his Jedi calm and continued walking, his face carefully neutral. “Yes?” he replied mildly.

“Why did I see Obi-Wan's bare bottom?” Anakin grinned. He bet Obi-Wan wouldn't like people seeing his bare bottom. He'd a feeling it was why his master had covered his eyes and made him leave so Obi-Wan wouldn't become embarrassed and go red.

“Maybe because you were in his apartment?”

“Yeah but...” he screwed his face up. “Why was his bottom bare? And why was he on the floor?”

“Isn't it obvious?” replied Qui-Gon, shooting a quick glance at the young boy at his side. “His trousers fell down and he tripped over them.”

Anakin screwed his face up as he thought it over. “Why had his trousers fell down?”

Qui-Gon pressed the button to call the turbolift. “There is a lesson here for you, Anakin. Whenever you use the 'fresher always make sure your trousers are properly fastened before leaving. Even if you are in your own apartment. Else they might fall down and trip you up.”

Anakin thought this through as he waited for the elevator to arrive and giggled. Obi-Wan's trousers had fallen around his ankles as he'd forgotten to fasten them after he'd been in the 'fresher.

“Is that why he was struggling to get up off the floor because his trousers had fallen around his ankles?” asked Anakin, as they both walked into the elevator.

“Yes, yes, all because his trousers fell down.” Qui-Gon was glad they had the elevator to themselves. This wasn't a conversation he'd want to have in front of others.

“But Master Qui-Gon... where had Buffy gone?”

“Most likely she had gone to do... whatever it is Slayers enjoy doing when not actively slaying,” replied Qui-Gon, trying not to think about what Buffy was doing the last time he'd seen her.

“Are you sure Buffy isn't dead?” Anakin would have felt better if he'd seen Buffy for himself.

Qui-Gon tried not to groan. The more Anakin went on, the more the images played in his mind. “I promise you, Buffy is very much alive and well. Trust me on that.” Qui-Gon decided a change of subject was in order. “Anakin, I'm rather cross with you. In the future, if I give instructions for you to stay outside I expect you to do so. A padawan who disobeys orders is extremely dangerous to both himself and his master.”

Anakin looked crestfallen. “I'm sorry master, it won't happen again.”

Qui-Gon nodded.“That's a good boy. Now, we'll speak no more about what happened today. We'll forget all about it and I don't wish for you to speak of it to others.”

Anakin nodded. He'd ask Buffy where she'd gone next time he saw her. “Umm, yeah okay.”

Qui-Gon was relieved his padawan accepted it so easily. This was not something he'd forget about in a hurry. Inside he was still reeling in shock. Obi-Wan! Who became embarrassed if a girl smiled at him! As a boy he'd nearly burnt up with shame when Qui-Gon explained about sex, attachments and a Jedi not being allowed any. Now enthusiastically breaking the Jedi Code with Buffy.

As for Buffy... He'd never have thought she'd have looked at his former padawan with any sort of interest. What was it she used to call Obi-Wan? Oh yes, a nerd.

Qui-Gon knew he needed to put a stop to this straight away, before the situation worsened or they exposed themselves. No! Not exposed themselves! The word brought some unfortunate images to mind. He took a breath, allowing the images to float away and restoring his Jedi calm.

He could go to the Masters on the Council and inform them of what he'd just seen. Yet as soon as he thought of it he dismissed the idea. He'd never seen eye to eye with the Council and he didn't trust them to have Obi-Wan's best interests at heart. There was the possibility that they'd either send Obi-Wan on an extremely dangerous and long term mission away from the Temple, at a time when he'd need the support of his fellow Jedi the most, or they could even expel him from the Order. Qui-Gon thought the boy was too great an asset for the Jedi to lose, also, since Obi-Wan normally stuck to the rules, he was much more likely to become a Master on the Council than he was. No, Obi-Wan Kenobi shouldn't lose a bright and promising future in the Order over something many Jedi struggled with.

With luck, there wouldn't be a deep attachment between the two of them. The pink sparkles floating around them were not a good sign, but Obi-Wan wouldn't be the first Jedi to have an itch in desperate in need of scratching. He'd scratched the odd one himself when he was younger, always discreetly, with no attachment, and never inside the Temple. That wasn't good. Another Jedi could walk in and find them. They were very lucky the someone who'd found them had been him and not one of the other Masters.

Qui-Gon stared at the elevator doors in front of him. Anakin stood next to him, trying to twirl his lightsaber in his fingers in the same way Buffy sometimes twirled her stakes. He almost dropped it. Qui-Gon rolled his eyes but said nothing. At least it served to keep the small boy amused and quiet while he was thinking.

The elevator doors slid open allowing them both to exit. Anakin began fumbling once more with his lightsaber and Qui-Gon running over a possible speech to Obi-Wan and trying to think of the best way to convince him to give up Buffy. He decided to play it by ear and hope the rumors of Obi-Wan's lightsaber turning red were false. He couldn't see it being true. The Jedi Temple was a hotbed of rumors, most of them originating from the younglings and padawans who swapped stories which got bigger with every telling.

Turning onto his own accommodation corridor and mulling over his options, Qui-Gon decided in future he'd do two things. Firstly and foremost, he'd find an opportunity to talk to Obi-Wan privately and do his utmost to convince him to stop his rule breaking. Secondly, he was never, ever, going to Force open a door to another Jedi's private apartment inside the Temple for the rest of his life.


	110. New Hope

Once more Obi-Wan was faced with the daunting sight of broken pieces of the astromech droid. The task was made worse by the fact all his previous hard work had been destroyed and there were even more shattered parts than before. His newly acquired caff table was now almost completely covered by them and he simply sat, staring at them all, feeling somewhat depressed.

“Sorry about that, Ubi.”

He turned to look at Buffy. She was sat next to him on the couch, legs thrown over the opposite arm, her back pressed to his shoulder and datapad in hand. Her head was angled towards him, green eyes so close to him he could see his own image reflected in her pupils.

Obi-Wan sighed. “My intention had been to rebuild a full droid around the parts we found and give you the finished droid as a gift.”

“A droid would have been a cool gift.” She gave him a warm smile. She'd no idea what she'd do with an astromech droid, but it's the thought that counts.

“Hmm, well, I'm not sure if that idea will work now. The memory was embedded inside a burnt unit which is more damaged than it was before. I'm no longer sure it can be extracted or linked up to another droid.”

“Can't you eject it and stick it in another....” Buffy broke off, reading the grim despondency pouring off him. She added, “ Sorry. I'm not much good with the technology in this dimension. I was never great with it in mine. I used to leave it to Willow.”

“Don't worry, I'll teach you,” Obi-Wan replied. He intended giving her lessons on this dimension's technology, it was all part of his grand plan for her. Not that she knew about his grand plans yet but that would come with time.

Buffy gave him a dubious look and his mouth twitched. Despite her uncertainty, her use of the technology in this dimension had improved, no doubt helped by the fact she'd learned to read Basic. On first coming to the Temple, besides breaking the sonic shower, she'd kept getting locked inside rooms and had to keep asking people to let her out.

“You can't simply eject it,” he explained, pointing to the relevant parts. “See? The heat has fused the entire unit.”

Turning the part over in his hands he realized the fused metal had developed a break. “Actually, there looks to be a crack through it now. There may be a way of forcing it open...” he ran his thumb nail along the small gap. “It may shatter completely, but if it works we have a chance to access the memory. Then I could find a compatible droid and create a link between the two of them.” Obi-Wan looked at the broken droid thoughtfully, stroking his upper lip and chin as he began plotting a plan of action.

“Still thinking of growing that beard?” asked Buffy.

“Huh?” asked Obi-Wan, his mind still on the droid.

Buffy smirked. She'd infected Obi-Wan Kenobi with the 'huh' word. Another thing for Andrew to get mad about.

“Beard? You still going to grow one or not?”

“Possibly, possibly not.”

His attention was on the droid parts so she guessed that was going to be the only answer she'd get.  
She rolled her eyes and, leaving him to it, leaned back against the couch and started looking at her datapad once more.

After a great deal of fiddly, intricate work that almost led to Obi-Wan losing his Jedi calm and swearing, he finally made a break-through. He'd cleared the small part of as much dross as he could and cracked open up the unit to reveal the memory chip. Just the sight of it made him feel lighter. This tiny chip could hold the whereabouts and motives of the Sith vampire and possibly be the key to keeping Buffy out of harm's way. That was assuming such a thing was actually possible since the Slayer had a habit of finding trouble wherever she went.

At least she was quiet now, allowing him to work in peace. Without moving his eyes or his attention from the droid part, Obi-Wan knew Buffy sat twirling a section of long blonde hair around her finger, her datapad balanced against her thighs as she browsed. He could easily sense her through their Force Bond.

Their connection went far deeper than the simple padawan and master's bond he was familiar with and seemed to be hinting at a whole new level. The ability to send each other images, although not unheard of, was not something he'd been familiar with. Strangely it was his brush with the Dark Side a couple of days ago that appeared to strengthen it. Had he become linked via her inner Slayer? Surely Buffy's Void status should reduce the strength of a mind-link, not increase it? As with most things to do with Buffy and her abilities, it was a mystery he'd be unable to research in the Archives.

He pulled his thoughts from the ongoing enigma of Buffy and to his surroundings. At least his apartment was almost back to its original condition. They'd replaced all the items broken during their fight with ones from the surrounding empty apartments. As Buffy said, no one was using them and it saved going down to the Jedi stores to ask for new ones. It also saved answering a lot of awkward questions as to how the old ones had been broken.

In returning the place back to it's previous state the damaged wall was their biggest problem. Neither of them knew how to fix the damage to the plaster, so they'd left it. Buffy hadn't been overly concerned (probably as it wasn't her apartment), she'd smiled and claimed it made an interesting feature and a good talking point. Obi-Wan wasn't convinced that was a good thing, not since he was the one who'd need to do the talking when it was pointed out.

He could also imagine what would happen if Count Dooku wanted to talk about it. Obi-Wan didn't need a Force Vision to know that conversation would end badly for himself. Most likely he'd be thrown head first into a wall by the irate Count who'd already made it clean what would happen if he found out Obi-Wan had upset his apprentice again. Until his new one was ready he didn't even have a lightsaber to defend himself.

Obi-Wan glanced across to where Buffy's lightsaber hung from her belt. At his request, she'd taken back Mr Sparkly after his brush with the Dark Side. Although he now felt stronger and more balanced in the Light Side of the Force than before, he didn't want to risk himself by using dark artifacts. Instead, he concentrated their meditation sessions on creating a new lightsaber crystal alongside Buffy, who said she fancied having a spare in an alternate color.

Placing the precious memory chip he'd extracted into a sealed container. Obi-Wan laced his fingers together and stretching out his arms in front of him to ease the still sore muscles in his shoulders. As he did so he stole a look at Buffy's datapad to see what had been holding her interest.

The data page facing him showed a selection of shoes and a flashing 'SALE' sign.

Repressing a grin, he said, “I thought you were researching underground caverns on Naboo, not shoe sales?”

She jumped guiltily, and he hid his smirk as he leaned across her to pluck the datapad out of her hands. The way she'd reacted to being caught out was making it difficult to keep the reproving expression on his face. Obi-Wan flicked the pages of her history which showed she'd been browsing shoe sales and not possible vampire Sith hideouts and raised an eyebrow at her. He couldn't wait to hear her excuse.

“I, so am, researching Naboo!” She huffed, “ Okay, maybe I got caught up too much in the shoe research and came across the sale site...” she grabbed the datapad back from him. “Look. Here in the Lake Country. It's mainly ranching, but in the scattered towns there are shoe stores and workshops creating shoes. They specialize in custom shoes for wealthy customers from across the galaxy. I've seen their designs and, although the bespoke prices are well beyond my reach, they also have a regular range which are more affordable. You pay for quality.” Buffy stared at the page starry-eyed, before spotting his frown and sensed a slight uneasiness coming from him.

She instantly knew he was wishing he could afford to buy her the shoes.

As the Jedi Council and the Watcher's Council didn't pay their Jedi or Slayers a wage it meant a Jedi Knight was in the same boat as a Slayer. Constantly broke. Since she didn't want him becoming stressed by his lack of credits or giving in to the fear Sid might use her shoe addiction to entice her away, she regretfully deleted the shoe advertisements. Then she returned to the pages she'd originally looked at before becoming distracted.

“Where was I? Oh yeah, here we are, the Lake Country. There isn't much there. It's mainly touristy, pretty scenery, villas of rich people, ranches, lakes, and Sith tombs.” She smiled delightedly, although he didn't think it was anything involving the Sith was something to rejoice about. “Also there's a small and very specific shoe industry going on in the villages. Do you see these shoes?” She opened up another page on her datapad to reveal a series of images showing evening shoes decorated with sparkling crystals.

“Hmmm?” replied Obi-Wan non-committally. It wasn't something he'd normally look at. His eyes had never been drawn to sparkling evening shoes or women's footwear in general. He wondered if Buffy had become distracted by her desire for shoes again.

“Sparkly shoes have been popular for decades if not centuries. Obviously, they change the styling, and they even create styles for non-human feet. I didn't investigate any of those pages. I was only interested in the human ones because, like, human feet,” Buffy said and wriggled her bare feet for emphasis.

Obi-Wan looked over to where feet rested on the arm of his couch, toes with painted nails wriggling as she spoke. He'd made the accidental discovery that she was very ticklish on the soles of her feet and rather liked watching her dissolve into giggles if he delicately touched them. A small noise pulled his attention away from her feet and back to the datapad where Buffy was now tapping the side of it with her fingernail to get his attention.

Buffy raised an admonishing eyebrow at him, refusing to let herself melt at his dimple producing, apologetic grin. “At one time the villagers mined the rocks in the mountains. The crystals they extracted were used to decorate the shoes and clothing of the rich and famous. Over time the rocks containing the crystals became mined out so they started to use simulated ones which were never quite as popular as the original crystals.”

She turned to a fresh page which showed the inside of an underground cavern. “But the crystal caverns are still there. And have had a variety of uses over the years such as laboratories, emergency housing, and then after a long period of disuse, some were again used during the Naboo invasion. Mainly as a refuge against the invading army.” She looked up into Obi-Wan's intense blue eyes, his interest caught by her information. “I thought if I was a Sith vampire, I'd like to hide out in these caverns. Dark, spooky, isolated, and forgotten by many. Plus if you fancy an injection of the Dark Side there are all those Sithy tombs full of dead people to go and hang out with.”

“Hmm, I'm impressed,” said Obi-Wan, thoughtfully. Buffy always managed to surprise him. Without thinking, he found himself pulling her onto his lap, taking comfort in her closeness at the mention of the Dark Side. The memory of his loss of control still unsettled him. “You've done well and might have something there.”

“Even though you said the Sith vampire could be hiding out anywhere in the galaxy? You don't think I'm silly for concentrating on the Naboo caverns?” Buffy frowned, unsure about her theory. “In Sunnydale, the demons stuck close to the Hellmouth so we never had far to go.”

“No, we know there is a strong connection to Naboo. Your reasoning is very sound and shouldn't be discarded.”

Buffy grinned at the praise. “I too can be Velma.” She draped an arm around his neck as an amusing thought occurred to her “ Hey, if Andrew is Shaggy and you're Ubi-Doo. Dooku must be Fred and that makes Quin Daphne.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. However, I have some good news. I believe I have extracted intact the memory from the droid we found in the Sith lair. I just need to find a compatible droid to link it to.”

“So how do we find a compatible droid?”

“I shall check the stores later to see what they have available.” Obi-Wan's arms tightened around her pulling her against him. His eyes on hers as he asked, “I've also something I'd like to try with you this evening, if you're agreeable? Something I've been wondering about for quite a while.”

Buffy looked at him from under her lashes. “Hmm, that sounds intriguing. Tell me more?”

He evasively replied, “I'd rather not say, but I'm sure you'll find it interesting.”

.......

“What exactly are we doing in here, Ubi?” asked Buffy. She stood in the doorway to the Jedi Council Chamber looking around at the dark, empty room and the unfilled chairs. Being here made her feel uncomfortable.

This reminded her of the time she'd gone on patrol with Faith and, out the blue, Faith had begun breaking and entering. It had completely thrown her. Now Obi-Wan had done the same by bringing her up here and sneaking into the Council Chamber at this time of night. Not that she'd a problem breaking into rooms inside the Temple (especially since she'd got the Master Lock Picker, aka Obi-Wan Kenobi, Force fiddling the locks for her). Normally though, he'd only break into disused apartments to swap furniture and even then he complained bitterly about how she was leading him into bad ways.

What was this about? If a semi-normal guy had asked her to accompany him into a dark and deserted room she'd have thought he'd an ulterior motive. Since this was Obi-Wan (Jedi-boy with a teacher complex), he'd probably brought her up here to look out the windows and educate her by pointing out the major landmarks.

“Relax,” Obi-Wan said, swishing his robe and looking smug, “we aren't doing anything wrong by being in here Buffy.”

Buffy had already noted he was in one of his exuberant moods. He'd flounced out of the turbolift and then into the chamber as if he had the galaxy, or at least Coruscant, at his feet. His brown robe hung low on the back of his shoulders and he swished it from side to side with a small smirk as he walked. To Buffy, all this added up as being suspicious and made her eye him warily.

“So if you'd asked our small green friend with the long ears, he'd have said go on up any time you like?” Obi-Wan cast her a sidelong look and smirked. She tutted. “If we aren't doing anything wrong, why haven't you turned the lighting up? I'm guessing it's not your carbon footprint you're worried about. You don't want people to know we're in here, do you?”

Obi-Wan made a low tsk-tsk noise in response. “I've no idea why you're on edge. The door was open and it's light enough in here for what I have planned without turning the lighting up to 100%.”

“And what, exactly, do you have planned, Ubi?” asked Buffy, wondering what he could be up to that involved low lighting and an empty Jedi Council room.

“I only wish to test you.”

Buffy stopped dead.“Test me? Hey, not a lab rat!” She didn't like the sound of whatever it was he had planned for her. “Test me for what, exactly?”

“One of the tests the Jedi do is for telepathy. A Master will hold a screen displaying a variety of objects and the youngling will tell him what image appears on the screen. I wish to test your telepathic ability,” Obi-Wan replied. He walked out the circle and towards Nick Fury's empty chair, the soft sound of his boots on the hard floor echoing quietly in the empty chamber.

“Oh, you mean you'll use our mind-link to think a picture at me and I'll tell you what it is?” That didn't sound too bad. Buffy had already sent him a variety of images via their mind-link so she knew it was doable.

“No, this isn't the same. I shall look at the image but not send you anything via our mind-link. I want you to tell me what's on screen,” Obi-Wan picked up the datapad that had been left on Nick Fury's chair and sat down in the Master's chair.

“How do I work out what's on the screen if you don't tell me?” she asked, wandering over and trying to sit in Yoda's odd chair. She looked over at the datapad Obi-Wan had picked up. If that was Nick Fury's personal datapad, she'd have a look at it later. She'd be curious to see what he'd bookmarked as his favorites, and maybe have a look through his browsing history. Buffy smirked. She bet it wasn't all official Jedi Temple approved sites he liked to visit.

“Ah-ah!” Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow and gave her a scolding look. “There's no sitting in the Master's chairs for you, my young apprentice.” He lifted his hand and pointed with his forefinger towards the circle where they normally stood. “Go and stand in the center of the floor, please.” She pouted but walked back to the circle and turned to face him. Obi-Wan's grin widened as if she was a pet animal that had just learned a new trick.

Buffy could tell he was enjoying playing the 'I'm the master and you're the padawan' game again. He really enjoyed that game too much for her liking. She narrowed her eyes at him. She was pretty sure he'd some kind of undercover fetish going on, but he hadn't come out and admitted it yet. At some stage, he'd probably start asking her to play dress-up in Jedi robes, style her hair into a silly ponytail at the back with a puny braid hanging over one ear and start addressing him as 'Master'. Well, he'd no chance.

“You want me to give you a bow while I'm here?” she snarked.

Obi-Wan responded with one of his infuriating smirks that made her want to hit him and then kiss him and then hit him again. “The bowing is not obligatory,” he said. “However, you should show me some respect while I'm sat here.”

Buffy dropped into an elaborate Court curtsey she remembered, thanks to a certain lady she'd become one Halloween.

Obi-Wan lost his smug grin as she flawlessly executed the graceful move. Oh yes, Slayers too could out-polite Jedi. Buffy then flashed him a mega-watt smile California girl smile that caused him to forget where he was and mesmerized him for a few moments.

Eventually, he tugged his eyes away from her mouth and looked back down to the datapad he held. “Er, where were we? Ah, yes... You need to use the Force or whatever ability a Slayer uses while in this dimension to tell me what image is being displayed on the screen,” he explained.

“Not a mind-bendy Obi-Wan.” She tutted in annoyance. She wasn't a Jedi and, despite trying, she didn't seem to have much effect on the Force. He'd tried to show her how to do Force pushes and pulls, but she hadn't been able to do them. Yes, she could jump higher and was faster and stronger than most Jedi, but she couldn't levitate herself or another object into the air. She could see what Obi-Wan called shatter points or weaknesses in doors and walls if she squinted at them in the right way. She saw auras and was aware of the Force when she meditated, but no other ability had appeared so far. Now Obi-Wan wanted her to go mind-bendy. It was too much. She was going to fail. She couldn't see around corners. She wasn't a Jedi. Why did he keep trying to push her into being what she wasn't?

~If you can't do it, Buffy, it doesn't matter but please try.~ Obi-Wan messaged along with a wave of warm reassurance. He must have sensed she was becoming stressed.

Buffy pouted, before saying, “Oh, go on then.” She supposed the sooner he started, the sooner it would be over and he'd realize she lacked another Jedi skill. How the hell he expected her to pick images out of his brain she'd no idea.

Obi-Wan nodded, crossed his legs and fiddled with the datapad. Finally, he looked up and asked, “Are we ready?”

Which Buffy took to mean was she ready. She stared at the back of the datapad he held out in front of him, then at Obi-Wan and then her gaze flicked to the huge windows behind him.

Buffy nodded. “Oh yeah, I'm ready. Carry on.”

“In front of me is an image of an object and I'd like you to tell me what that object is.” Obi-Wan's eyes looked first at the datapad and then he peered at Buffy. “Go on Buffy. I know you can do this. Concentrate. Allow your mind to see the image displayed on the screen.”

He'd closed the mind link between them Buffy noticed, so she couldn't cheat. It was a pity he didn't know much about Slayer ingenuity. He really should know her by now.

Buffy frowned, pretending deep concentration. “Er...” she purposely took her time answering. “I...er... could it be... is it a cup?”

Obi-Wan smiled and flicked to the next image. “And again? Concentrate Buffy. Concentrate.”

Buffy's eyes slid to the window behind him and she carefully hid her smirk. “Er, is it... is it one of those spaceships? Oh no! It's one of those long speeder buses!”

Obi-wan shuffled in his seat and adjusted his robe.“ And the next one?”

“Yeah, that's er, a UFO. No! No, it's a plate.” She grinned at him. “Plates and UFO's look alike.”

“Do concentrate, Buffy. And again. What is this one?”

“Yeah, that's a speeder, and it's not as nice as mine.” Buffy rubbed her nose to cover the way her mouth was trying to grin. It was getting hard to hold back the laughter and keep a serious face.

Obi-wan sat up straighter in Nick's chair. His expression intense. “And this one?”

“A cup again.”

“And this one?”

“Some kind of flying spaceship,” said Buffy smugly. She'd gotten her giggles under control for now.

“And this one?... And this one?”

Obi-wan speeded the test up and Buffy's answers flew out, faster and faster.

When the test was over, Obi-wan leaned back in Nick Fury's chair and stared at her. His eyes wide and incredulous at what had just occurred. Buffy shuffled her feet and bit the inside of her cheeks while watching him from under her lashes.

“Buffy, you're amazing!” Obi-Wan put the datapad down and took a deep steadying breath. “You didn't get a single one wrong! We really must ask one of the Masters to officially test you. Your abilities are probably amongst the best in the Temple!”

She began to giggle. Obi-Wan looked at her in surprise and she giggled again. The more she looked at Obi-Wan's surprised and confused face the harder the giggles came. She was probably the best in the Temple! It made her laugh so hard her sides hurt.

“I really don't see what's so funny. What is the joke?” Obi-Wan sounded annoyed and exasperated at her laughter.

He was annoyed at her for not taking her super telepathic ability seriously. The thought kicked off Buffy's giggling again. Obi-Wan thought she had super powers. He was going to tell Yoda she had super powers! She gave an undignified snort as more laughter exploded, and saw Obi-Wan's worried face. Her laughter bubbled up even more uncontrolled, the hilarity starting to hurt her sides. She had to share the joke. Finally, fighting down further bursts of giggles, getting her breathing back under control and wiping the tears from her eyes, she said, “Stand here.”

“I don't understand?” replied Obi-Wan, slowly rising to his feet and walking towards her.

She grinned at him. “Stand here and let me run the test on you.”

Obi-Wan obediently passed her the datapad and took Buffy's spot while she sat in Nick Fury's chair.

Lifting the datapad, she did a decent impersonation of the Jedi Master and asked in a gruff voice, “What image do you see in front of me, youngling?”

Obi-wan pulled a face at being called a youngling and then used his Force ability to see the image in the screen. “A cup,”

Buffy nodded. “Yep, that's right. Now, what's behind me?”

Baffled by her strange question, Obi-Wan's eyebrows came together. “What? What do you mean, behind you? Don't you mean in front of you?”

Buffy looked over the top of the datapad and gave him a huge grin. “Look in the window behind me.”

Puzzled, Obi-Wan lifted his eyes to the window behind her and stared at it. His face dropped when he realized what he was looking at. “You... You could see the reflection from the datapad in the window the entire time!”

Buffy started laughing again. “I had you going, Ubi! If it weren't for that reflection I wouldn't have got a single one right.” His face nearly had her rolling again as the laughter took over.

Finally, she turned the datapad off and put it back on Nick Fury's chair. Obi-Wan looked so disappointed that she wasn't able to telepathically see around corners. She sidled over to her Jedi Knight, holding back the smiles and trying for a more sympathetic expression.

“Never mind, Obi-Wan. I still aced the test by using my super sneaky Slayer abilities. That's what counts,” she stated. She brushed back a stray lock of hair from his pouting face.

“I suppose so,” replied Obi-Wan, staring at the window behind Nick's chair. “This makes me wonder how many Jedi have spotted a way of cheating the test as you did. And how many times I stood here and failed to see the correct answer staring me in the face.”

Buffy gave a sympathetic smile before looking about the dark chamber again. She shuddered, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. “Never mind, you'll know next time. Come on,” she motioned with her head, “Let's go. This place totally wigs me out. I keep thinking Yodel's going to spring out from the shadows and poke me with his stick.”

Obi-Wan was still distracted by the reflective qualities of the window. “Hmmm? Oh, I'd know if Master Yoda or any of the Masters were here. My Jedi senses would alert me if another Jedi came close.”

Buffy cast a suspicious look around the chamber. “It must be his aftershave that's lingering then.” She put her hand into Obi-Wan's and tugged it. There was definitely something making her feel uncomfortable in here. “There's no point staying in here, staring at windows. I thought you wanted to call at the store and ask about the droids?”

That got his attention. Obi-Wan, his eyes dark in the low light, nodded. “Very well. Although I must say, I am rather disappointed in your test results...”

“I'm not,” cut in Buffy, pulling him towards the door. “I got a top score on the exam with no Witchy Willow helping me. That was pure sneaky Slayer senses at work.”

As the pair of them left the chamber, Buffy glanced back into the empty room and shivered. She touched the console panel and watched the door close. That room wigged her out.

Inside the chamber, all was quiet until the turbolift containing the Jedi and the Slayer descended. Then, one of the dark shadows inside the Council Chamber moved and Master Yoda hobbled slowly out the shadows where he'd been hiding.

Leaning heavily on his gimmer stick, he hobbled over to the spot where Buffy had stood while taking her test. He leaned on his stick and stared up at the window behind Master Windu's chair for a long moment. The small Master grumbled softly to himself before hobbling out the room.

….........................


	111. The Talk

The Coruscant sunshine shone through the tall, thin windows of the Jedi corridor. It lit up the golden hair of Buffy Summers and caught the attention of Qui-Gon Jinn as he walked along the corridor with Mace Windu. Qui-Gon noticed the Slayer appeared to be in deep conversation with his old master, Count Dooku, who lurked in an alcove shrouded in the shadow.

Observing them, Qui-Gon would have said Count Dooku was being rebuked by the much smaller woman. Since most people in the Temple, including him, thought Dooku was formidable and not to be crossed lightly, he didn't see how that could be. He decided it was merely a trick of light and the way the taller man needed to tilt his head due to their height difference.

Buffy's presence meant it was likely his old padawan was in the vicinity. Stretching out through the Force, Qui-Gon felt the familiar presence of Obi-Wan in a nearby training room.

It was time then.

Time to have that embarrassing yet necessary conversation with Obi-Wan regarding the scene he'd walked in on a few days ago. He shouldn't have left it so long, but he hadn't had a choice. No sooner had he delivered one report to the Council than he was being shipped off again to investigate a missing Jedi service worker; a mission which had proven futile. He'd drawn a blank, having found neither the missing Jedi nor any trace as to where or how he'd disappeared.

“Buffy Summers, what do you make of her?” Qui-Gon asked Mace. He came to a standstill and carefully avoided looking in her direction as he said her name. Obi-Wan had told him her hearing was very sensitive and he didn't want her to realize they were discussing her.

The other Master halted, his eyes already on the blonde Slayer. “An exceptional young lady. Her fighting skills are almost on par with a Jedi's.”

Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow at the warm praise he heard in Master Windu's voice. The Jedi Master, on first meeting her, had declared she was highly dangerous and a threat to the galaxy. “You no longer consider her to be dangerous then?”

“Oh, indeed I do,” Mace conceded. “However, I now accept that Buffy is a slayer of evil and a protector of the innocent, rather than a Sith or a creature from the Dark Side.” Eager to explain his turn-around he added, “Take those vampires and Sith who resided below the Temple. Despite knowing we'd already lost experienced Jedi down there, she willingly helped us investigate. Buffy used her knowledge, her skills and risked her own life to ensure our safety.” After a moment, Mace Windu added, “Your own boy, Obi-Wan Kenobi, was also a great help.”

Qui-Gon noted the way the man's face softened, and the sparkle that came into his eyes as he talked about Buffy. It appeared she had a champion in Mace Windu, which was rather odd since she'd coined his new nickname, Nick Fury.

“It seems Buffy's gained... admirers amongst the Jedi in the past few months,” Qui-Gon remarked. It gave the Master an opening, should the man have any suspicions regarding Obi-Wan having an attachment to Buffy. Although the two of them had often been at loggerheads in the past he'd most likely speak to the young knight's old master first. Wouldn't he?

Mace's attention drifted across to where Buffy stood. “And justly deserved! I've said a number of times if she'd access to the Force she'd make an exceptional Jedi. It's also a pity the Jedi Temple doesn't employ Slayers. There are several knights who've already expressed an interest in working with her, myself included. I have a bedroom and a meditation cushion going spare.”

Qui-Gon frowned and stole a doubtful glance at Buffy. He'd no idea why a Jedi would want to work alongside her. He could imagine the chaos she'd cause during delicate negotiations. No doubt the rest of the time she'd argue with everything you told her, wander off shopping, and probably sneak off to clubs on the pretense of looking for demons. No, he'd rather deal with Anakin.

“Don't you think it would be better for her to live somewhere else now?” he asked. “Is she still needing Obi-Wan's protection?” If they withdrew Obi-Wan's protection the mission would draw to a natural close and his former apprentice sent elsewhere. Away from the temptation on his doorstep.

Mace pursed his lips and slowly shook his head. “This has been discussed in meetings a number of times, but with her abilities, it's safer for all if she remains here. She's no family to speak of and there are many in the galaxy who'd try to exploit her unusual talents.” He leaned closer to the long-haired master and dropping his voice to little over a whisper, added, “I know this will go no further. But we have reason to believe another Sith Lord is at large and is working undercover in a powerful position in the galaxy. A live one I mean, not the undead one Buffy's been hunting for. The Jedi Council have now become concerned the Sith Lord is trying to get his hands on her, hence she needs our protection.”

“Master Yoda did say they came in pairs,” replied Qui-Gon thoughtfully. The news of another Sith was worrying but not totally unexpected.

“Exactly. The death of his apprentice means he'll be trying to find a new one to take his place. Master Yoda believes the Slayer, with all her unusual abilities and core of darkness, will be a magnet for a Sith. As evidence, he points to the fact there's been a spate of undead Sith Lords crawling out of their coffins trying to get at her since she appeared.”

“Any ideas who the Sith Lord could be?” asked Qui-Gon. If that was the apprentice who'd fought on Naboo, the master must be much, much worse.

“Master Yoda originally thought it was Buffy and her Sith-Queen mug didn't help in alleviating his suspicious. He thought she was rubbing his nose in it.” Mace grinned and began to chuckle. “Actually, I thought it more amusing than perturbing when she pulled the Sith-boy mug joke on me. I told her I enjoyed it, and she bought me a present. A mug with Darth Fury written on the side of it.”

Qui-Gon shot the man a surprised look. Mace had a sense of humor? When did that happen? “I take it Master Yoda has also changed his mind about Buffy?”

“Master Yoda now believes she has a core of darkness which acts as an attractant for creatures of the Dark Side rather than being an active Sith. However, he also says we should continue to watch her closely in case she strays onto the dark path. He's even offered his services in the form of one to one sessions with him in his private swamp, in case she needs it.” Mace didn't appear anxious regarding Yoda's concerns. The Jedi Master continued, “As for the Dark Lord of the Sith, we have a couple of leads, but it's early days and more inquiries are being made.”

“You'll keep me updated?” asked Qui-Gon quietly, and Mace nodded.

They continued along the corridor and as they approached Buffy they overhead the tail end of her conversation to Count Dooku, “...and no falling out with Obi-Wan!”

Count Dooku looked across the training room to where Obi-Wan and Quin stood with their heads together, before nodding brusquely to Buffy and walking off.

“Would you have a problem keeping Buffy entertained for a short while?” Qui-Gon asked Mace. “I can see my old padawan over there and I'd like to have an uninterrupted conversation with him regarding... Jedi business.”

Mace Windu straightened his robe, smoothed the skin back on his head, adjusted his utility belt, and puffed out his chest. “It'll be no problem but a pleasure.”

“Thank you,” replied Qui-Gon. “ I'll send Obi-Wan back over when I've finished with him.”

“Take your time,” said Mace, his smile widening. “There's no rush. I'll get my lightsaber out and let her have a close look at the electrum finish. I might even take her into the training room and show her some of my moves.”

A puzzled Qui-Gon watched as the Master bounced across to Buffy and engage her in conversation. Normally, Windu was a rather dour Jedi who he'd always thought took life far too seriously. Qui-Gon gave Buffy a long, thoughtful look as she turned to give the dark-skinned Jedi Master a dazzling smile and received one in return.

.............

“Master Qui-Gon, I believe you wished to speak to me?” Obi-Wan asked softly as he approached his former master. Coming to stand in front of him, he gave the man a small bow before folding his arms and keeping his head bowed in a gesture of respect.

“Ahh, I'm pleased the bond between us still works. It's been a while since it was last used,” Qui-Gon replied pleasantly. “I'd like to talk to you in private regarding a problem I have. I'd appreciate your input.”

Obi-Wan hesitated. His eyes darted inadvertently to where Buffy stood with Mace Windu inside the training room. Mace had unhooked his lightsaber, was pointing out the electrum detailing and explaining its significance.

“Buffy will be quite safe with Master Windu.” Qui-Gon gestured with a hand to the nearby stairs. “There's an empty viewing platform above. We'll have privacy and you can still keep an eye on your charge.”

“It isn't that I need to keep an eye on her. We have an important Jedi-Scooby meeting later,” explained Obi-Wan. “We've just been finding everyone and organizing it.”

“Oh, this won't take that long.” Without waiting for an answer, Qui-Gon moved quickly up the steps leading to the empty area above and once they'd both entered, closed the door behind them. As he did so he felt a ripple of unease from Obi-Wan before a strong mind and emotional shielding went up around him.

“No need to be uneasy. It's simply that I'd rather we weren't disturbed during our conversation.” Qui-Gon turned to see Obi-Wan, standing once more with his head bowed and his arms folded inside his sleeves. It was a stance he'd become closely familiar with for so many years.

A wave of nostalgia swept through the older Jedi and he'd a memory of the day he'd finally taken the youth as his padawan. Obi-Wan at thirteen had been a quiet boy with a strong, determined streak in him that had stood him in good stead over the years. He'd been a good padawan, obedient on the whole, perhaps a little too serious, but always reliable and very keen to learn. Not as noisy and cheeky as Anakin, or maybe he had been? Time might have dimmed the memories.

He studied Obi-Wan. The padawan braid and small ponytail were gone, to be replaced by longer hair that had lightened in color as it had grown. The warm blue eyes in his handsome face were as earnest and honest as ever, and there was no hint of the Dark Side about him. There was unease, yes, shielding, yes, but no darkness. For that Qui-Gon was thankful.

Walking over to the viewing window, Qui-Gon watched the couple below him. It seemed Buffy had become bored examining Mace's lightsaber and she'd taken out her own. From the excited look on her face, and the way she waved it, she was challenging the master to a training duel. He watched Mace Windu nod to her, and they took their respective positions in the training area.

“Count Dooku has gotten himself quite the little apprentice,” Qui-Gon mused, as he watched the opening of the duel. He'd seen Buffy fight before, but she'd gone on to develop a graceful yet flamboyant style of lightsaber dueling. He nodded to himself as it had confirmed something. “You can definitely see how Dooku's influenced her in both her stance and her style.”

“We all know what an exacting dueling master he is but their arguments during training sessions are becoming legendary. The Count complains she swaps from one lightsaber form to another far too frequently and she has yet to choose one to master in,” replied Obi-Wan. He'd come over to stand at the window to watch the fight. “He's putting it down to the fact it's all new to her and she's still experimenting. He hopes she'll make a choice at some point, but I can't see it happening myself. Buffy says, it's fun to mix fighting styles and it keeps the enemy on their toes.”

“I believe you've also changed your lightsaber form? You're using Soresu now?”

Obi-Wan nodded, his eyes on the Slayer as she spun across the floor to confront Mace who unleashed his aggressive Vaapad form. Buffy blocked each high energy impact blow and countered with one of her own. Obi-Wan watched her dance gracefully around the Jedi Master, wearing an unconcerned smile. Nick Fury wouldn't be pleased about that. His dueling opponents normally faced him with grim determination written all over their faces.

Obi-Wan explained, “After fighting Darth Maul that day on Naboo, I realized Soresu had its advantages. It definitely helps me with Buffy. As you can see, when she's not mocking an opponent her fighting style is extremely intense and aggressive. By using Soresu I use the minimum amount of energy in blocking her attacks and this wears her out before I collapse from exhaustion.” He smiled warmly. “The problem is she's becoming accustomed to it and is trying to find new ways to beat me. She detests losing.”

Qui-Gon watched the Slayer's red blade whirling through the air, meeting each strike from Mace's fast-moving blade and delivering her own high-energy blows. A feint to the left, followed by a swing to the right scored a surprise hit to the Jedi Masters thigh. “First hit to her,” he said in surprise. “I knew she was good when she fought Maul but her skill has improved with extra training.”

“Even Nick Fury will find her hard to defeat,” replied Obi-Wan, his eyes on the pair below him before looking back up to his old master. “You haven't brought me here to discuss fighting styles, have you? What is it you need me for?”

“Ahh.” Qui-Gon rubbed the side of his face thoughtfully. He'd played the conversation out several times in his head and each time he'd wondered how his old padawan would react. Now he was going to find out. “The truth of the matter, Obi-Wan is... that I know.” Seeing the blank look he added, “I know the full extent of your relationship with Buffy.” Seeing Obi-Wan open his mouth and sensing a denial, he added quickly, “Please don't lie and deny it. You really don't want to know how I found out.”

Obi-Wan looked away for a moment but then turned back to him and met his eyes unflinching. His mouth set into a stubborn, thin line. His accent sharp and precise he replied “I think it would be only courteous if you did tell me how you found out.”

Leaning his shoulder against the viewing window, Qui-Gon stole another look at the battle below. Mace Windu was fighting at Force enhanced speed, while Buffy used something similar. It reminded him of the way she'd fought Darth Maul on Naboo. Qui-Gon got a strong flash of memory from that day. He remembered the ache in his bones, exhaustion in each muscle, the feel of sweat pouring off him, and he remembered how his grip on the Force was slipping away from him. The cycling energy fields had separated him from Obi-Wan and Darth Maul had been pacing too and fro waiting for the chance to strike.

He'd closed his eyes and then... there she was. The small crazy blonde had seemingly leaped out of nowhere and began verbally abusing the Zabrack before taking him on with an old fashioned sword. She'd not only saved his life that day but risked her own in the process. Was the Force reminding him of his debt to Buffy? Yet the man she'd become close to was his old apprentice and he was a Jedi. Attachments were not allowed for good reasons.

“How do you know?” repeated Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon sighed, this wasn't going to be an easy thing to admit to. He and Obi-Wan shared a close bond and he'd always considered their relationship to be the nearest thing to a father and son. Finally, he said, “I saw you... hooking up your power coupling.”

There was a long pause during which his former apprentice looked blank. He'd even developed that crease between his eyes that only came when he was either concentrating the Force or he was confused.

“But Master,” Obi-Wan said slowly, reverting back to using the old title, “I haven't been near the shuttle hangar for weeks, and the last time I was there, I never went near any of the power couplings.”

So Obi-Wan wasn't familiar with that one. Qui-Gon stifled a groan and tried again. “You charged her loading ramp. I saw it in progress.”

The younger man mouthed the words 'loading ramp,' and then screwed his face up in complete bewilderment. He said tersely, with a shake of his head, “I'm afraid you've completely lost me. What has a shuttle got to do with anything? Buffy owns a speeder, not a... Oh.” Obi-Wan paled, and then flushed red. Bright red, all the way to the tips of his ears.

Qui-Gon looked away. It wasn't exactly a fond memory for him either.

“You ever thought of using the buzzer?” The tone was acidic for Obi-Wan. “Or do you enjoy breaking into apartments and sneaking around inside to spy on the occupants?” His old padawan had recovered faster than he thought he would.

“I was worried,” Qui-Gon replied gently. “Anakin came to me very upset. He said you and Buffy had been fighting in the corridor and when she didn't come back out he was worried something had happened to her. Otherwise, I'd never have entered your apartment as I did.  
However, the important point here, my young Jedi knight, is not my mistake of opening the door but yours of breaking the code.” Qui-Gon took a deep breath. Obi-Wan had admitted the misdeed, now to find out why and then persuade him to stop. “I'm really hoping you're going to tell me it was a one off or you were merely scratching at an itch. You might be a Jedi but you're still a young man. If your hormones took over in the face of a tempting offer, I won't think any less of you. It's not an unknown thing to happen. In fact, it's something many in the Order struggle with, at some point or other in their lives.”

There was waspish annoyance on Obi-Wan's face now. “Ah, yes. Count Dooku told me many of the Jedi like providing extra services while out on missions,” he snapped. “For some reason, you never let me in on that little secret, did you? All those times you nipped out to 'establish a contact'.”

Qui-Gon said nothing. His eyes were on the lightsaber duel below. He knew Obi-Wan was embarrassed, hurting, and only attacking him for that reason. “I never thought you'd be one to struggle, Obi-Wan. Even when temptation was placed in front of you, you were always very determined to stick with the code. I'm sorry if you feel I let you down.”

Obi-Wan raked his fingers through his red-blonde hair, he appeared to catch himself doing it and stopped. “Count Dooku said you probably hadn't told me because I was a nerd and no one would want me.”

Qui-Gon flinched. What was Dooku thinking? That comment must have really hurt Obi-Wan's feelings.

Following Obi-Wan's short stint in the service corps, it had taken Qui-Gon a while to build Obi-Wan's self-confidence as a padawan. He'd need to have sharp words with Dooku at some point for belittling the boy in that way. “That simply isn't true, Obi-Wan. I don't know why he even said it to you. Dooku can be... unkind. He wasn't the easiest of masters when I was his padawan and he appears to have worsened with age. There are a lot who'd want you, not just Buffy.”

Obi-Wan glanced down to where she still fought Windu. “It wasn't a one-off with her,” he admitted.

“You need to give her up,” Qui-Gon said firmly.

“I'd rather give up breathing!”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Qui-Gon lips formed a smile at the dramatic statement. “It's always better to keep breathing. The result of not doing so can be rather tragic.”

Obi-Wan stared down at Buffy. As he watched, she was struck on the leg by Mace Windu's amethyst blade just as she somersaulted over the Jedi Master. In retaliation, she managed to deliver a swift blow to the back of his neck which caused him to stagger forward. Normally the Jedi didn't aim for that area during their spars. Usually, they went for arms, legs, and torso. From the shock on Master Windu's face, he hadn't expected it either – that must have stung.

“My future is at Buffy's side,” said Obi-Wan, his eyes still on the duel below. “She loves me and I love her.”

“But what of the Jedi?” Qui-Gon asked. Obi-Wan could be stubborn, headstrong, and difficult to shake off course once his mind was made up, but he needed stopping. “The work we do with the Jedi is far more important than a relationship. Isn't stopping wars and bringing peace to the galaxy not important to you anymore? That's what I've been training you to do all these years.”

Obi-Wan's hands gripped the rail beneath the viewing window. “I'm sorry if you believe you've wasted your time training me. I am grateful for everything you've taught me, although it might not seem like that right now. However, Buffy's work is no less important than a Jedi's and she needs me.”

“I don't believe you will be ever a waste of my time or training Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon assured him. “I always thought you'd have a bright future in the Jedi Order and I still do.”

Obi-Wan gaze flicked to the older man and held his eyes. “You've always been a strong influence in my life. Teaching me the ways of the Force and how a dedicated Jedi should behave. No one could have a better master, but I believe Buffy's coming here is the work of the Force as well as the Powers that Be.” He gave Qui-Gon a meaningful look. “It's a chance for something new. For all of us. I'm sure you feel that too.”

Qui-Gon stared silently down at Buffy, remembering his earlier feelings but still feeling deep down that Obi-Wan should remain in the Jedi.

Obi-Wan continued, “I have a favor to ask of you. It's important Buffy remains protected at the Temple until we've eliminated the Sith vampire and bounty hunter threat. Therefore, I'd rather you didn't mention our relationship to the Council for now. Once the threat is over, we'll make arrangements to leave this place, possibly even Coruscant, for good.”

A wave of sadness went through Qui-Gon, at Obi-Wan's off-hand mention of leaving. If he left the Order it would probably mean he'd never see him again. He was asking for time and perhaps, by granting them that time, Obi-Wan, or even Buffy, might have a change of heart.

Solemnly, he nodded. “Very well. You have my silence on this... for now. However, there's something I need to warn you of and for you to think over. It's why strong attachments are a danger to Force users. We're not used to the very powerful emotions they create and there's the chance you could fall to the Dark Side because you're unable to handle them.”

Qui-Gon couldn't help but worry. A Jedi knight often led a harsh existence, with very little in the way of luxuries, but they always knew they could return to the Temple should they need to rebalance themselves in the Light Side of the Force. That option would be lost to Obi-Wan if he was expelled.

Next to him, the younger knight stance shifted, discomforted by the comment and an unidentifiable emotion flickered from him through the Force. Was he hiding something? Qui-Gon's eyes instantly narrowed on him.

Sensing suspicion, Obi-Wan turned to face his former master. Making sure to look at him as openly and reassuring as he could, he said “I've no intention of going dark. You can be secure in the knowledge that if I made the slightest move in that direction, Buffy wouldn't hesitate in stopping me.” His words rang with sincerity.

“It isn't a given. Simply something you should be aware of. The Dark Side tends to lure us when emotions run high.” Qui-Gon attention went to the Slayer below them, his mind running through their conversation as he did so.

Another unsettling thought occurred to him. Something more practical. He didn't want to ask but felt he should. Unable to meet the eyes of the young man next to him, he kept his gaze firmly fixed on the fight below them. “Regarding your intimate relations with Buffy. Obi-Wan, are you... do you... use... something?”

Obi-Wan tensed, his eyes widened, and his cheeks flooded with color at the question. He swallowed, his eyes darting to Qui-Gon's profile and away again. “Qui-Gon! We've a close bond, but I think that question is far too personal!”

“My apologies. You may have left my care, but your old master worries about you yet.”

Refusing to look at the man who'd been the closest thing to a father to him, Obi-Wan stared down at Buffy as he deliberated what to say. “If it eases your mind any, yes I do. I use Force control, she occasionally enjoys being levitated, and she mentioned that the Force Hold may have potential for fun, but she hasn't told me in what way yet.”

It was Qui-Gon's turn to blush. “I wasn't asking about your technique. I wanted to know if you'd... er, protected yourselves? From... future complications?”

“Ohhhh,” replied Obi-Wan. His neck had gone very red. “There's no need to worry. No one can read Buffy's mind and I've been very careful to keep up the mental shielding.” He thought about how Qui-Gon had opened the door and walked in on them so easily. Keeping curious Jedi out of his apartment wasn't going to be easy but there might be a way to delay them. “Do you think I should install an internal lock to delay unwanted visitors?”

“That's...” Qui-Gon stopped. Was Obi-Wan not as clueless as he first thought? “Yes! The internal lock to delay unwanted visitors is a very good idea.”

Both men, now feeling uncomfortable, stood watching the fight below them come to a close. Mace Windu claimed the victory, citing that the blow to the back of his neck didn't count. Buffy disputing it vehemently, claiming the hits he'd got on her later on didn't matter, as she could have chopped his head off with the blow to the back of the neck.

Qui-Gon watched the soft smile appearing on his former apprentice's face as he looked down on the Slayer standing up to the formidable Jedi Master.

“You're mind's made up then? Your heart is set on leaving the Jedi?”

Obi-Wan turned, and for the first time allowed his old master to glimpse his inner turmoil. “I've never foreseen a future for myself where I'm anything but a Jedi, yet I cannot face a future without her. How can I remain with the Order and always have her with me?”

“It's a choice, Obi-Wan. Not an easy one to make but you can't have both.” Qui-Gon put his hands on each of the shorter man's shoulders and sent him a warm wave of strength and support. “Personally, I don't want you throwing away a bright future inside the Order. On the other hand, nor do I wish to see you make a choice that renders you unhappy in the long-term. Unhappy Jedi don't tend to have long life spans.”

Obi-Wan gave a rueful smile. “I shall follow the advice you always told me in times of doubt. The Force always finds a way.”

The older man smiled softly back. “And may the Force be with you both.”

They were going to need it, especially when the Jedi Council found out about them.


	112. Andrew's Fault

The Jedi-Scooby meeting was due to start and Buffy and Andrew were already in Obi-Wan's apartment waiting for the others to arrive. The two of them were sitting on the couch watching the Jedi grow more and more anxious as time ticked by. The young knight had begun to pace up and down, glancing at the door as he did so, a small container clasped in his right hand.

Buffy was getting a double whammy of his unease. She not only had the strain of watching the anxious pacing but their mind-link was almost humming with his distress.

“I'm sure it'll be fine,” she said softly. “It isn't your fault.”

Without pausing in his pacing, Obi-Wan began to explain. “I specifically ordered the droids for an exact time. I was assured there'd be no problem.” His eyes went to the door, his robe swishing around his heels as he paced. “You know what Count Dooku will say if he arrives before the droids? He'll doubtless accuse me of careless ordering and being a simpleton. He already dislikes me and thinks I should never have been knighted.”

Buffy had enough of his stressing. Jumping to her feet, she stood directly in his path and placed her hand flat against his chest to stop the pacing. “Who cares what Dooku thinks? You can't let him get to you like this.”

She might have halted his pacing, but not his panic. Looking down at her, he continued, “He said I don't have what it takes to look after you properly. What happens if he contacts the Council and says another knight should be assigned to look after you as I'm not... ”

“You're gonna give yourself ulcer with all this worrying,” Buffy cut in. She rose up on tiptoe and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth, in the hope it would calm him.

Obi-Wan recoiled sharply away from her and shot a sheepish look at Andrew. The Watcher quickly faked interest in the shattered droid parts lying across the table.

Buffy didn't take offense at the way he'd pulled away. Obi-Wan was a Jedi and, if he was always going to be skittish about a show of affection in front of others (even those who knew their secret), she could live with it. As long as he was fine with them being a couple in private.

As for Count Dooku... ~Don't worry about Dooku. Leave him to me.~ Buffy assured him down their mind-link.

Obi-Wan responded with a tight smile. Pocketing the container and reaching up, he took the hand she'd placed in the center of his chest and moved it directly over his heart. He then covered it with both of his own and held it there, looking down at her. The warmth of his feelings reflected in his eyes and traveling down their mind-link.

Their moment was destroyed by the door buzzer. Obi-Wan jumped away as if he'd been scalded.

“I'll get it!” Andrew called automatically. He was at the door before realizing he was in Obi-Wan's apartment and the Jedi might want to answer his own door. Andrew came to a stop. He was so used to Buffy yelling at him to answer the door he'd done it without thinking.

“It's fine Andrew. It's only the droids,” Obi-Wan said, relief evident in his voice.

“My deepest apologies,” said Tweety, when the door slid open. His round eyes looking from one person to another. “We are precisely nine minutes and forty-eight seconds late and you can be assured not one second of that is my fault.” He minced into the room, followed by an astromech droid listing to one side with an obviously damaged leg. The astro droid gave a loud beep of protest at being blamed.

“I know you were in the maintenance bay, but it was only for minor repairs. You could have waited,” scolded Tweety. “It wasn't as if you were being sent to the opposite side of the galaxy.”

The little droid made a series of short beeps and one, very loud, protesting one.

“Droid lubricant? I doubt there is any droid lubricant in this apartment.” Tweety replied. “Why would they have droid lubricant in an apartment? This isn't maintenance. Oh, you astromech droids are so stupid at times.”

Ouch!” Tweety yelped. A panel had slid open on the astromech droid and a mechanical arm pressed itself against the larger droids leg. “You sent an electric current through my system!” wailed Tweety. “ I have some very sensitive circuitry There is no need for such rude behavior! I -”

“Enough!” ordered Obi-Wan. His nerves already frazzled, he wasn't in the mood to cope with a pair of bickering droids.

The smaller droid squeaked its way over and came to a stop in front of Buffy and Obi-Wan. It gave a long, low beep and the sensor on its head blinked on and off rapidly, as it stared first at the Jedi and then at Buffy. Without taking its optical lens off Buffy it gave a series of high chirpy beeps, followed by a long, low whistle of appreciation.

Buffy crouched down and gave it a little pat on the top of its head. “Hello there, back to you. It's nice to be recognized and it's lovely to meet you as well.”

Obi-Wan stared at her. He blinked, stared at the droid, then at Buffy, and blinked again. “You understand binary?”

Buffy straightened up. “Of course!” she replied, she couldn't help feeling a bit smug.

The Jedi's eyes fixed on hers. Amazed, he asked, “But... but how?”

She tutted in protest. “Honestly, Ubi? What do you think I've been doing these past few months? Sitting in my apartment doing my nails? Playing with my lightsaber? Checking out shoes on my datapad?”

“Well, yes?” He'd seen her doing those things - a lot.

His honesty earned him a 'friendly' slap to his arm. Which stung. Obi-Wan rubbed his upper arm and gave her a dirty look.

Buffy sulked. “I'm surprised at you! I thought you knew there was more to me than manicures, cute shoes, and slaying?” At the rise of his eyebrow, she huffed. “Andrew and I've been busy learning about this dimension. It's our home now and we're trying to fit in.”

Obi-Wan got a warm feeling at the way she said 'our home'. She was here to stay and wanted to fit in. He not only liked the sound of it but something inside him uncurled at her acceptance and made him feel lighter. With a faint smile to his lips, he explained, “I'm not saying you're incapable of doing anything besides your nails and shoe browsing. I know better. You've proven yourself to be both intelligent and a quick learner. However, I never expected you to learn binary as it's something many struggle with.”

“They don't call me Research-girl for nothing,” retorted Buffy, feeling slightly mollified.

“No one calls you Research-girl,” Andrew called over.

“That's beside the point,” replied Buffy. “Anyhow, me and Andrew have been learning stuff. Important stuff.” She paused. “You're pouting now, Obi-Wan. Why are you pouting?”

“I don't pout,” replied Obi-Wan, automatically denying it. He was still pouting and he knew it but that wasn't the point. “I was simply looking forward to teaching you.”

He hadn't said anything to her, but he'd been formulating lesson plans for her in his head and learning binary had been on the list. She might not be a young padawan but Buffy still needed a lot of training. Preferably without being told she was being trained as she could be infernally stubborn at being told what to do.

~You do pout. You also look cute when you do it and if you don't stop I'm going to be forced to kiss you again. If only to get you to stop.~ Buffy told him, via their link.

Obi-Wan's pout morphed into a smirk of delight at being told he was cute. Eyes twinkling, he replied, ~For Force sake, don't do it in front of Dooku! He's coming down the corridor now. We need to be careful. You never know when someone might unexpectedly arrive.~

That brought Qui-Gon to mind. He hadn't yet told her about that embarrassing conversation or how his old master had discovered their secret. Would Buffy become upset? Would she accost his old master in the corridor? He couldn't see Qui-Gon appreciating being called a voyeur. Perhaps he should filter the truth slightly? It might avoid unnecessary embarrassment.

But there were more important things to think about right now. Knowing Dooku would be at the door at any moment, Obi-Wan turned to the smaller droid. “I've a memory chip that I extracted from a burnt-out droid. I'd like you to run it. We are hoping that it may contain vital information regarding a case we are investigating.”

The astromech droid whistled in agreement. Then dropped a panel to allow the Jedi to insert the chip.

Before he did so, Obi-Wan addressed Tweety. “Your presence here was requested as I may need you to translate. Anything said here should be regarded as confidential and must not be discussed outside this room.”

“That will not be a problem. I do, however, have an override access code built-in by the Council. If one of the members wishes to know the contents of my memory, they are at liberty to access my files,” Tweety explained honestly.

Obi-Wan nodded. It was something he already knew. It was also the reason he'd sent Tweety back to the droid center despite Buffy saying she didn't mind having the droid around. He didn't want the Jedi Council accessing the droid's memory and spying on the Jedi-Scoobies.

Crouching alongside the R2 unit, he reached into his robe pocket and took out the container holding the precious memory chip. Placing it into the cradle he closed the panel. There was a series of clicks and beeps as the droid began to access the memory.

“Can you open the door, Andrew?” asked Obi-Wan, his eyes still on the droid.

“Eh?” Andrew gaped at him.

“Count Dooku and Quin are in the corridor outside. Can you let them in?”

The Watcher grinned. “Whoa. Cool Jedi senses.”

Count Dooku paused, before entering the room. Framed by the doorway, he dramatically threw back his dark brown cape over his shoulder and adjusted his grip on his walking stick. He then gave Andrew a curt nod before hobbling past him. Quin, with a grin on his face at the Count's antics, slouching in behind him. Pausing only to give Andrew a friendly slap on the shoulder he walked over to take his usual spot on the couch.

Smirking at the droid and Obi-Wan crouched beside it. Quin couldn't resist asking,“What type of holovid are we watching tonight? Is it going to be action or horror?”

“A chick flick, with lots and lots of smooching,” answered Buffy, with a playful smile. She bet they didn't show those at the Temple.

“That's cool. Some of us might have a chance of learning something new,” replied Quin, settling himself down on one end of the couch, his dark eyes flicking from Buffy to Obi-Wan and then to the droid again.

Obi-Wan smirked. “No point in getting over-excited.” He tugged a chair closer to the astromech droid. “If it's a Temple issue holovid they cut all the interesting parts.” His eyes met Buffy's and he added with a warm smile. “That's what tends to happen. Doubtlessly in case they give us bad ideas.”

Count Dooku spotted the smile and his own lip curled in distaste. He'd been hoping, somewhat in vain, that Buffy and Obi-Wan's attachment would have ended after their argument. Sadly, it appeared they were as close as ever.

“There's far too much banter going on with the younger generation of Jedi,” Dooku scolded. “We're here for a serious meeting. You're all acting like a bunch of padawans playing truant to watch illicit holovids.”

“There's nothing wrong with banter,” Buffy said firmly.

She'd a feeling Obi-Wan was right in thinking the Count was out to cause trouble for him. When she'd pulled Dooku up in the corridor earlier he hadn't shown the least bit of remorse for chucking Obi-Wan into a wall. Instead, he'd said 'Kenobi deserved it and also a great deal more,' but, when she'd asked, refused to say what he'd done wrong. Obi-Wan had also been tight-lipped about why the duel had escalated into a fight. The Jedi had a talent for being evasive when they wanted to be.

“Banter and quipping is what the Scooby gang is known for,” Buffy continued. “It's like a trans-dimensional superpower that should be embraced at every opportunity. Plus I'm a Slayer, not a Jedi. I enjoy movie nights.” She looked around as a thought occurred to her. “Hey, maybe we should make this movie night a regular thing? We could eat popcorn and enjoy all manner of sugary goodness.” She looked across to Andrew and couldn't resist teasing him. “I've got to warn you all, though. Andrew starts crying at the sad parts. Especially if someone's pet animal dies in a tragic way.

“I don't,” squeaked Andrew, horrified. He darted a look at Quin, went red, and looked away.

Buffy caught the look and the answering flash of horror on Quinlan Vos's face when he realized Andrew had a crush on him. She wondered if it was going to be one of Andrew's weird crushes, like the one he had on Spock and Captain Kirk, or if he was hoping it might lead to something more physical.

Across from her, Dooku was making himself at home on the only comfy armchair in the apartment. He arranged his cloak around himself and shot Obi-Wan a dark look from under stern, furrowed brows. Buffy watched as the Count took in the two droids, then glanced at Quin and Andrew, before his eyes drifted across to the damaged wall. He did a fast double take, eyes narrowing and head tilting as he thoroughly examined the cracks and the missing section of plaster from varying angles. She could almost see his sharp mind putting two and two together, and adding it all up to a fight.

The Count turned his attention to her next. His eyes carefully searching, trying to see if she bore any signs of battle scars or bruises. Well, he wouldn't find any. Her nifty Slayer healing had kicked in and taken care of the odd bruise. Buffy gave the Count an innocent smile, which didn't appear to alleviate his suspicions as he frowned at her. A bit like Giles, he was not to be fooled when she turned up the innocence.

Instead, Dooku turned his inspection onto Obi-Wan. The younger man had been all too aware the Master had drawn conclusions regarding his damaged wall. Obi-Wan pretended to be engrossed in screwing the lid back on the memory chip container and refused to catch the older man's eye.

Thankfully, before any awkward questions could be asked, the astromech droid flashed its sensor light and made a series of low beeps to signify it was ready to begin relaying the chip's information.

“Yay! Movie night's started,” said Buffy, prancing across to the couch. Quin instantly dived to the side to allow room for her next to him in the center position. No doubt so he wouldn't need to cuddle up to Andrew. It looked like Andrew would have to make-do with Rayne and the other Temple workers he'd become friends with.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan was giving directions to the R2 droid. “That's correct,” he was saying, “play what you have in chronological order please.”

The droid projected a smoky image onto the caff table which broke up with a loud whine that hurt Buffy's ears.

The droid beeped.

“That was the oldest one,” said Obi-Wan, stroking his upper lip. “Utterly useless.”

“Much like you,” Count Dooku said sourly, his face grim. “I hope you haven't wasted my time bringing me here to watch a series of broken images being played.” He glared at Obi-Wan. “I should have expected this to be a disaster, knowing you were in charge.

Obi-Wan flushed but refused to be provoked.

“Oi!” Buffy came to Obi-Wan's defense. “Count, you're the one who asked to be notified of any breakthrough as soon as we got one. Obi-Wan spent ages extracting that chip and he wanted us all to watch the first play through together. Stop trying to put him down. If all this grouching is about me and Obi-Wan falling out after the last meeting, that problem is over.”

The Count turned his dark glare on Buffy, who glared back. Looking away, he growled, “I sincerely doubt it is over and that's the problem.”

Buffy and Obi-Wan slid each other a guilty glance. On the couch, Andrew tensed. He wondered if Dooku had guessed Buffy was having an illegal affair with a Jedi and if the Count was going to lose his temper and go Darth Tyranus on them. On the other side of the couch, Quin wondered if Dooku was having prophetic visions about their future or if it was all part of his melodramatic personality.

The droid beeped once more.

“Ah, good,” said Obi-Wan smoothly, pleased they had a distraction from Dooku's acidic comments. “Another memory file has been accessed. We eagerly await you, my little friend.”

This time the ghostly blue image projected onto the caff table showed an out-of-focus dark cloaked figure, its face hidden by a mask. The 3D image lifted up its hand, there was a loud hiss and the hologram stuttered out.

“Beep,” bleeped the droid despondently. It gave a soft whistle and its head spun around to look at them all.

“And now we only have two more possible chances,” interpreted Obi-Wan, feeling deflated. “The rest are far too corrupted to play.”

Buffy still felt hopeful. “We might get lucky with the next one.”

Quin folded his arms and leaned back against the couch. “To be honest, I'm surprised anything survived on droid chip, it was so badly burned.”

“All a complete waste of time,” snapped Dooku. “Kenobi most likely showed a lack of care on the removal of valuable evidence. He probably dropped it into his cereal while eating his breakfast.” The Count's eyes went back to the damaged wall. “Or maybe he kicked the whole thing across the room in a temper.”

“Beep,” bleeped the droid despondently. It gave a soft whistle and its head spun around to look at them all.

“And now we only have two more possible chances,” interpreted Obi-Wan, feeling deflated. “The rest are far too corrupted to play.”

Buffy still felt hopeful. “We might get lucky with the next one.”

Quin folded his arms and leaned back against the couch. “To be honest, I'm surprised anything survived on droid chip, it was so badly burned.”

“All a complete waste of time,” snapped Dooku. “Kenobi most likely showed a lack of care on the removal of valuable evidence. He probably dropped it into his cereal while eating his breakfast.” The Count's eyes went back to the damaged wall. “Or maybe he kicked the whole thing across the room in a temper.”

“No, I did not!” snapped Obi-Wan. He wasn't able to control what the droid chip contained, but felt under pressure to provide good results. “Do stop complaining!”

Count Dooku half rose from his chair. “I'm not going to put up with you speaking to me in that way! Who are you to give me orders? You're nothing but a jumped up knight who can't even keep it in his...”

“Don't speak to me like that either!” Obi-Wan broke in. “And after what you told me, don't presume to lecture me on celi-”

“SHUT UP!” snapped Buffy. She rose to her feet, folded her arms and glared at them both. “Both of you... just... stop it. Honestly, I thought I had my work cut out with Dawn. but you two are behaving more like squabbling two-year-olds than Jedi.” She pointed at the Count. “You,” she said, “stop being such a Debbie Downer and you,” she pointed at Obi-Wan, “just get the droid to play the holograms and stop being overly dramatic.”

Count Dooku, now affronted, sat inside his cloak looking like a bird with its feathers ruffled, while Obi-Wan pouted but told the droid to continue with projecting the recordings.

This time the image of the cloaked, masked figure crackled intermittently as it went in and out of focus but held. Despite the audio crackling with constant static, they could all hear the creature's low snarling voice with an odd lisp. “....Jango Fett hath been paid well to collect her...” The picture and sound dissolved but came back a few seconds later. “...failure of an apprentith... the... hideaway needth to be... prepared.”

“Play the next one,” Obi-Wan was leaning forward in his seat now, his face eager.

The droid beeped and the last hologram began to play. Once more it showed the tall cloaked figure but this time unmasked. It revealed the face of the Pau'an they knew to be Darth Desolate. His pale lined skin, glowing eyes, and large crooked teeth making him instantly recognizable.

“Another failure!” the Sith vampire snarled. The image flickered to a stop but after a moment began to play once again. “... too many Jedi protecting ... now requethtting more creditth! I need her! I need to drink the blood from the thtrongetht Thith in the galaxy! Get me the Thith-Queen. Pay what it taketh! I await you on...” the audio screeched and the 3D image of the angry Sith Lord dissolved.

The three Jedi, and Andrew, all turned to look at Buffy at the mention of a Sith-Queen. Buffy's mouth pressed into a thin line, she glanced at the two droids before turning back to the Scooby gang and making a zipper motion across her mouth.

Although the Jedi hadn't a clue what the gesture meant, they understood the general idea behind it. Quiet now, talk later.

“Blooop, beeep,” drawled the astro droid sadly.

“Thank you, you did your best,” replied Obi-Wan. “I shall remove the original chip now and keep it safe, but you'll still have the files downloaded?”

“Blip!” The small droid dropped down a panel and Obi-Wan carefully retrieved the chip he'd inserted previously. “Beep, beeep beep, blip eeep.”

“He's going to keep trying to access the files while he's under repair?” asked Buffy, her nose screwing up as she translated. “That's right isn't it?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “He's going back to maintenance for necessary repairs but says he'll continue trying to analyze the files. There may be information regarding navigation routes etc. He isn't sure if they are simply the maps supplied with the original purchase or installed by the droid's last owner.”

“I got all that,” said Andrew, smugly to Buffy. She hadn't so she tutted and rolled her eyes at him.

“Tweety, we won't need you further,” Obi-Wan told the protocol droid. “Our suspect converses in Basic.”

“ I see, Sir,” Tweety's head turned in his direction. “I must say I enjoyed seeing you all again and getting out gave me a change of air. Not that I need air to breathe, but I am sure you will understand the meaning behind the phrase.” His head moved to face Buffy. “Miss Slayer, if you're going off on any further adventures, I'd like to come with you. We had such fun last time. Apart from me being thrown head first into the garbage heap. That was not so enjoyable nor was removing the troglodyte bloodstains. They worked their way into...”

“BEEEP.”

The protocol droid turned to the smaller droid. “Yes, I am sure you would enjoy a slaying adventure and wouldn't be one to complain about coming back dirty. However, no one has...”

The astro droid made a disbelieving beep.

“I may be a protocol droid but I have an adventurous life. Did I ever tell you about...”

“For Force sake!” snarled the Count, breaking up the droid chatter. He shifted in his chair, lifting his cloak away from his neck. It was hot in this apartment, there was annoying damage to the wall that no one was explaining, and now the droids were bothering him. “I can tell those droids were your choice, Kenobi,” he growled. “They have the same irritating manner. Get rid of them so we can discuss the threat to Miss Summers' life!”

“Er, that will be all. Thank you for your help,” Obi-Wan politely said to the droids. Even if they were annoying, he didn't see any need for rudeness. “R2 what's your designation? I'll need to take you before the Council shortly and you mustn't be booked out beforehand.”

“His designation is R2 BK, Knight Kenobi,” Tweety said helpfully.

“That's easy to remember.” Buffy smiled in relief. She'd been in a panic in case the droid turned out to be the famous R2D2. If it had been, Andrew would have probably insisted on keeping it in his bedroom to play with. “BeKay, the bucket droid.”

The droid seemed to like her name for it. It gave a series of cheerful coos and whistles, spun it's head around in circles, before following the protocol out the door.

“I quite like those two,” Andrew grinned and gave Buffy a meaningful prod to her leg. She purposefully ignored him in case he released his inner geek. He continued relentlessly, “They remind me of a pair of droids I remember seeing in a movie series.”

Quin sat up and stretched out his long legs in front of him. “They were annoying me. Now they've gone, we can talk freely without the Jedi Council being able to spy on us.” None of the Jedi in the room trusted the Council where Buffy's welfare was involved.

“Yeah, they are annoying,” agreed Andrew, “but I still like them.” He gave Buffy another prod so they could share a 3PO and Artoo joke but she ignored him again. Sometimes he thought Buffy was wasted in the Star Wars dimension. Xander would have been more fun.

“Never mind the droids. What about me?!” Buffy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. “ I've got Nosferatu gunning for me because he thinks I'm the Sith-Queen. He wants to turn me into a Sith Slayer slushy!”

“As soon as I saw that mug, I had one of my bad feelings about it,” said Obi-Wan. “The Force was telling me it wasn't a good idea.”

He was doing his Jedi arm fold and giving her a very judgmental look. Buffy snorted, to let him know she wasn't going to put up with one of his scolding lectures or listen to him, as he bragged about his Force connection.

Obi-Wan sighed. He knew the damage was already done, but he couldn't resist adding, “This is what happens when you make jokes about a lethal enemy like the Sith. I blame myself. I should have put a stop to it at the very beginning.”

It jogged Buffy's memory. “ Andrew! This is all your fault!”

“Me?” Andrew asked, bewildered. “What have I done?”

Buffy prodded him in his chest. It was a hard prod, too, because he'd prodded her in the leg earlier and it had annoyed her. “You crossed the word Slayer off my Slayer-Queen mug and wrote Sith over the top. You started it. Now I've got a Sith vampire chasing me.”

“I only did it because you broke the head off Princess Leia! She was a collector's item!” he groused. He'd paid a lot for the figure and it was the only thing he'd left from his old life, if you didn't count his clothes. He added, “Anyway, there could be another Sith Queen at large. It could be a coincidence. The vamp might not want you to be his Slushy!”

“Yeah? Jay trying to kidnap me is just a coincidence? Are you saying it's personal? Maybe he wants to ask me out for a drink and is a bit shy? He thought he'd win me over by throwing poisonous bugs at me?” Buffy gave him a full-on glare. “Coincidence? You know what? I don't believe in leprechauns either.”

“But Buffy, there might be leprechauns in this dimension,” Andrew argued petulantly. “How do you know there isn't? There could be a planet or a moon somewhere full of leprechauns. There's one with teddies on it.”

Count Dooku cleared his throat. Loudly. He could see the meeting getting off track once more. “I think it's safe to say that Miss Summers is the Sith Queen Darth Desolate is trying to kidnap. No doubt he heard of your extraordinary abilities and your Sith Queen mug, then put two and two together. There were probably a lot more Sith Queens about when he was alive.”

“It cut off before we found out where he's hiding,” Buffy said, thinking about the holomessage. “I've got a feeling his new lair is on Naboo. I've been researching and there are these crystal caverns near a group of Sith tombs. My inner Slayer is telling me I should go and look in there. It's near all the shoe places.” She could go check out the caverns, the Sith tombs and call in at the shoe places later. Multi-tasking.

“Miss Summers, their lair could be anywhere,” replied the Count. “A shoe shopping excursion is not a good reason to endanger yourself. None of us are fooled by your claim it's to look for vampires.”

Buffy pouted.

She pout became more pronounced, when Obi-Wan added, “I agree. We need more information before we start booking trips away to Naboo.” He gave her a narrow look. “In the meantime, you are not to go anywhere outside the Temple without a Jedi with you at all times.”


	113. Chapter 113

Inside the Council antechamber, the young Jedi Knight stood awaiting the Masters. He was dressed immaculately, in an ironed, spotlessly clean beige tunic, brown robe, and polished brown boots. Even the sunlight, pouring through the window behind him, only served to reinforce the image of perfection. The sunshine turning his red hair to molten gold and cast a subtle play of light and shade upon his serenely handsome face. His stance, one arm crossed over his body, the other rubbing at his lip, suggested a deep thinker. To any passing observer, he was the epitome of a young Jedi Knight standing placidly as he awaited his turn in the chamber.

But the Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi, was internally was far from serene. Even when accompanying his old master as a padawan he'd never felt at ease in front of the Council. When faced with the ring of judgemental faces he was never sure how much information to provide. Usually, he over-compensated by going into too much unnecessary detail. It was a propensity that even irritated the normally easy-going Qui-Gon Jinn on occasion.

Today though, Obi-Wan's objective was not to provide them with a comprehensive report on his mission. He intended to relay the information on the droid's chip and leave as fast as he could without drawing suspicion.

What if the Masters noted his subtle, but hopefully solid, mind-shielding? It was possible. He was still a young and inexperienced knight and the Council Masters were amongst the most intelligent and powerful Force users in the galaxy. Not only were they more experienced than him, but they had the authority to question him. Continually. Over and over, until they were satisfied with all his answers. It was thus imperative for him to appear open and honest in his dealings with them if he wished to avoid a full-scale interrogation.

He realized how lucky he'd been the last few Council meetings. Buffy's strange ability to bewitch and bewilder the Masters with her confusing speeches had always taken the focus off him. Without her dominating presence and the way she could steer the conversation (even with her silences), there was a distinct possibility the Masters may uncover his rule-breakage. Obi-Wan's thoughts stuttered to a halt. Rule-breakage wasn't a proper word and showed he'd already started to use Buffy-isms without being aware of it. That was not a good sign. What else would he let slip without being aware of it?

I must keep to the point. I mustn't become distracted. I must remain open and not act suspiciously. When talking of Buffy, I need to think of her killing rather than kissing... NO! Do not think of that!

Tugging at his errant thoughts, he turned to the windows. The weather was nice. Sunshine reflected off the surfaces of the airspeeders below him and also on the larger spacecraft that shot past at higher altitudes. The skies were blue. White clouds drifted by. He took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Modifying his breathing while allowing his thoughts to drift into the distance, in the same manner the clouds outside also drifted away. Obi-Wan gradually slipped into a meditative state and from there calmly found his balance and serenity.

After a good while, the Council Chambers doors slid open.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” called Eeth Koth, the Zabrack Council Member. He stood to one side of the large doorway, his gaze moving from the knight to the astromech droid with open curiosity. “We are ready for your report now.”

Obi-Wan nodded and calmly entered the chamber with BeaKy the droid rolling on his heels.

….........

Far below the Council chamber, Buffy cautiously opened the door to the roof of the Jedi Temple and walked out into the warmth of the Coruscant sunshine.

Moving along the paved areas between the huge transparisteel roof lights, she cut across the roof towards her favorite quiet spot. She'd no idea if she was supposed to be up here. She'd made a point of never stopping anyone to ask if the place was out of bounds. Not that she'd met many in this section and those she had were either service workers or Jedi who'd been too busy to question her. If anyone did ask, she'd already gotten herself an excuse in hand. She'd claim she'd come up to meditate in solitude. The Jedi were suckers when it came to the meditating excuse. Plus the views were amazing and totally worth coming up for.

Buffy knew the Temple had originally been built around a high mountain top. She'd come across a rocky outcrop inside one of the rooms whilst out exploring and asked Andrew, who'd been snooping along with her. Since back in their dimension he'd a fold-out map of the Temple (courtesy of Star Wars Monthly) pinned to his bedroom wall, he'd been able to explain.

He said the Jedi thought the Force was strong in the mountain and that's why they'd built their Temple around it instead of taking a wrecking ball to it. Buffy hadn't bothered commenting on how weird that was, mainly because everything was weird in this dimension and it had got to the stage she was tired of saying it.

She came to a stop, shaded her eyes from the sun and looked around her. From up here, she could see many of the region's major landmark buildings dotted about her. She even knew what most of them were. Obi-Wan had made a big issue of pointing each one out to her on several occasions. He'd also ran a quiz to see if she'd taken the information in.

One of those most prominent buildings on the horizon was the mushroom-shaped Senate. When up here Buffy purposely always avoided looking in that direction. She always worried in case Sid sensed she was looking that way and thought she fancied a bit of his company.

Buffy shuddered.

The Dark Lord of the Sith was a nuisance. The more she told him she wasn't interested in becoming his side-kick the more fixated he became. He was getting hard to shake off and her subtle refusals were no longer cutting it. Sid most likely thought she was his Sith-Queen and they were a match made in... the Dark Force. Andrew's mug had a lot to answer for.

Curling her lip at Sith boys in general (dead or alive), Buffy walked over to one of her favorite spots, sat down, and placed her light snack down on the wall beside her. She'd planned ahead by calling into the cafeteria and collecting half a dozen chicken caesar salad wraps and a large caff in an insulated carton.

Tying her long-sleeved wrap around the waistband of her shorts, she leaned back against the higher section of the wall, closed her eyes and tilted her face towards the sun. If anyone came by and asked, she was meditating on the Force and, hopefully, getting a tan at the same time. It felt that no sooner had she closed her eyes and begun to relax when someone disturbed her.

“Buffy!” yelled a voice. It came from the direction of the nearest rooftop door.

Buffy winced. Anakin. She'd not sensed him following her (he gave off weird shimmery vibes), so he'd either seen her out here or hunted her down.

Pasting on a friendly fake smile Buffy turned to watch him. Anakin Skywalker ran down the paved areas towards her, his short, light blonde hair shining in the sunshine, his little braid bouncing over his shoulder and looking cute in his mini-me Jedi robes. He wasn't a bad kid, but she'd come up here to get away from Andrew and wasn't in the mood for a nine year old whining at her to be his girlfriend.

The small boy slid down next to her on the floor, looking suddenly shy.

“What are you up to Anakin? Have you no classes today?”

His eyes widened, his mouth pressed together, and he shook his head very fast making his braid bounce so hard it nearly hit him in the face.

Buffy narrowed her eyes. The kid was playing truant. Not that she blamed him. It was too nice a day to be cooped up inside a stuffy classroom somewhere. She'd played hooky for the same reason too many times in the past to tell him off.

When she didn't question or rebuke him he relaxed. “I wanted to check you were okay?” He asked, leaning back against the wall, his hand up against the blockwork and fingers tracing the chinks. “Where did you go after you had the fight with Obi-Wan? Master Qui-Gon said you were fine and I wasn't to worry about you.”

She inwardly winced. Qui-Gon had discovered she and Obi-Wan were having a relationship that day. “I'm fine. Sorry, I got caught up in... stuff and completely forgot to tell you.”

“It's okay. I was just worried. Want to see me do a trick?” Anakin rubbed the dust from his hands, pulled his lightsaber from his pocket and started to spin it around in his hand. “I'm best with my right hand but I'm getting better with my left.”

“Hey, I like that,” praised Buffy, and Anakin's face lit up.

She pulled her stake from the back of her waistband and showed him a couple of flamboyant Slayer speed spins she'd perfected over the years. Giles had always complained. He claimed her time could be better spent studying demonology texts, but it was more fun perfecting stake spinning than researching demon rituals.

At least Anakin appreciated her tricks. He borrowed her stake and immediately started copying her while she gave him a few tips. Not that he needed many, the kid was a fast learner and his Force ability helped.

“Can I keep the stake?” he asked. “In case I see any vamps lurking and need to impale them on it?”

She nodded. It wasn't like she didn't carry a spare. “Yeah, of course, you can. Always make sure you get them through their hearts though. And pull it out again, or else it dusts along with the vamp. It's sort of an impale and ex-pale move. You hesitate, it dusts and next thing you know, you're surrounded by a vampire gang, weaponless.”

“Thanks, Buffy. You're the best!” He surprised her by giving her an un-Jedi like hug. Then he immediately went back to stake spinning. Poor kid was easily pleased. She'd have preferred a pretty lightsaber to a sharp stick at his age. Well, maybe, at nine she'd probably have preferred ice skates.

“Do you want to share my chicken Ceasar wraps?” Buffy asked, opening the packet and offering him one. “I grabbed six in case I got hungry. I'm not sure if they are chicken, or if it's a salad or even a wrap but they taste good.”

After eagerly taking one, Anakin sat on the wall munching away.

Buffy sipped her coffee and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her face. Closing her eyes, she felt out through the Force the way Obi-Wan had shown her. Anakin next to her was jarringly bright. He'd finished eating and was quietly playing with the stake as if it was the most amazing thing he'd seen in his life. She stretched her senses further. Below her, the Jedi Temple was teeming with strange beings her inner Slayer recognized as not-demons-but-aliens. High above them, she could feel Mr Pink Sparkles in the Jedi Council room lecturing them on Sith vampires. Obi-Wan was doing a good job of hiding his pink sparkles. He was just Mr Shiny today.

Something else pinged her senses. Not alien, this one was definitely human, and not shiny. It hovered a short distance from the Temple in some sort of spacecraft. Normally she didn't pay much attention to spaceships while she sat up here. There was a lot of coming and going at the Temple and the Jedi also stored some of their vehicles on the roof.

But her inner Slayer quietly whispered she knew this newcomer.

Opening her eyes, Buffy watched as the small craft appeared over the edge of the Temple. It circled the roof as if searching for something. Somewhere it could land? Most pilots who visited were familiar with the Temple layout. A stranger to the Temple then. Surely they'd have codes to have even gotten this close?

The craft hovered, then dropped lower, much closer to the roof and not in a designated landing area. Buffy watched as a door opened and a figure leaped out, landing neatly on the temple roof in a three-point crouch before the craft shot away.

That was odd.

The newcomer, rose to his feet, scanning the rooftop to see if he'd drawn attention before turning his focus to her.

“Who's that?” asked Anakin. Stake twirling forgotten, he peered over at the armored man.

“I don't know.” Buffy had a feeling she did know. Yet his helmet and visor completely concealed his face. Surely not? On the other hand, there were a lot of weird things in this dimension so it could really be him. In which case, she knew who he was, but not what was he doing here.

The helmeted figure used his rocket pack to rise into the air, flying across an open transparisteel roof opening towards her.

“I know who that is,” Buffy said. Her face transfixed, her voice full of awe. “It's Ironman!” What was Ironman doing in the Star Wars dimension? Andrew was going to go nuts about this!

“Who's Iron man?” asked Anakin. The Force was telling him to be wary. “I don't like him.”

The helmeted man was closer now. Only a couple of open transparasteel windows to fly across and then he'd be on their section of walkway.

“It's Tony Stark! Whoohooo!” Buffy squealed. She had no idea why Ironman was visiting the Jedi Temple unless he was looking for Nick Fury.

Anakin screwed up his face, puzzled. He'd learned about different types of armor and he'd taken note, as it looked cool, although he'd prefer it if it was in black. “Is your friend Tony a Mandalorian?” he asked. “He's wearing Mandalorian armor.”

“Huh?” Buffy's eyes were on Ironman as his rocket pack lifted him over another transparisteel rooftop opening as he hurtled towards her. “Tony isn't a Delorean.”

“Buffy, I'm sensing ill intent!” called Anakin in urgent warning. He unhooked his lightsaber, ready to ignite it and got into a defensive crouch slightly in front of her in case she needed protecting.

Buffy frowned. The Force was bouncing around her and her inner Slayer squirmed with discomfort at the sensation. This wasn't Tony. Which was a shame, as she'd been looking forward to freaking Andrew out when she'd introduced him. Speaking of the Sci-Fi Geek, this must be one of his favorite characters from the Star Wars Universe.

Reaching a decision, Buffy said, “I think you're right. Ani, I want you to go back inside. I've got a plan and need you out the way for it to work.”

….................  
Obi-Wan stood inside the circle of masters. His eyes were fixed on a point slightly over the left shoulder of Master Yoda as he delivered his latest report in the calm and emotionless voice most Jedi strove for when facing the Council. Gesturing to the droid by his side, he explained its importance and at Yoda's nod, the Council chamber windows were darkened. BeaKy then projected the broken Sith Vampire images to the Jedi Masters.

When the images finished playing, the masters spent a good while staring thoughtfully at the droid. Obi-Wan, meanwhile, continued to gaze serenely at the spot to the left of Master Yoda as he awaited the inevitable questions.

“Is that all there is? Was it not possible to mend the damaged droid?” asked Master Ki-Adi-Mundi. There was a frown to his face that traveled all the way up the lines in his long head. “I understood you'd been ordering parts and had plans to bring it back to full working order.”

“Despite my best efforts and only after much work attempting to rebuild it, I had to admit the droid was too badly damaged,” replied Obi-Wan with a small sigh. He didn't add, 'especially after Buffy kicked it onto the floor'. Instead, he added defensively, “From the amount of damage done to the droid by its previous owner, I believe we are lucky any recordings survived. At least now we have a motive and a confirmation of the person's identity behind these kidnapping attempts.”

Master Windu smiled sympathetically. “Don't worry, Obi-Wan. No one doubts your commitment to this mission. I noticed myself the droid was extremely damaged when I first saw Buffy with it.” His eyes flicked to the door to the chamber. “Where is Buffy today? I expected to see her with you.”

“Asked not to bring Slayer, he was,” explained the Grand Master. He gave Master Windu a warning look, especially at the way the man's mouth turned downwards when he heard Buffy wasn't due to see the Council. “ A Jedi, she is not.”

“From those recordings,” began Ki-Adi-Mundi, “Darth Desolate thinks Buffy is not only a powerful Sith but also Queen of the Sith.” The master nodded his long head thoughtfully. “He believes he can gain her power from drinking her blood.”

“Why does he think she's a Sith?” Plo Koon asked. He didn't often talk during meetings, preferring to listen and make observations later, but this was confusing him. “Has he met Buffy? How did he find out about her?”

Behind his goggles, Plo Koon's eyes darted from the small droid to Obi-Wan. He wasn't sure about the young knight. Something seemed off about him. Was he shielding? Or had he simply over-indulged in meditating before coming here? Qui-Gon's old padawan had always been talkative in the past. Now he was... oddly quiet.

“Powerful, she is,” Yoda said sagely. “Tell you, I did. Want her, all the Sith do. Seen her on CNN, he must have.”

“Or possibly he spotted her when she was out shopping,” Master Adi Gallia interjected. She went on to explain, “You never know who's watching you. I've had all sorts coming on to me when I'm browsing for eyeliner.” She fluttered her eyelashes demurely as her fellow masters looked at her eyes. Well known in the Temple for her exotic make-up, Adi Gallia had recommended several shops selling high quality make-up, at very affordable prices, to the Slayer.

“I don't believe it's important how he found out about her,” said Mace. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his legs, hands clasped. “What is important is that this Sith vampire wants to drink her blood.” He shook his head, his lip curled in distaste. “I know we should always make allowances for cultural differences, but I really don't like these Sith vampires. Crawling out of coffins when they are supposed to be dead, locking onto peoples necks, and sucking out their blood. Not to mention how they use Dark Side magic to reanimate the dead and create zombies. They're worse than the live Sith Lords.”

“Knight Kenobi, have you any clues to where this vampire and his apprentice might now be hiding?” Master Plo Koon asked Obi-Wan. He'd noted the young knight staring out into space during the conversation. His Force senses told him the young man hadn't been sniffing spice but it was very odd behavior.

The young knight shifted his gaze to the Kel Dor male. His voice flat, and even “I am sorry, there are no further clues.” He hesitated as if considering whether to give further information and then added resignedly, “Buffy has a hunch they are hiding out on Naboo. Quinlan Vos picked up a Naboo connection several times from items found previously and she started researching the planet. She's discovered the existence of old crystal caverns in the vicinity of ancient Sith Tombs and she believes these disused caverns are worth investigating.”

All the masters noticed that, although Obi-Wan wasn't disregarding the theory outright, he didn't sound overly convinced the vampires were on Naboo.

“Is there a problem with Naboo?” asked Mace Windu. Buffy had the most experience hunting vampires in their natural environment. If she thought the Sith vampire was hiding out on Naboo, it could be worth looking into. If Obi-Wan didn't want to go with her, he'd offer his own services for her expedition. “It seems a sound theory to me.”

Obi-Wan shifted his weight from foot to foot uneasily. “There's nothing wrong with the theory. There are caverns on Naboo, there are Sith Tombs on Naboo, and we have found the vampire has connections to Naboo. However...” he trailed off and shrugged. Not wanting to appear condescending to Buffy's theory, on the other hand knowing she had other reasons for visiting the planet.

“However?” Ki-Adi-Mundi was confused. “I don't understand.”

Obi-Wan straightened his shoulders and stared at the space above the master's shoulder. “It's because of the shoes, Masters. Both myself and Count Dooku are concerned Buffy has been swayed by the existence of workshops on Naboo that create pretty shoes.”

This left all the Jedi Masters speechless.

Finally, Master Yoda carefully asked, “Near Sith tombs, these shoe places are, hmm?”

Obi-Wan nodded glumly.

“Are you sure there are shoe shops next to the Sith tombs?” Ki-Adi-Mundi tapped his fingers on his chair arm and frowned at Obi-Wan in disbelief. From his own experience, Sith Tombs were mostly found in remote regions or in places avoided by locals due to the negative forces. “You'd think a Sith tomb wouldn't be a good place to open a business.”

Obi-Wan gave a small resigned sigh. “According to Buffy, the Sith tombs are in the Lake country where there isn't a great deal of employment. I believe small villages in that region undertake outwork for some of the galaxies most renowned shoe designers,” he explained. Then, because he always felt the need to explain further and this was a safe topic to expand on, he continued. “The Lake country has a long history of small bespoke workshops that originally grew up around the crystal caverns in the area. These craftsmen specialized in shoes decorated with expensive crystals. These shoes became a status symbol for royalty, and from then on, the rich and famous picked up on the trend. The crystals have been long mined out but the workshops continue. Buffy says they also produce a more affordable line and noted they currently have a sale on. She says she'd like to call in and browse while investigating the possibility of vampires in the area.”

There was a long pause, during which many meaningful looks were exchanged amongst the Jedi Council members. All agreed it was likely investigations into the Naboo caverns would turn out to be a wild Bantha chase.

“Any news on the bounty hunter, Jango Fett?” asked Mace Windu, changing the subject.

“None whatsoever,” replied Obi-Wan, despondently. “Buffy isn't happy about being kept inside the Temple either. It's not easy to keep her entertained.” He paused, there was an awkward silence and Obi-Wan could feel a blush rising as he tried not to think of all the different ways he'd kept her occupied. He quickly sought to cover it by adding, “Count Dooku, despite his damaged leg, has resumed her lightsaber lessons and I've been putting a lesson plan together with the aim to teach her... er, astro-navigation, physics, and so on.”

A sly look came over Master Yoda's face. “A master and padawan bond, you two almost have.” He gave the window behind Mace Windu's chair a pointed look. Master Yoda had made sure no further telepathy tests were carried out in rooms with reflective surfaces, in case they had any devious Slayer types amongst the Jedi youngsters. He still felt miffed that he'd missed it after all these centuries.

A jolt of panic hit Obi-Wan at Master Yoda's words. Before he could stop himself he shot a startled look at the green Master and caught him staring at the window behind Mace Windu's chair.  
Did Yoda know he and Buffy had been in the Council chamber testing her telepathic ability? How could he know? Had he been present? Did he know about their bond? What else did he know about?

Yoda's eyes left the window to look straight into Obi-Wan's eyes. Idling noticing the panic and the shielding in the young knight, he said, “Reason to believe another wants Buffy, we have.”

“Who?” Obi-Wan's voice was barely above a whisper.

Master Yoda pointed an admonishing finger at him. “Question us, you will not. A full investigation, the Council shall make.”

“As official Jedi guardian to Buffy, Knight Kenobi needs to know that serious accusations have been made.” Master Windu's face looked sternly across at the knight stood in front of him. “I believe he needs an official warning.”

Obi-Wan paled, then flushed. His heart rate increased, he felt sweat start to form on his forehead, and he'd the urge to rub his sweaty palms on his robe. How did they know? He thought he'd been careful! Had he and Buffy done something to alert them? Had Qui-Gon's said something? Count Dooku?

Master Windu's dark, unyielding eyes bore into Obi-Wan's. “Everyone here knows how much he wants Buffy. We've all witnessed the way he is around her. None of us expected such behavior and it's sickened us to see...”

Yoda banged his gimer stick on the floor and glared over at Mace Windu. “ Silent, you must be!” Innocent, he may be yet. A full unbiased investigation, we must make.”

Master Ki-Adi-Mundi cleared his throat. “I agree with Master Windu, Obi-Wan needs warning. The matter is too serious not to do so,” The Cerean master crossed his legs showing off his latest bucket top boots. They weren't the most comfortable ones in his wardrobe but he'd put them on thinking Buffy would be attending. “I know we don't have the evidence yet to proceed to full disclosure, but Obi-Wan should know the Council is taking these accusations very seriously. After all, the information has come from two different reputable sources and we've all seen the way his behavior has changed since Buffy Summers arrived.”

Master Yoda looked about the Chamber, each master in turn nodded their agreement to the disclosure to him. Feeling slightly displeased at being outvoted, he looked across to the knight standing in the middle of the circle.

Obi-Wan, now aware of all the Masters looking at him, chanted the Jedi code under his breath and fought valiantly to maintain his Jedi calm in the face of what was to come.


	114. Slayer on The Roof

Surrounded by cold transparisteel, hard marble and the stern faces of the Council Masters, Obi-Wan desperately tried to hold on to the remnants of his Jedi calm. He remained standing in the classic Jedi pose, his arms folded inside his robe sleeves, eyes downcast, and concentrated on keeping his breathing regular, his heart rate slow and his mental shielding intact as he faced up to his future.

This was it. His attachment to Buffy had been uncovered. The Council finally knew. He'd been stupid to believe that he and Buffy could hide how they felt while living under the watchful gaze of the Jedi Temple. He was a Jedi Knight, not a padawan. It was no wonder there was going to be a full inquiry into this. Would they give him the option of leaving voluntarily rather than expelling him in disgrace?

He'd always wanted to be a knight. How would they react if he admitted it, and begged forgiveness? It wasn't too late. Obi-Wan thought back to the weeks of panic and desperation he'd felt before his thirteenth birthday. Knowing time was passing by, yet remaining unchosen by a master or knight to be their padawan. Those seeking an apprentice had looked at him and seen an average human boy, with an average Force connection, and then they'd looked past him to choose someone better. He'd been unwanted.

He remembered his sadness at being sent to the agri-corps and later elation at becoming Master Qui-Gon's apprentice. All he wanted was to use his skills and abilities to help bring peace to the galaxy. He still even dreamed about taking a padawan to pass on all that knowledge to.  
Was his dream over? Everything was happening so fast. Much faster than he thought it would. He thought he'd have more time to prepare...

The day he'd passed his trials was the day he'd met and fought alongside Buffy. Was that a coincidence? Or was it the work of the Force? The day he attained his knighthood should have been the best day of his life and yet, even during the ceremony, she'd been at the forefront of his mind.

Was he really going to give the Jedi up for her? He thought of her odd mixture of darkness and light, of her deep inner strength and those rare moments of fragility which brought out his protective side. The way she could drive him crazy, yet at the same time keep him grounded. And finally, of how she'd told him she wanted him. Making him face up to his feelings of love and desire for her, feelings he'd tried to bury deep inside himself knowing he wasn't allowed to experience them.

Now he knew why the Jedi Order forbid attachment. Love, real love like theirs burned with the passion and intensity of an inferno. It raged, consumed, and intoxicated. It walked hand in hand with a series of strong emotions the Jedi weren't taught how to deal with. Love and desire were as strong if not stronger than hate and fear and, for a Jedi, it was a heady and dangerous combination.

But he wasn't going to let Buffy down. He wouldn't betray her by going dark and he wouldn't abandon her by giving her up. Obi-Wan raised his chin, and feeling oddly detached from his surroundings, he regarded the Jedi masters dispassionately.

Maybe they wouldn't ask him to make a decision. They might simply expel him. He no longer cared if he became a member of the Lost and they made a statue of him for the wall of shame.

“It's a sad day for the Jedi,” began Master Mace Windu, “even suspecting that this might be true. It's also imperative what we are about to tell you goes no further than this chamber. If the merest hint of this gets out we could all be in real danger.”

Curiosity inched into his cool detachment and a crease formed between Obi-Wan's eyebrows. This didn't sound like he was being denounced as a breaker of the Jedi Code.

Obi-Wan hesitated only for a fraction before saying, “Yes, Masters. You have my silence.” Unless it affects Buffy, a small traitorous yet truthful voice whispered inside his mind.

Master Windu nodded. “After you fought and defeated Darth Maul, we'd reason to believe another Sith, his master, was still active in the galaxy. Not the dead one you and Buffy have been looking for, but a live one. We have reason to believe his Sith name is Darth Sidious, but his possible identity is that of someone we all know.”  
Mace took a deep breath as he prepared for the revelation. This would doubtless come as a shock to Obi-Wan, who'd had close dealings with the man from his association with Buffy.  
“We have information indicating Supreme Chancellor Palpatine could be that Sith and that, somehow, he can camouflage his nature and keep his abilities secret from us all.”

“Oh.” Obi-Wan knew he didn't sound surprised. For some reason, his face wouldn't move to produce the expression or feeling of shock the Council seemed to be expecting at the disclosure. It felt rigid and unmoveable. He supposed it was a valid reaction. After all, when Buffy had told him about Sid he'd felt numb. It was good that the Council were taking this information very seriously. He felt relief that one of his biggest worries and private fears was out in the open. Now the Jedi knew Palpatine could be a Sith they'd investigate and take steps to stop him.

“Surprised, you are not,” Master Yoda said softly.

“I don't like him,” Obi-Wan truthfully replied. Keeping his voice even and tone calm he added, “He is false, sycophantic and there's something about him that makes my skin crawl.” Obi-Wan didn't add, especially when he stares at Buffy. “However, to be fair, I suppose many politicians elicit the same reaction in me but it doesn't make them evil or a Sith.”

“He might still only be a politician and not a Sith, but we need to take these allegations seriously,” replied Mace Windu. He glanced over at Ki-Adi-Mundi who nodded in agreement. Mace continued, “We needed to warn you as his behavior around Buffy has gone from bad to worse. When here last Palpatine asked to see her. During the visit Buffy lost her footing and she fell onto Yareal Poof's chair.” Yarael Poof waved his very long neck in agreement. “The Chancellor, under the pretense of helping her, used the opportunity to put his hands in places he'd no business to put them. Master Poof saw everything and told us later.”

Obi-Wan stared at the spot over Master Yoda's shoulder blindly. He blinked, allowing the flash of rage Mace Windu's words created to disperse into the Force. Buffy had told him that the Sith had acted obnoxiously with her yet instead of offering sympathy that day he'd jumped to the wrong conclusions, became angry and gone dark on her. That brought on a wave of embarrassment.

When he'd gotten his feelings back under control, he looked directly at Master Yoda. His flash of anger and shame had no doubt been broadcast to the Masters, but Obi-Wan knew he'd also shown Jedi control by quickly overriding each emotion.

“Thank you for the warning,” Obi-Wan's face was grimly set, his voice was deep and steady. “I shall take care Buffy is never alone in his company or subjected to his unwanted attentions.”

Master Yoda tilted his head, his face sad but also serious. “Nothing to alert the Supreme Chancellor, we must do. A powerful enemy to the Jedi, he could become.”

“It is imperative that we all continue to act...” Mace Windu's voice trailed off. He sprang to his feet and shot past Obi-Wan to the large window on the opposite side of the room.

Obi-Wan spun around as he sensed the warning as it rippled through the Force. The masters must have sensed it before him for they were all on their feet. From jarringly close by, somewhere inside the Temple perimeter, a disturbing transgression of violence and darkness had just occurred. Following Mace Windu to the window, he stared out into the direction he felt the disturbance radiating from. There! Almost directly below them, he could see an armored figure rising upwards with a jet pack along the wall of the tower.

An assassin who'd dared to trespass into the heart of the Jedi Temple!

The Mandalorian rose to almost level with the bottom of the Council windows, jets blasting, his destination appearing to be the very top of their spire. Was this an assassination attempt on the Jedi High Council members? The Jedi had many enemies around the galaxy and it wouldn't be the first time they'd had someone try to assassinate them.

And then Obi-Wan realized the man already had what he'd come to the Temple for. Not an assassin but a kidnapper. Tied to the man via a whipcord, an inert body hung a good ten to fifteen feet below him. A girl. An unconscious girl and not one of the Jedi Order.

Jango Fett, the bounty hunter, unable to kidnap his mark on the outside, had somehow managed to breach Jedi security and was now making off with his prize.

Obi-Wan, pressed against the window screamed out her name without thinking, “BUFFY!” He banged on the window between them with the palms of his hands. “Wake-up, Buffy!”

The call echoed through their mind-link as well as the Council chamber.

….......

Obi-Wan shouting her name and his frantic panic through their mind-link roused Buffy. For a moment she simply hung, staring downwards at the Temple roof that was such a long way below her and trying to remember what happened. It came back with embarrassing clarity.

Obi-Wan was going to be so mad with her.

On seeing the bounty hunter she'd had a plan. Although truthfully, it had been more of an idea than a full blown plan. She'd decided that she would pretend to be all snatch-able and then when he came in close, she'd release the inner Slayer on him. Then, she'd drag him off somewhere, tie him up (like they used to do with Spike), and subject him to some mild torture until he told her where his bosses hung out. Or maybe she could get Obi-Wan to go full mind-bendy on him and rip that information right out of his head. She quite liked that last idea.

So once she'd gotten Anakin out the way, she'd given a little scream and begun to run (slowly) away from the dangerous bounty hunter with all the nasty weapons. Of course, her inner Slayer and the Forcey-thing had gone crazy at that point. They'd both been yelling at her not to do this and it had taken every bit of stubborn determination to ignore them. She really should know better by now.

While running from Jango (slowly), the Forcey-thing had even warned her he was about to do something violent. So when the whipcord shot out, catching her around the waist, she'd thought 'yay' and cheerfully fell to the ground. Then she acted all disorientated, sitting up and looking shocked. She'd even sniffed a bit for extra effect. Was it the excessive sniffing that had given the game away? Because instead of running over and taking advantage of the poor defenseless creature in front of him, Jango had stayed well back.

And then he'd shot her. In the back. With a freaking blaster rifle!

It must have only been set to a strong stun but it seriously messed up her plan. Stupid plan, stupid bounty hunter, and stupid Buffy for under-estimating him. If she wasn't dangling on a cord, being hauled up the side of a building, she'd smack herself on the head for being an idiot.

She'd messed up and now she needed to go pro-action girl. Twisting in the air, she grabbed the whipcord with both hands, pulling herself upright. Above her, she could see Jango's armored figure, jet packs firing, as he flew skyward, heading towards the domed roof of the Council Chamber tower.  
Was the roof a rendezvous point? Had he stunned her then contacted his ship? She'd not only lost her chance of taking him on the ground but if she was bundled off into his spaceship Buffy knew she'd find herself outgunned, surrounded by alien technology, and out of her depth. Which meant she needed to take him out sooner, rather than later.

A quick weapons check revealed a stake and that Mr Sparkly was still clipped to her shorts, well hidden by the top she'd wrapped around her waist. Buffy's attention went to the length of line between herself and Jay. It was thin. If she could climb up it, could she grab Jay, somehow take charge of the jet pack and force him to land?

As she was going over her options, her inner Slayer warned her she was the focus of attention. Twisting in mid-air, she spun around to face the tower. To realize, to her horror and embarrassment, that the entire Jedi Council watched her from the window on the floor above. And to top that off, Obi-Wan was in the midst of them.

~Buffy~ Obi-Wan whispered into her mind. He was so worried about her she could almost taste his anxiety through their connection.

~Don't worry, I've got this covered, sort of~ To put him at ease she let go of the whipcord with one hand and gave a nonchalant wave and a small smile in the hope it would stop him worrying. The movement caused her to spin clockwise out of control.

“Eeek!” Her eyes widened and a flash of fear crossed her face when she accidentally glanced downwards. Grabbing the line once more with both hands, she forced herself to look back up. “I can do this,” she said out loud. She needed to do this, so she could do this. Becoming immobilized by the fear of falling (and splatting) would not be her friend here.

Concentrating on keeping herself steady, her eyes her on the bounty hunter above her, she didn't see Yoda inside the Council chamber ignite his green lightsaber. The small master plunged the green blade into the window closest to her and began to cut downwards. Immediately, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Windu followed suit. Their blades carved out a square within moments, just as Buffy drew level.

Even as the masters pulled the section inwards, Obi-Wan was taking several steps back. He ran at the gap. A Force leap sent him flying out, his long brown robe billowing out behind him, the Force aiding him as he spanned the gap between the Council chamber and Buffy. The Jedi landed on the Slayer, causing her to let out a shriek as the extra weight sent them flying into a spin and caused the Mandalorian above them to pause in his ascent. Obi-Wan clung to her, his chest pressed against her back, arms locked around her chest, and his legs around her waist as they swung erratically from side to side.

Obi-Wan glanced down to the main Temple roof far below. “Oh, not good,” he grumbled.

“Not good? Not good?” Buffy squealed, her voice high-pitched. “ I'm the one being eviscerated by this freakin' cord thing and you're complaining because you're not having a fun time?” It was lucky she'd tied the long sleeve top around her waist as it helped take off some of the pressure from the thin whipline.

Obi-Wan stared at her hands, taking in the deep grooves where the line dug into them. She was taking their combined weight. Reaching up with one hand, he used the Force to give himself an extra push and grabbed the cord above Buffy's hands.

Keeping a firm hold on the line, he scolded, “Evisceration means being disemboweled, not cut in half.”

“Huh? You're giving me the dictionary definition. Now?”

“There's never a bad time to improve one's education, Buffy,” he replied smugly.

Buffy scrunched her face with annoyance and tutted. “Honestly Ubi, what do you think is gonna happen if this rope cuts me in two?”

Before he could make a suitable retort, the Force screamed a warning and he ducked, protecting Buffy with his body as a red blaster shot screamed past the spot where his head had been a moment before.

“Oh, no!” yelped Buffy, “It's you. He's trying to shoot you off.” She swung her legs out, like a trapeze artist on a swing, trying to gain momentum and hoping a moving target would make them a harder to hit.

Obi-Wan had another idea. Reaching down, he plucked Mr Sparkly from the loop on Buffy's belt. “I wasn't going to use this again, but needs must,” he said, giving the weapon a dubious look.

Balancing himself, one hand gripping the whipcord and his legs around Buffy's waist he ignited the red lightsaber. Flexing and rotating his wrist, he began deflecting a sudden flurry of incoming red blaster shots safely away from them.

“Watch where you're waving it!” Buffy hissed, keeping tight hold of the rope as they started circling. “And don't chop the rope in case he gets away!”

“In case he gets away?” Obi-Wan deflected another blaster bolt away with a red flash of the energy blade. His eyebrows came together, a crease forming between his eyes as he concentrated on defending against each shot. “I hate to inform you of this but he is the one holding you captive.”

Buffy gave a loud tut of protest. “It's all part of the plan!”

“Plan? What plan? To be taken hostage? Your plans are absolutely dreadful, Buffy!” Obi-Wan gripped the whipcord more firmly with one hand. The bounty hunter had ceased firing on them, his focus now on the Jedi Chamber roof dome. “I think I need to stop hanging around, with you if you intend to keep doing this.” He darted her a quick goofy grin before continuing watching Jango.

“Ugh! Believe me, none of my plans are as dreadful as your jokes!” Buffy snarked back. Turning her attention from the Jedi she looked curiously about her. Jango's jet pack was hissing and roaring above her and there was all the background noises of Coruscant, but Buffy's Slayer hearing picked up another sound close by. She risked a glance down, which was a bad move as it made her feel queasy, and then over to her right. Jango's ascent had brought them almost level now with the Jedi Council chamber roof, with its four decorative finials rising up around its dome. It was neither the domed roof nor it's architectural features that grabbed her attention. It was the bight yellow nose of a small air-speeder that cautiously edged it's way from the other side of the tower. The driver must have used the cover of the building to conceal his approach and was only now making his presence known.

“Hey!” yelled Anakin from the driver's seat. His expression was jubilant as he flew towards them. “I'm here to rescue you, Buffy!”

Obi-Wan snorted, unimpressed at seeing his old master's new padawan. “Rescue? Dratted boy. He always makes things worse,” he muttered sourly.

Jango began raining blaster fire down once more. Mr Sparkly hissed through the air, deflecting shots safely away and Anakin's speeder whined as he also dodged. Buffy yelled over the top of all the noise, “Obi-Wan, jump in with Anakin! See if you can find a way to stop Jay!”

“That boy's a more dangerous driver than you are!” Obi-Wan curled his lip in distaste, but, when Anakin drew close enough, he swung, stretching his legs out to the speeder before releasing the whipcord. His boots slipped and skid on the well-polished surface as he transferred across onto the yellow machine. Obi-Wan, managed to right himself as he stood with one raised hand holding the scarlet lightsaber protectively above himself as Anakin fought to hold the small craft steady.

Avoiding an incoming blaster shot, Anakin banked sharply. Behind him, Obi-Wan dropped to a three-point crouch, before rolling roughly into the rear footwell to avoid being thrown from the vehicle.

“Do have a care, Anakin!” Obi-Wan called as he clambered up from the speeder floor. As the vehicle leveled, he slid with more Jedi grace into the passenger seat, giving the boy a sidelong chiding look.

Up at the highest point of the roof, Jango came to a stop. Dropping both blasters into their holsters, he began activating the mini rocket launcher strapped to his left gauntlet.

With Jay's attention focussed on his gauntlet, Buffy threw a quick glance to the smooth surface of the Jedi tower roof only a few feet below her. Time for the Slayer to come into play. Giving the cord an experimental tug she grimaced. She didn't fancy climbing up. Which left one other option. A smile played on her lips as she lifted her hand, and yanked the rope downwards with Slayer strength.

The first yank caused Jango to be tugged forward and prematurely set off his wrist launcher. The rocket streaked out, whizzing over the top of Anakin and Obi-Wan's speeder. Anakin depressed his altitude as the rocket skimmed over their heads. A second rocket, hot on the tail of the first, took a lower path. It grazed the undercarriage of the vehicle and left in it's wake a line of yellow sparks as the small boy pulled up on the control paddle.

Trying to turn the craft back to Buffy once more, Anakin began to turn, then push and pull at the paddle frantically. “I've lost control of the steering! What shall I do?”

Reaching over, Obi-Wan first tried to turn the paddle, before pulling out a lower panel in the dash to try access the wiring. The small speeder continued dropping in height and flying away from the Jedi Tower where Buffy was still yanking on the cable that attached her to Jango Fett.


	115. Sky Fall

Holding the whipcord tightly, Buffy watched the speeder containing Obi-Wan and Anakin fly away from her. She could see Obi-Wan frantically shoving Anakin into the back seat and sliding over into the driver's position. Despite what appeared to be desperate attempts at making fast repairs, the craft was getting further and further away from her.

It looked as if, yet again, the Slayer would be fighting her battles alone. Oh, and thanks to her Jedi 'rescue team' she was without a lightsaber and her spare stake. Nice work with the rescuing, boys. She'd need to compliment them later on their Laurel and Hardy skills.

Directly below her was the Jedi Council tower roof. She quickly assessed its potential. One of the four smaller towers that rose above the main Temple building, the bell shaped roof was steeply sloped. Protruding upwards from around its circumference rose four tall, vertical stone finials rising like spikes into the sky. While at the very highest point of the dome, more decorative finials rose upwards.

A domed, sloping roof didn't exactly make for an appealing place to fight, but it wasn't all that far below her and she'd have a better chance of capturing Jango with something firm beneath her feet. Releasing a length of the whipcord that tethered her to the bounty hunter and she'd gathered in one hand, she used the excess to drop downwards.

Her shoes made contact with the lower edge of the smooth tower roof, landing between two finials, her arms flailing as she regained her balance. Over the years she'd become accustomed to clambering about on roofs, but this one was constructed of a building material she'd never seen before and it was a lot more slippery than she'd anticipated. It was too late to worry about it now. Instead, she found the best position to brace herself as she could and yanked the whipcord with all her strength.

Above her, Jango was jerked out of his vertical climb and dropped sharply. Trying to stop his rapid descent he pulled back on the cord with both hands, but his strength was simply no match for the Slayer. Landing awkwardly, he slammed into the roof above Buffy, narrowly missing becoming impaled on the central pinnacle, his jet-pack screaming in protest as he rolled sideways. The collision causing the locking mechanism on his jet-pack to release and detach.

Buffy blinked, surprised, as one moment she was watching rocket man slam into the roof and the next the guy's jet-pack shot off without him. She watched the pack flying high into the sky, spinning in a crazed loop the loop before switching off and taking a nosedive, straight into the Temple roof below them. It crashed in a dramatic explosion of light, flame and loud noise.

“Ooops,” said Buffy with a smirk. “Way to go with the covert kidnapping, Rocket-boy. You'll have every Jedi for miles running out to see who's throwing fireworks at their door.”

Jango ignored her, instead he shot a line and grappling hook from his gauntlet. The hook curled itself around the highest roof pinnacle and once firmly to the roof the bounty hunter rose to his feet. “I'm not here to kill you. We can do this the hard way, or the easy way. It's your choice!” He called down to her, his hand moving to one of the pouches on his arm.

Buffy eyes narrowed. What was that small tube he'd removed from the arm pouch? He was pushing it inside a...

It was a freaking dart!

“Oh, crap, not again,” she groaned. Would it contain poison or tranquilizer? She wasn't sure, but she'd no intention of letting him stick her with a needle.

Using the whipcord as a climbing rope she hurled herself up the slope towards him. Slayer speed powering her ascent. Once in range, she kicked out. Her foot slamming into the lower edge of his helmet. His head snapped back. Losing his hold on the grapple rope, he fell, rolling sideways down the roof. Still attached to him via the whipcord, Buffy skidding alongside him, and then past him, her fashionable shoes unable to gain purchase on the steep and slippery roof surface.

“You're going to get us both killed!” Jango snarled. He'd stopped his fall by grabbing the grapple line underneath him and jumping quickly to his feet.

“I don't think so, Mr I'm Over-Compensating with my weaponry.” Buffy's slide down the tower roof had halted with a jerk as the whipcord attached to his belt hit its length.

Jango ignored her jibe. He raised his right hand to fire the dart gun at her, but Buffy anticipated him. She leaped forward once more. Her much smaller hands wrapping around his gloved one, she pushed it upwards and, bringing her Slayer strength into play, crushing both the weapon and the hand that held it.

Her strength took him by surprise again, even though he should have known better after their tug-of-war earlier. Jango screamed as he felt the bones in his hands and fingers crack under the pressure, but the bounty hunter was no stranger to pain. Instead of crumpling as she'd hoped, he used his left hand to throw a retaliatory punch at her face. Sensing the blow coming, Buffy dodged clear. Shards of broken dart gun sprayed out of his hand as she released it.

Good. He wouldn't be able to dart her any more. And probably wouldn't be able to use his right hand either.

But the fast dodge cost Buffy her footing. Her shoes skidded on the sloping, slippery roof surface. Feet sliding from underneath her, she fell forwards in what could have easily ended up as an embarrassing face plant. Only sheer luck and Slayer agility enabled her to save face as she caught herself on her elbows at the very last moment. She scrabbled up onto hands and knees even as she slipped backward, knowing the roof edge wasn't that far behind her and desperate to stop. From her low position she watched as spikes jutted from Jango's boots, digging into the roof and anchoring him more firmly. Inwardly she rolled her eyes. Why did he get the boots with the cool built-in Bond devices?

Jango tugged the whipcord tethering them together free from his belt, wrapping it around his unbroken hand, and glaring at her as he did so. He'd been warned not to get too close, that she was dangerous, and they'd been right. In hindsight, he should have used the tranquilizer dart after stunning her, but had been wary of damaging the merchandise with an overdose. The client had been very firm about his goods being healthy.

“What are you?” Jango asked. She was almost over the edge of the roof so he kept the cord taut.

“Slayer, comma, The,” retorted Buffy, her eyes searching the rooftop around her. There must be something she could use to stop herself from falling. “Excuse me for being a little distracted at the moment but do you know how much good quality clothing costs? You've ripped my cute top.”

“A Slayer,” Jango mused. “Then we're both in the same line of work.”

Buffy shook her head. “Er, nope. I'm nothing like you. I'm more of a destiny-girl than a hired gun.”

Jango shrugged, interest lost. “What can I say? I'm a simple man trying to make my way in the universe. And speaking of making my way, it's time you start to behave. I'm not here to kill you. There's a nice rich man who wants you for his sweetheart, but is a little too shy to approach you himself.”

She snorted. Did she really look that stupid? “Yeah? I bet you say that to all the girls.” She paused. Was that a low-pitched humming she could hear? She needed to gain time and keep the bounty hunter talking. “You know, Andrew told me you've got a fan base who all see you as this great Delorean fighter, who-”

“Mandalorian!”

“Man-doh-lin?”

“It's DALORIAN!”

Buffy rolled her eyes and tutted. “Delorean, that's what I said at first! Anyway, you Munchkins are supposed to be ace fighters and, according to Andrew... Oh, he's like my Watcher by the way, and he's a real nerd. I bet you'd like him. He collects action figures. Anyway, Andrew told me that you've got your own moral code going on, but the thing is... All I'm seeing here is a lowlife who'll work for vampires. Why are you working for the Pau'an? Did he find you on Naboo?”

She shuffled cautiously to one side, still on her hands and knees. One of the stone finials that graced the tower roof edge was to her right and behind her. Could she reach it? Without finding something to help her gain traction on the roof's slippery surface she wouldn't be able to regain her footing. One sharp move could send her sliding her over the roof edge. The only things stopping her now were the facts she was on all fours and the whipcord Jango held.

Buffy knew better than to look directly at the figure who'd just cut a hatch into the tower roof with his lightsaber and was now stealthily climbing out. She mustn't draw Jango's attention to him. What would happen if her would-be rescuer attacked Jango? There was a chance the bounty hunter would drop the whipcord to defend himself.

“I can tell you now,” said Jango, “I met the... guy on one of the Bogden moons and he definitely wasn't a Pau'an. Looks like you're thinking of the wrong one.” He tugged the whipcord to gain her attention. “Enough of this gabbing. My friends will be here any minute and they aren't ones for waiting around. So...I'm offering you a choice. Be a good prisoner and come quietly or I'll let go of the rope. Bye-bye credits for me but bye-bye life for you. And remember it's a long, long, way down.”

Buffy lifted one hand from the roof to give an unconcerned wave, which wasn't easy to achieve when down on all fours and trying not to dive off the edge of a building.

“I've leaped from a tower before and died, so it won't be the first time.” The thought of falling to her death definitely made her heart pound, but she faked an I-don't-care expression. “You know, I was going to say Glory's fashion sense is worse than yours, but at least she didn't dress like a race car driver.”

Her hand blurred as she whipped out the stake hidden in the waistband of her shorts. Slayer strength behind the thrown projectile, her objective to send it sliding between two armor plates and with any luck drive it deep into Jango's left shoulder. The trajectory was slightly off, or maybe Jango moved a fraction before the stake hit. Either way, instead of sliding deep between the armor plates as she'd hoped, it hit at an angle, sliding upwards and then out doing little more damage than leaving behind a bad case of skin splinters.

Feeling the impact, and acting on purely on instinct, Jango dropped the whipcord and reached for his blaster. At the same time, Buffy lost her tentative balance on the roof surface. No longer anchored by Jango's side of the whipcord, she found herself sliding down fast. She stuck out her right foot feeling for the stone finial. The Force told her she was going to miss it. If she twisted, could she grab it? Squirming to her right, she could see the tall spike that rose vertically up from the roof still tantalizingly out of reach. She stretched out, all too aware she was getting close to the edge. Her fingertips almost touched the stonework. Another inch or so...

She had to do this. She didn't want to think of the alternative. Her muscles and ligaments stretching, somehow her fingers grazed the rough surface. Bringing her left knee up under her, she found the strength to give herself that last push. Success! Her hands make contact, held, and not a moment too soon as her legs slid over the edge of the dome. Buffy allowed herself a small sigh of relief as she wrapped her arms firmly around the bottom of the column, the rough surface of the stonework pressed against her cheek, her body and legs swinging below with nothing but air between her and the main roof of the Temple far below.

Jango! Mustn't forget Jango!

Peering around the bottom of the finial column she could see the bounty hunter hadn't left his position. His uninjured hand holding the blaster was pointed at her and, despite the helmet, she could tell he was watching her and wondering if she had any more concealed weapons.

As for her would-be Jedi rescuer, he was behind the bounty hunter, crouching low and creeping towards the armored man.

A faint noise alerted Jango to the Jedi's approach and there was a sudden explosion of action in front of her. Jango turning, darting sideways, his boot spikes digging into the roof as he fired blast after blast at the Jedi. The purple lightsaber of Nick Fury deflected and parried each incoming shot with the ease that came from a lifetime of practice. The Jedi master's face grim and intent as, with each flash of the lightsaber, he closed the gap between himself and the bounty hunter.

Jango, unable to escape or injure the Jedi master, decided to use another weapon. Buffy watched, as he raised his left hand. The sudden burst of fire streaming out from his gauntlet as he activated the flame thrower completely threw Buffy.

Ugh! What was it with this guy? He was like this dimension's version of Inspector Gadget!

Mace, alerted by the Force, leaped out of harm's way. Narrowly avoiding the stream of intense heat and flames he kept up his roll towards the roof hatch. Only his Jedi-fast reflexes and instinct for danger saved him from the sudden onslaught from a new enemy, the red blasts screaming down from overhead.

Buffy looked up to see who was shooting at them now. Oh, crap! The spaceship that dropped Jango off had come back for him. A fast look around her told her that her situation hadn't changed. No place to escape to, no weapons, and still clinging to the finial to avoid death by splatting.

Why had she even been sent to this dimension? She was a Slayer, not a Jedi. She couldn't call or use the Force as Obi-Wan could. He'd no doubt be able to leap up, somersault over Jango, cut him in half and still appear freshly ironed when he'd finished. She shouldn't be here! Her destiny was to stop vampires, demons, and hold back the forces of darkness, not kill bounty hunters who flew around in spaceships and were armed with ray-guns! She felt sort of out-gunned since her main weapon was a pointed stick and she'd just chucked her last one.

On the roof above Buffy, Jango's attention was on both Mace Windu and the spaceship. It hovered above him lowering a ladder towards him. Had he forgotten about her? She doubted it. Most likely he'd another trick up his sleeve or, in his case, down his gauntlet. The Cheater!

She watched the bounty hunter step onto the ladder, holding on with his uninjured hand and threading his other arm through the rungs. Jango's attention wasn't wavering from Nick Fury. She didn't blame him. Nick looked as if he wanted to attack once more, and the only thing stopping him was the threat of being blasted off the roof by the spacecraft above them. As the ship began to rise and Buffy once more allowed herself to believe Jango had forgotten her in his haste to get away, the helmet of the armored man turned to look at her.

Danger! The warning came both from her inner Slayer and the Force and she ducked. At the same time, Jango pointed his mini arm-mounted rocket launcher at the vertical stone pillar she hung from.

Even though her head was below the rooftop, Buffy let out a shriek as the rocket exploded into the top of the stone column that rose above her. Shards of rocks flew out in multiple directions. Some whizzing past her harmlessly, other chunks dropping slowly, and some showering her, hitting her head, arms, and face.

“Oh, crap!” The remaining parts of the finial began to crack beneath her hands. A large segment broke off, dropping away, leaving Buffy hanging by a single hand to the sole surviving section of the finial. Above her, she could hear the sound of Jango's ship, its thrusters engaging as it shot away, her own breathing, and the ever present background drone of Coruscant air traffic.

“I'm not liking this.” Groaning slightly, Buffy swung her body to get momentum. If she could grab the stone jutting from the roof, she could try to swing her legs upwards and then grab the grappling rope Jango had fixed to the rooftop and abandoned.

She swung once more, reaching out to grab the stone. Success! Both hands firmly around the remaining jutting stone. Now, for the next step. One moment she was twisting, reaching out and upwards with her legs and the next... There was an ominous cracking sound.

She was falling.

Falling through the Coruscant Sky.

Heading for the main Temple's roof.

The roof that was a long, long way below her.

Oh shit, I'm going to die again.

Images and thoughts raced through her mind. The Scoobies, both here and in her own dimension. What would happen to them?

~Obi-Wan, I love you~ She'd no idea where he was or if he'd even get her message, but she didn't want to die without trying to tell him again. She hadn't said it enough times. She never did say those words enough to those she loved. It wasn't as if she'd never died before. She should have learned by now.

And then, quite suddenly, Buffy realized she was no longer falling. The tower building no longer whizzed past her and her clothes and hair were no longer were being whipped by the fall. Instead, she hovered, lying on her back suspended in flight. The Force held her from above and below, turning her into some kind of Slayer Force sandwich. Buffy slowly began to float upwards and, once she was level with the windows of the High Council chamber, turned her head. To see most of the Jedi High Council standing at the windows, concentrating and Force levitating her to safety.

That was so cool! Although it was a pity they hadn't Force Pushed Jango off the roof when they had the chance.

Once she'd been floated into the Council chamber through the window Yoda had cut earlier. Nick Fury was the first to sprint to her side. Snatching her out the air, he pulled Buffy into his arms and slowly lowered her to her feet. He then made a point of holding her against him, stroking her back with one hand, and making soothing noises.

Master Yoda pointed a scolding finger at the human male. “Safe now, the Slayer is. The need to hold tightly and press her against yourself, there is not.”

“The poor girl is all of a tremble, Master Yoda,” Mace replied. “She's been through a traumatic time and is injured.” Ignoring the small master's censure he scooped Buffy up once more, carrying her across to his chair and lowering her into his seat while he fussed around her.

“I'm sorry about going all shaky,” said Buffy, feeling a bit silly having the Jedi Council all fluttering around her. Even Yoda looked concerned. His hair was sticking up from the shock. “It was very nice of you all to float me in here.”

She touched her face gingerly. A large chunk of rock had hit her on the head and she could feel various cuts on her face where small pieces of sharp masonry had hit her during the explosion. She'd still got off lightly though. The not being dead was always a big plus.

“I'm not badly injured. The shaky-ness is because I thought I was going to be dead again,” she explained. Then, not wanting to go in for a long winded 'splainy about keys and towers and Hell Goddesses but knowing something needed adding, she went for the cliff notes version. “Last time this happened, they buried me in an outfit I didn't like and I was forced to dig my way out.”

As usual, her cliff notes version caused confusion inside the Council chamber. There was a very loud silence during which the Jedi Masters tried to make sense of her words.

Finally, Master Yoda, the oldest and wisest of all those present said, “Her mind, wandering from the shock it is.” The little Master smoothed back the few remaining strands of his hair on his head. “Know for fact, I do, that come back from the dead to change outfits, people do not.”


	116. Pompous Posing In Doorways

After Buffy had been floated into the Council chamber, Mace Windu insisted on personally escorting her to the Halls of Healing. Once there, he, to her toe-curling embarrassment, informed the Healers the exact circumstances of Buffy's accident. He also told them Master Yoda wanted special attention paying to her head, in case she had brain damage. The small green master was convinced her talk of coming back from the dead to change her outfit was a sign of brain injury.

The staff immediately went into a medical huddle. There was the usual low murmur of voices with the occasional dubious glance shot in her direction that Buffy had become accustomed to over the years. Their verdict was that, no matter how good her results were, she'd need to stay overnight under careful observation.

The Jedi healers then gave Buffy a crystal to hold, which supposedly told them how much pain she was in. If that wasn't enough, they then linked her brain up to a floating droid via two metal sticky pads on her forehead to make sure nothing untoward was happening inside her head. By then Buffy had had enough of their whispers, prodding, and band-aids.

Once they'd left the room, she made the mistake of confiding her feelings to Nick Fury who was still hovering around trying to look useful. She told him she'd no intention of staying overnight and she intended sneaking off as soon as their backs were turned. Instead of arguing or agreeing with her, the Jedi master surprised her. He said to ensure she stayed he'd bring another bed in and spend the night with her. Buffy didn't like the way he grinned when he said it.

She quickly back-pedaled and gave her word as a Slayer she'd stay until morning. Then she made a subtle suggestion that it looked as if it might rain, and she hoped it wouldn't leak in and soak his chair in the Council chamber. She let out a silent sigh of relief when he hurried away to make sure someone was repairing the hole cut into the roof.

About an hour later, just as Buffy was dealing with a small and annoying droid (which kept flashing lights into her eyes to see what she'd do), the door to her cubicle slid open revealing Obi-Wan standing in the hallway outside. His face was tight and his eyes glittered dangerously as he rested his eyes on her.

She watched as he posed dramatically in the doorway, letting the med-droid fly past him, before bouncing across in a flamboyant flounce of tunic and brown robe. Throwing himself down onto the chair next to her bed, he snatched up the healer's medical datapad and began to read her medical notes.

Buffy's eyebrow rose. She'd a feeling a Giles-type lecture was in her immediate future.

“Obi-Wan...”

“Ahh-ahh,” said Obi-Wan, holding his finger up to quell her, his eyes still on the datapad in front of him. “Let me read your injury report before speaking further.”

Which annoyed her. Feeling cross at being ignored, she folded her arms and glared at him. As he didn't look up from the datapad and simply continued reading, the glare was lost on him.

“What took you so long?” she asked after a moment or so. She'd been worried in case Obi-Wan and Anakin had crashed, but hadn't been able to contact him through their link. From his appearance, there didn't appear to be a mark on him.

“The speeder broke down miles away and I had to walk all the way back with Anakin.” He didn't look up from his reading.

Buffy noticed his accent had gone all Gilesy. He was over pronouncing his vowels and clipping his words again.

He continued, “It was not a happy walk back. The boy constantly complained about a blister on his right foot. I had my own blisters to think of.” He shot her an intense stare, as if it was her fault that the speeder broke down and he'd developed blisters, before going back to his reading.

Buffy huffed to herself. It was his own fault for choosing to wear cavalry boots to walk in. Even she knew that wasn't a good idea.

Obi-Wan finished reading the report, put the datapad down and regarded her silently. His eyes running over her body, examining her from head to foot, and allowing the silence to stretch.

Finally, he folded his arms, pursed his mouth and he sat waiting. As if expecting her to make an apology. Which he wasn't going to get. She'd hadn't asked him to jump from the Council window, dangle on a rope and then ride off in a run-away speeder. That had been his decision. Except, he thought he'd helped and she felt guilty.

He also knew how she felt as he no doubt could sense it, but was she going to admit to being guilty as well as feeling it? Hell no!

So she sat, looking at him from under her lashes and saying nothing until she finally broke him.

“What in the Force did you think you were doing out there?” he demanded, his voice low. “What sort of half-baked plan did you form in your head when you saw the bounty hunter? Did you simply think letting him take you prisoner was a good idea? Hmph! If that is the case then you should know a thick-skulled bantha with the brain of a tiny pea could have constructed a better thought out plan.”

“Hey! I didn't have the time to start planning the intricate details,” she protested. “I spotted an opportunity and I grabbed it!”

“An opportunity? You believe being shot in the back with a blaster, tied up and dragged through the air was an opportunity?”

“It was a good opportunity to gather valuable intel! Jay told me he'd met his client on a moon in BogHead and that he wasn't the Pau'an. That's, like, important information right there!” she objected, trying to sound forceful and indignant.

“A moon in BogHead?” repeated Obi-Wan his voice scathing. “What the Force type of information is that?” His eyebrows came together and he gave a shake of his head as if he couldn't believe what she was telling him. “You risked your life and that of others to come back with the information that... Jay met a 'not Pau'an', on some moon in BogHead?” There was a tic playing beneath his eye. “What other valuable information did you receive about this 'not Pau'an' who wants to kidnap you?”

“Er... Jay said... he said, he was kidnapping me for a rich man who wanted me for his sweetheart, but was too shy to approach me directly,” Buffy replied sheepishly. She must have really broken her Jedi now. That last statement sent him over the edge. He went from stoic Jedi arm fold to rubbing the palms of his hands across his face in exasperation.

“I knew it wasn't true!” Buffy rolled her eyes and tutted. She wasn't that stupid. Alright, she'd underestimated the bounty hunter and got herself captured, which was a stupid mistake but she could take care of herself - usually. Up on the roof, despite his weapons, Buffy knew she could have taken Jango out. If she hadn't held back her strength when she kicked him she could have sent him flying off the roof or broke his neck. She'd been hampered by the fact she needed him alive. That, and she'd an aversion to killing non-demons.

Beside her, Obi-Wan was radiating exasperation and disapproval right through his Jedi bathrobes. She was lucky either the metal stickers the Jedi Healers had placed on her forehead or the bang on her head appeared to be messing up their mind-link, otherwise, he'd be bombarding her with abuse through it. That course of action blocked to him, he did the next best thing.

Obi-Wan began to lecture her. It started off with a long diatribe expounding on the perfection and superior training of those belonging to the Jedi Order, followed by dark mutterings about the inadequacies and life expectations of Slayers in the 'real world'. This went on to disparaging remarks made about Watchers who failed to train their charges adequately, and how he was now faced with the daunting task of re-training her from scratch. He finally finished with the question, did she realize how much stress she'd caused him by the wilful disregard of his perfectly clear instructions? Obi-Wan didn't seem to require an answer, promptly answering it himself.

Normally, Buffy liked the sound of Obi-Wan's voice. She found it soothing, even when she wasn't listening to the words, but this time, although she'd zoned him out, she could feel herself getting irritated. She closed her eyes, put her head back and made a snoring noise in the hope he'd take a subtle hint and shut up, but the guy was totally relentless when he got started on something. Her head was already aching and it was making it ache more listening to him.

In the end, Buffy lost her temper. She said at least Slayers were all action-girls and not like him or his Jedi buddies, who were a bunch of no-action Jedi. Then she claimed her plan had been going well until some comedian had appeared, made off with her lightsaber, and it had nearly gotten her killed.

Buffy watched her last words affect Obi-Wan. The bond they shared meant that even if they weren't actively talking into each other's heads, she'd become more attuned to him. Anyone else wouldn't have spotted the almost imperceptible flicker in Obi-Wan's eyes that signaled he was hiding his emotions.

With blazing clarity, it came to her.

Obi-Wan had received her goodbye message and, unable to contact her back, had become distraught thinking she might be dead or badly injured. In front of Anakin, he'd not been able to speak of it or show it. Then, once back at the Temple, it was even more important to hide his feelings. So he'd concealed his inner turmoil under a facade of self-assurance that fooled everyone, even her.

She should have realized as soon as she saw him. Why hadn't she realised?

Buffy knew he wasn't pompous or uncaring. She knew better than anyone that Obi-Wan was a warm-hearted guy who struggled with the fact he had strong emotions that went against his Code. He'd no way to tell her what he was thinking. Their mind link was out of order and the Healers were always too close for him to risk breaking down and expressing his feelings. The only way open to him to express and release those feelings was by lecturing her as if she was his padawan.

And instead of realizing what he was doing and why, she'd accused him of nearly getting her killed by robbing her lightsaber. A surge of guilt hit her and she felt like ripping her own tongue out.

Reaching over, she took the Jedi's larger and much warmer hand in hers and clasped it firmly. When he turned to look at her, and her eyes met his. Green to blue. Trying to convey a silent apology, her reassurance, and the rush of love she felt for him. Obi-Wan didn't speak but his hand curled around hers and she knew he was telling her much the same thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all the times Obi posed pompously in doorways..


	117. Buffy's Lightsaber

“Do you think they all look like this when first switched on?” Buffy asked Andrew. The expression on her face a mixture of confusion and amazement, as she stared at the lightsaber blade.

She flicked her wrist and gave it a little wave through the air. The blade hummed and the color blurred before it settling down once more as she brought it up vertically in front of her face. This was going to attract attention. What would Obi-Wan and Count Dooku make of it? Not to mention Yoda when he spotted her wielding it. He'd probably fall off his flying lid.

After Jango had breached Temple security and tried to kidnap her, she'd increased the amount of time meditating with the special crystal that would form the main part of her lightsaber. After finding herself out-weaponed by Jango (she hoped her stake had given him splinters and they'd become badly infected and his arm had dropped off), she'd wanted a second lightsaber. That way, if one was lost or maybe robbed by a passing Jedi who'd mislaid his own, she'd still have a spare to play with.

Buffy gave the new blade another swish through the air. It was definitely working, sort of. It ignited like a lightsaber, sounded and cut through objects like a lightsaber, but even she had to admit its appearance seemed a bit... unusual. Possibly she or, more likely, Andrew had done something wrong. She glanced across to where her Watcher sat. His eyes were bugging out and he looked as baffled by the blade as she was.

According to Obi-Wan the correct way to build a lightsaber was by using telekinesis. All the parts needed floating together and Ubi had offered to build it for her. But once her crystal had started glowing, Obi-Wan wasn't about so she'd gotten impatient and asked Andrew to do it for her. Not that Andrew could do telekinesis. He was like her and couldn't float a pencil to save his life.  
What Andrew did have was a Jedi manual he'd 'found' to guide him through the construction. Buffy was confident he could follow it. He'd always been good at following obscure instructions and building things. He was the only one at Slayer HQ who could put flat-pack furniture together without freaking out and smashing it.

“I think it's always going to look like that.” Her Watcher was saying, scratching at his scalp with both hands and making his hair stand up around his face, like a young nutty professor's. Although he wasn't freaking out, Buffy noticed the nervous, shifty look. “I thought you'd get a blue one to show your protective side. I never thought it would be...” he paused and waved a hand in the direction of her lightsaber, unsure how to describe the blade. “If I were you I'd take it around to Obi-Wan's. See what he says. You might have meditated wrong or... I could have put the crystal in upside down or something.”

Buffy deactivated the blade. Then, because she couldn't stop looking at it, held the hilt up to the light and admired the customized decoration. She'd wanted it to look more fashionable and less weapon-y when hung from her belt so she'd persuaded Andrew to create a slimmer and more feminine handle. Her new lightsaber hilt was shorter than Mr Sparkly's and with a narrower diameter fit her hand much better. Andrew had also spent hours insetting row after row of glittery stones Mother Ta'la had given her (not real diamonds but still sparkly), to the lightsaber's hilt. Now the handle of the blade glistened and shone in the light, the multi-faceted stones creating a rainbow effect as she twisted the hilt in the sunlight coming from the window.

As she admired the weapon's casing, she replied, “Obi-Wan's teaching lightsaber moves this morning. There's something called the Annual Apprentice Tournament coming up and Yoda's roped in all the spare knights to help the kids put in extra practice.”

Andrew looked up from the drawer where he was stashing the tools and lightsaber manual. “That's a big event in the Jedi calendar. All the Jedi knights and masters come back to the Temple to watch, even if they aren't looking for a new padawan. The place is going to be buzzing like a Borg hive.” Andrew noticed a flash of concern cross Buffy's face.

Lowering the hilt she gave him a meaningful look.“I hope they don't start allocating the apartments along this corridor. If it gets busy that'll mean...”

“...you and Obi-Wan won't be able to sneak in and out of each other's apartments at all times of the day and night,” finished Andrew. They were always sneaking about in the corridor. He'd no idea how they hadn't been caught by the Temple Guardians.

Buffy ignored the jibe. If anyone caught them she and Obi-Wan had a valid excuse for spending so much time together. They were working on stuff together and no one could dispute it. She had the lightsaber crystal to prove it and Obi-Wan's was still work in progress. She knew they'd fall for it. Jedi were such suckers for the meditating excuse.

“I was thinking more of whoever allocates apartments finding all the broken furniture we've stashed in there,” she said. “Someone might recognize it and come asking questions.”

Andrew shrugged. “Act dumb and deny all knowledge. It always works for me. They can't prove anything. There are no security cameras on the accommodation floors.” He grabbed his coat from the peg next to the door. “My shift at Dex's doesn't start for a couple of hours. I'll come with you to see Obi-Wan. I want to know what he thinks of my lightsaber building skills.”

At the main block of training rooms, they found Obi-Wan still teaching his class. From the viewing window above the room, Buffy watched him. He pranced about happily, shouting instructions and giving out praise and encouragement to the odd mix of alien and human students.

“Obi-Wan really enjoys teaching kids,” she said. She leaned against the cool transparisteel and watched the Jedi, who was practically glowing. Yeah, Obi-Wan really enjoyed having someone to give orders to and boss around.

“If Qui-Gon was dead he'd have Anakin to train.” Andrew watched the young Jedi knight explaining at length to one of the initiates why the move he'd just made had lost him the spar. “Some think that if Qui-Gon had trained Anakin he wouldn't have gone dark. As he grew older Anakin complained Obi-Wan held him back. That he was too quick to find fault and complain if he did anything wrong.”

Buffy couldn't help but smile. It sounded about right. Obi-Wan could be a real worry-wort. He was always cautioning her on the dangers of leaving the Temple, telling her that the Nightsisters and the Courascanti Ogres weren't good people to associate with and worrying about her dark side. Obi-Wan had a tendency to forget she wasn't a young padawan who needed instruction and his protection. But she also knew first hand how Obi-Wan hid his strong emotions under a facade of rebuking and general moaning. “Yeah, Ubi can be a bit of a moaner...”

“You both are. I've heard you through the walls,” Andrew interrupted pettishly. “You want to try keeping it down.”

The startled look Buffy shot him quickly morphed into a full-on Slayer glare. Andrew gulped, stepping away from her. He needed to distract her before she hit him. Glancing down into the training room, he said the first thing that entered his head. “Is Obi-Wan thinking of taking a padawan?” Then felt like hitting himself over the head at his stupidity. If Obi-Wan was serious about Buffy, there was no way he'd commit to training a padawan for the next ten years.

Buffy didn't seem to notice. Instead, she snorted derisively. “He says the Force tells him I'm his podperson and it's his destiny to train me into becoming a Jedi-Slayer girl.”

Andrew gave Buffy a sharp glance, fascinated by this disclosure. “I wonder if that's because he was supposed to train the Chosen One, who Sid turned into Vader, and you're, like the same thing?” He gave Buffy a searching look. “You aren't planning on marrying Padmé, going Dark and marching on the Temple with an army of clones behind you, are you?”

“It's not on today's agenda.” Buffy watched the lightsaber lesson come to an end. Several of the older kids were lingering, wanting to question Obi-Wan, and she sighed. He'd probably be in there for ages since he enjoyed educating people. She was desperate to speak to him about her lightsaber and it looked as if she'd have to wait in line.

She perked up when her Slayer hearing caught the sound of Nick Fury's voice in the corridor below them. She bet he'd be interested in her new lightsaber. He was always bragging to her that his was a very rare color and wanting her to look at it.

“Shall we ask Nick Fury what he makes of my new lightsaber?” she asked Andrew, moving away from the window.

She didn't wait for an answer, just bounced down the steps to waylay the Jedi master.

…..  
Mace Windu walked down the corridor alongside Qui-Gon Jinn, both masters deep in conversation regarding the number of Jedi going missing from their ranks. Although Master Windu didn't say it and Master Jinn didn't bring it up, both Jedi wondered if the Sith Lord was orchestrating the disappearances. The Sith had long been the Jedis' enemy and it wouldn't surprise the Order if those missing had fallen victim to Sith attacks. So far, most of those who'd gone missing had been from the service corps. No bodies, or clues to their whereabouts if still alive, had been found.

Behind the two masters walked Anakin Skywalker. He remained a good few feet behind them, as an obedient padawan should always do, and looked about him in boredom, as a padawan should not. When he spotted Buffy coming towards them his face lit up and he waved to her, from behind his master's back. Jedi etiquette stated that a padawan should always wait for his master to greet someone first, but he knew Buffy well enough to know she wouldn't care about Jedi etiquette.

Following the attempted kidnap he'd gone to see her and Buffy had not only thanked him, but she'd praised his bravery and quick thinking in stealing the speeder and trying to rescue her. Everyone else in the Temple had reprimanded him. The High Council had read him a blistering lecture on stealing a visitor's speeder, how he was too young to fight bounty hunters, and that in future he needed to find a responsible adult and inform them, rather than taking unnecessary risks.

Qui-Gon, normally a patient and laid-back master, hadn't been happy at Anakin's involvement. He'd said Buffy was a bad influence, a magnet for trouble and made him promise not to involve himself with any of her future escapades that might put him in danger. Anakin had promised, but he'd made sure he'd kept his fingers crossed inside his robe pocket. He'd no intention of missing out on any future fun with his Slayer girlfriend.

Buffy, wearing a huge smile, bounced down the corridor to the Jedi masters and came to a stop in front of them, an eager expression to her face.

“Miss Summers,” said Qui-Gon, politely returning her smile and inwardly groaning. He could feel Anakin buzzing with excitement behind him, and knew the rest of the day's conversation would be dominated with questions about Buffy, vampires, and slaying. He decided to visit the Archives later for some in-depth research. Since Anakin disliked the place and was wary of the librarian Jocasta Nu, it would make the ideal place to escape small, over-exuberant boys with their endless questions.

Beside him, Mace Windu's smile was far more genuine. “Buffy, you look very excited. Is my presence causing it?”

Qui-Gon's eyes flicked to the man's face in surprise. Mace, flirting?

Buffy smiled. “It's not your happy face that's got me excited today, Nick. I've built myself a lightsaber! Well, Andrew technically built it but I'm the one who got the crystal working. Will you have a look at it and tell me if we've done anything wrong?”

Both masters were momentarily taken aback and made speechless. Neither of them knew of anyone who was not Jedi or Sith building a lightsaber, yet here were two Force Voids claiming they had. After a short pause, Nick Fury nodded, intrigued.

Buffy warned, “It's a bit weird though.” She scrunched her nose up. “I'm thinking Andrew could have put it together wrong.”

“Hey!” Andrew protested. Why was he always blamed if anything went wrong? “It so could be your fault too! You probably did something weird to the crystal when you charged it.”

“I thought you didn't have any midiclorians, Buffy?” Qui-Gon asked. He'd been told by several people including Obi-Wan that she was a Force Void. If that was true, how had she charged a crystal if she wasn't Force sensitive? It didn't make sense. “Surely only a person with a higher than normal midichlorian level has access to the Force?” He looked over to Master Windu questioningly.

“When we tested Buffy's level it came out the same as Andrew's, at zero.” Mace Windu replied. He was curious at this turn of events. A Slayer's powers were obviously very different to a Jedi's but if she was able to call the Force to charge a lightsaber crystal what else could she call the Force to do? He'd also need to tell Master Yoda, who'd no doubt be worried about this latest development.

“You've got the least midiclorians in the Temple,” piped up Anakin with a grin, “and I've got the most.” He'd sneaked closer to listen to what Buffy was telling the masters and received a dark look off his master for interrupting the conversation. The soft smile Buffy gave him made it worth it, but he prudently took a couple of steps back so as not to irritate any Qui-Gon further. Ever since that day he'd told his master about Buffy and Obi-Wan's fight in the corridor, Qui-Gon had been very prickly whenever he brought Buffy up.

“Are you sure you've been Force meditating, Buffy?” pressed Qui-Gon. He wouldn't put it past Obi-Wan to have made the crystal for her and said nothing. He'd always been a kind-hearted boy and wouldn't want to see her disappointed by the fact her crystal hadn't charged.

“I so have been Force meditating! I've meditated for years... Er, not literally years. Because how boring would that be if I'd done nothing but meditate for years? I'd be, like a hermit.” Buffy screwed her face up with disgust at the thought. “What was I saying? Oh, yeah. I used to meditate in my dimension, though not as often as Giles wanted me to. When Obi-Wan lost his lightsaber and began creating a new one, I thought I'd join in and meditate on a crystal too. He kept insisting his would be ready before mine as I'd never charged one before, but I've beaten him.” She added, with a secretive smile, “I did something a little extra with mine which he didn't do with his.”

“Really? And what would that be?” Qui-Gon couldn't help but ask.

Buffy smile became all the wider. “Ah, consider it a Slayer secret,” she said. Which did nothing to reassure Qui-Gon.

“Let's adjourn to a training room where you can show off your lightsaber.” Mace was finding himself more and more intrigued. Master Yoda had once told him that, if Buffy built a lightsaber, it wouldn't fail to show her true nature. He'd also claimed the blade would be as crimson as Darth Maul's. Mace had privately always harbored the belief it would more likely to be a purple one like his. However, if Kenobi had been meditating alongside her, there was a good chance he'd Force charged hers at the same time, in which case it would be blue.

The door slid open on the nearest practice room, the last few students departing after finishing their lesson, and they entered. Nearby Obi-Wan had sat down to start filling in the class report on his datapad. He looked up in surprise, before standing, and bowing politely to the masters. Then shot a fast, puzzled glance at Buffy and Andrew. Wondering if they'd gotten themselves in trouble.

Buffy waved her diamanté lightsaber hilt at him. “My lightsaber is working. Sort of.” Her barely checked excitement and the mega-watt smile lit up her face.

Her joy was contagious and Obi-Wan found himself grinning back at her. She reminded him of a youngling who'd just built her first lightsaber and was excitedly showing it off to all and sundry.

“That's great news. I really didn't expect you to have any results yet.” He pouted a little. “Mine isn't ready, although I think another session or so should possibly be enough.” A small crease appeared between his eyebrows and he slanted a confused glance at her and then the two masters accompanying her. “What exactly do you mean by 'sort of'? Is it ready or is it not? How can there be 'sort of'?”

Buffy waved the sparkly hilt at him again. “Ubi, it's sort of hard to explain. I'll show you and let you decide.”

“I might have put the crystals in upside down,” confessed Andrew. “I followed the manual, but you need more diagrams in there as it's weird. Jedi cool but Jedi weird.”

A frown marred Obi-Wan's normally serene features. “Then why for Force sake didn't you wait for me? Putting together a lightsaber wrongly could result in a large explosion.”

“Ugh, it's fine. I didn't do that.” Andrew gave a short nerdy laugh and Obi-Wan bristled as the Watcher continued with, “I electrocuted Buffy a bit with my first few attempts but there were no explosions.”

“Electrocuting someone is nothing to smile about Andrew!” admonished Obi-Wan.

Mace also gave the Watcher a disapproving look. “Indeed. Such foolishness could have resulted in serious injuries for not only Buffy, but for yourself and perhaps for others.”

“Are you watching or what?” called Buffy interrupting them. She'd gone over to the center of the floor, ready to brandish her lightsaber, only to find the guys were still by the door gossiping amongst themselves. Only little Anakin quietly watched her, which was nothing new.

“I'm gonna do the big reveal, on the count of three,” said Buffy, when she had their attention. She stood sideways to the watching Jedi and holding the lightsaber hilt in front of her. The three Jedi and the padawan tensed, curious to see what color she'd produced.

“Three!”

The energy blade ignited. The single blade shot outwards from the rainbow jewel-encrusted hilt, rising before Buffy with a soft hiss before settling to a familiar soft hum. The shape of the blade was usual but the color was not. It was not a color that any of the Jedi expected to see.

The Jedi watched as Buffy moved swiftly across the floor, the lightsaber slicing and spinning around her as she flourished it. As her concentration grew and her lightsaber katas became more focused, the blade she wielded took on a more menacing tone as it scythed its way through the air. The Jedi masters shifted uncomfortably at the sound, but both Mace and Qui-Gon found it hard to look away from the fast moving energy blade. The blade formed so obviously from Dark Side energy, its color so dark a gray that it appeared to be almost black to those watching. And if the darkness of the blade wasn't worrying enough for the masters, the Sith-crimson flash emanating from the hilt and spiraled upwards along the blade certainly was.

Finally, Qui-Gon could bear it no longer. “Obi-Wan, what was the extra thing Buffy did with her crystal?” he asked softly, but urgently. The more he looked at the blade Buffy wielded, the more uneasy he felt. “She told us she did something with hers that you weren't doing with yours.”

“Huh?” Obi-Wan's eyes never left Buffy's blade as she ran through lightsaber katas. “Oh, that thing? She kept the crystal in her bra.”

The silence was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Andrew's eyes darted from Obi-Wan to the two masters and then back to Obi-Wan again. Mace had pulled his gaze from the dark lightsaber, his attention fully on the young knight standing next to him.

Obi-Wan carefully didn't look at either of the masters, although Qui-Gon's eyes were burning into his head. “It dropped out,” he said. The burning sensation increased. “It happened during a training session! She somersaulted over me and it bounced out and landed on the floor between us. She told me she kept it there for safe keeping.”

“Ahh,” said Mace, understanding dawning. He was trying not to look at the blade Buffy was wielding but the fiery red pulse spiraling its way up the blade's length kept catching his eye. “She's been keeping the crystal on her at all times.” It was perfectly reasonable to do that. Lots of Jedi liked to carry a crystal they were working with on them. That way it was always on hand if they had the opportunity to fit in an extra meditation session. As for keeping it in her underwear, he'd noticed before that many of Buffy's outfits lacked pockets so it made sense she'd store it in her bra.

“She wanted the crystal to be ready as soon as possible. She's even been putting it under her pillow when she goes to bed at night.” Obi-Wan explained. His eyes were still on the dark blade. The weapon was the essence of the Slayer and he found the blade's color more fascinating than unnerving.

Once more, Qui-Gon's eyes burned holes in the side of his former padawan's head.

“She made a point of telling me she was keeping it under her pillow,” Obi-Wan clarified, feeling indignant. It wasn't as if he and Buffy could comfortably spend the night together. His former master should know perfectly well that the beds inside the Temple were too narrow for that. One of them would no doubt roll off in their sleep and fall to the floor.

“So what do you think?” Buffy called over. They'd had plenty of time to ogle her cool new weapon. “Have I got the fanciest lightsaber in the Temple or is it a dud?”

“I think its ace!” called Anakin. “I want one in that color too! I really like the way the red appears and circles up the blade. Master Qui-Gon, can I make another lightsaber crystal? I could go and meditate with Buffy.”

Qui-Gon shot him one of the long, silent looks of disapproval that he'd used on Obi-Wan as a padawan. Although it served to quieten Anakin, he noticed how the boy developed a mutinous look in his eyes. A shiver of unease ran through Qui-Gon. What was it about the Slayer that both his padawans found so irresistible? Was he destined to have padawans who were always drawn to darkness?

“It's very... you, Buffy,” Mace was saying diplomatically. “Special.” Truthfully, he wasn't sure what to say about Buffy's lightsaber blade. He knew for a fact Master Yoda would definitely ask to have a closer look at it.

“Yes, it is special,” said Qui-Gon. He was really glad Anakin's lightsaber color had turned out blue and he'd no intention of letting the boy go off meditating with Buffy. In fact, he intended to keep the boy away from her as much as possible. “A highly unusual blade color. I have no doubt that it reflects your particular... abilities.” He didn't look at Obi-Wan, but through their old padawan-master link, he sent a warning message. ~You must take great care. With a blade like that she could go dark and take you down with her.~

“Special, unusual and extraordinary,” said Obi-Wan. He darted Qui-Gon a quick glare, before turning a much warmer look onto Buffy. “But then, you are the only Slayer in the galaxy, so it was always going to be unique.” When Buffy responded to his praise with a soft brush of pleasure through their mind link, his smile dimpled. He didn't care he was again the object of Qui-Gon's intense focus or that his old master was sending him wave after wave of disapproval and caution.

“Oh cool! I did a good job of meditating then.” Buffy felt better knowing she hadn't done anything wrong.

“This means I'm the first person from my dimension who's ever built a real working lightsaber,” said Andrew, buzzing with pleasure. He'd built a lightsaber! A real lightsaber and not just a non-working plastic one from Parts Weekly. And not just any old lightsaber but one Mace Windu, Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin Skywalker, and Obi-Wan Kenobi all admired! Andrew zoned out, lost in a happy daydream, imagining the adoration and envy he'd receive from everyone he knew. He'd be like, their lightsaber guru. Star Wars fans from everywhere would journey across the world to sit at his feet and listen to his words of infinite wisdom. He'd be his dimension's version of Yoda but a whole lot less green and crinkly.

Buffy, meanwhile, had gone back to running through lightsaber katas with her new blade. She just couldn't help it. Obi-Wan was right. A lightsaber you'd created yourself (okay, with Andrews help), felt much better than using someone else's. Not that there was anything wrong with Mr Sparkly. She had the whole Slayer affinity with weapons thing going on, but this one was all hers. It sort of fitted in her hand better, the balance was right, and the way it sang through the air as she flourished it called to her soul. This was her creation and in her eyes it was perfect.

She couldn't wait to show it off to Count Dooku. She wondered what he'd say about her blade color, not to mention her extra flashy, jewel encrusted lightsaber hilt. Buffy gave the lightsaber a dramatic flourish once more, before bringing it upwards, and holding it vertically in front of her face. The energy blade hummed seductively in front of her, the color now so dark it reminded her of the inside of a tomb at midnight. And if that wasn't cool enough, the amazing pulse of blood-red energy her blade produced every few seconds certainly was.


	118. A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

The shuttlebus came to a stop outside the Jedi Temple, allowing the two robed and hooded figures to board. Once safely seated, the droid bus driver engaged the repulsor lift system and the vehicle rose up to join the never-ceasing flow of sky traffic lines.

The small brown-robed figure leaned in to her seated companion and whispered, “You think this is funny, don't you?”

Wisely, the larger figure made no reply. Instead, he fixed his attention on the scene outside the window and concentrated his Force senses to search for signs of danger or anyone following them. His gaze focused on a small, fast enclosed speeder on his right that appeared to hover next to them in an adjacent lane. Was the driver staring over at him? How long had he been in that lane? A moment later the vehicle dropped and took a right turn, Obi-Wan's gaze followed it through the Force. No, no danger after all.

Beside him, the smaller Jedi fidgeted in her seat, then leaned forward to check outside the window to see what held her companion's interest. She missed seeing the speeders maneuver and saw only the relentless duracrete and transapristeel landscape of Coruscant, with its ever-flowing lines of air-traffic.

A long lock of blonde hair fell out of the encasing hood as she turned her head. Raising a hand she tucked it out of sight behind her ear and eyed her brown-robed arm with distaste.

“Why choose brown?” she moaned. “It makes us look like matching bookends.” Shifting in her uncomfortable seat, she adjusted the utility belt holding her cream tunic in place and gave the lightsaber she'd left on view a pat to reassure herself of its presence.

Obi-Wan still faced the window, staring out and pretending to ignore her, but she wasn't going to let that deter her. If she had to go undercover, dress as a Jedi, and feel him smirking at her down their Force bond, she might as well have some fun teasing Obi-Wan while she was doing it. She wondered, could get him to blush? It wasn't as easy these days but they were out in public so what about some inappropriate conversation in a public place?

“I think you have a thing about me dressing up as a Jedi girl. We might have our hoods up but when we walked out the Temple I could feel your eyes burning into my outfit.” The comment caused a small quirk of the man's shoulders and she knew she had him. It was time to go for the kill. “You know, most guys fantasize about their girlfriends in erotic underwear, not dressed in a bathrobe two sizes too large for them. Or, were you wondering if I'm like a naughty nun and I've got something black and skimpy on underneath?”

That got him. Buffy knew he'd leap to the defense of his innocence. He swiftly turned in his seat and from under his hood, he gave her a sharp, disapproving, if flushed look.

“That wasn't it at all,” he quietly protested in a formal manner. “When I looked at you, I was thinking how nice you look in clothing befitting your status as my padawan.”

It was her turn to object. “Eww,” she spluttered, “no way. I'm not nine years old and I'm not your padawan!”

He frowned. “Shush, not so loud.” He nodded towards the Rodian and the two Ithorian's sat at the front of the bus before continuing, “Not every padawan is chosen at nine years old like Anakin. Many are older.” He gave her a lopsided grin as if laughing at a private joke. “None are as old as you are though.”

“Hey! Are you trying to say I'm too old for you?” Buffy protested, before remembering she didn't want to be his padawan. “I'm still not a podperson.”

“You are my padawan,” he insisted. Obi-Wan could be stubborn once he had something in his head and he had it in his head she was his secret apprentice. “I've been teaching you all about the Force...”

“I still can't levitate a pencil,” grumbled Buffy.

Obi-Wan continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, “...and it was with my guidance that you learned how to Force charge your lightsaber crystal. With my help your perception through the Force has also improved and I am sure your abilities will increase as time progresses.”

“I can't summon Force Lightning either.” Buffy pouted. She really wanted to do that. Force blasting a vampire into a charred heap of dust would be so cool.

Under the hood, the Jedi's eyes widened. “That's dark!” he hissed. “You shouldn't want to summon Force Lightning.”

“Dooku does.”

“Only in exceptional circumstances,” replied Obi-Wan primly, with a hint of steely disapproval for the older man in his voice.

“Dooku thinks my lightsaber color shows I've a natural affinity with the Dark Side and I should put it to good use by learning Dark Side stuff. Like doing Force Lightning and choking people to death.” Dooku hadn't really said that but it was fun to tease Obi-Wan.

It worked. Obi-Wan almost physically vibrated with disapproval and their mind-link flooded with it. “Count Dooku has no right to suggest such things to you. He should stick to lightsaber tutelage and not poke his long nose into things that don't concern him. You're my padawan, not his,” he said irritably. “Just because you may have inadvertently used the Dark Side of the Force to charge your lightsaber, doesn't mean you should seek out Sith holocrons and learn from them.”

Several people in the Temple had made disparaging remarks about the color of Buffy's lightsaber and Obi-Wan had vigorously defended her to any who suggested it's unusual color was a sign of a Dark Side user. He gave a small sigh. “Who has been irritating you so much that you wish to use Force Lightning on them?”

“Yoda,” Buffy replied cheerfully. “He said my darksaber should be destroyed, as he didn't like the look of Mr Smoky.”

“Only on first seeing it. After examining the darksaber more closely he changed his mind.” Obi-Wan tapped her arm and nodded to the Senate building looming before them. This was their stop. “Yoda says that unlike Mr Sparkly, your Slayer ability has fully negated any Dark Side influence and it isn't dangerous for a Jedi to be around...”

“It would be if I poked a hole in him with it,” Buffy replied brightly, as she waited for the shuttle double doors to open. Behind her, an exasperated Obi-Wan shook his head at her. It only made her continue teasing him and she gleefully added, “I still might.”

“I have no idea why you dislike Master Yoda as much as you do.” After alighting he leaned forward and pulled the cowl further forward over Buffy's face, before adjusting his own. He also warily scanned the busy area in front of the Senate with both his senses and through the Force. Nothing so far was alerting him to anything unusual which, hopefully, meant Buffy's disguise was working and Jango, if watching, had not realized they'd left the Temple.

Buffy continued to chatter, “Yodel says, 'Slayer has shadowy core, she does' and that 'lure to Dark Side, it makes'. He keeps pestering me to go for one on ones with him in his swamp room. He says he wants to investigate my inner Slayer, but he grinned when he said it so I don't trust him. I think he intends to feed me to his pet alligators.”

“Don't be dramatic, Buffy. Master Yoda doesn't have any alligators.”

They entered the huge Senate building, heading for weapons check-in. As they made their way through the crowds, once more the Jedi used the Force to search for danger. It didn't seem to occur to Buffy to scan the area, but Obi-Wan had been assigned to protect potential kidnap victims in the past so it came as second nature for him to monitor his surroundings. He knew just because they'd entered a busy building didn't make her less of a target. The bounty hunter could be following them and even now seeking an opportunity to strike.

The fact Jango's ship had gained access into the Jedi Temple's airspace by using a security code obtained from the Senate also gnawed at him. The Senate staff claimed they'd no idea how the ship had obtained their codes and, after checking, said there was no sign of a security breach. If this was true, either Jango had a good slicer or someone inside the Senate had provided the bounty hunter with the code. If the latter, who and why? Was this the same person who'd planted the vampire inside the Senate closet? The individual Palpatine hadn't been able to uncover? Obi-Wan felt uneasy that Buffy now an appointment in the same building which twice had a breach of security that threatened her safety.

When Palpatine had contacted the Temple he'd asked for– no, demanded - Buffy's immediate attendance at his Senate office. He'd become evasive when asked the reason for the summons and the urgency. Stating only that it was a matter he and Lord Vader needed to discuss in private.

All in all, it gave Obi-Wan a bad feeling, and not just because he needed to be polite to a Sith Lord whose long term goal was the demise of the Jedi. Was this summons the start of a new scheme the Chancellor had planned for Buffy? What would happen if she refused the man's advances? Would he turn on her? How was he and the Jedi-Scoobies going to keep her safe? Obi-Wan chewed the inside of his lip, his mind bouncing from thought to thought.

Glancing down at Buffy he saw no sign of nerves, but knew she'd be wondering if today was the day Palpatine pushed her too far. Nothing beyond teasing was coming through their bond but she could be hiding her concern from him. She'd already told him the Scooby way of dealing with a Big Bad or impending apocalypse was by joking and quipping. Still, she should not be insulting the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, not when she needed allies.

Joining the shortest queue to hand in their weapons, Obi-Wan said, “Master Yoda is one of the wisest masters in the Temple. It is considered to be a great privilege to be invited into his private quarters and many would love to have the opportunity. You should try to be nicer to him. He has shown genuine concern for your physical and mental safety and only wishes to assure himself that you aren't going to take the dark pathway. He doesn't know you as well as I do.”

“I don't want him knowing me as well as you do,” Buffy replied with a playful smile.

Obi-Wan didn't answer her. His focus was on a dark-haired man standing on the floor above them, leaning against the railing. His body and alert stance similar to Jango Fett's. Had he been watching them? He'd turned his face away, either trying to hide his interest or watching something or someone they couldn't see on the level above.

Buffy noticed, saying quietly, “I don't think it's Jango,” just as a pretty brunette with a small child in tow greeted the man with a kiss. The man swooped up the child and they both walked away. Obi-Wan's tension levels dropped down a notch but Buffy could feel how intensely focussed he was on searching for danger in his surroundings.

They'd reached the front of the queue while their attention had been on the man above them. “Please remove all your weapons and place them on the counter. Who in the Senate do you wish to call upon?” asked the protocol droid collecting visitor details and weapons.

“We are here to see Supreme Chancellor Palpatine,” replied Obi-Wan as he unhooked his new lightsaber and very reluctantly handed it over.

Beside him, Buffy put Mr Sparkly down on the counter. Obi-Wan's eyes flicked down to Buffy's belt, expecting to see her unhooking Mr Smokey from the clip she hung it from. It wasn't there. She must have hid it! He quickly looked away, taking a deep breath and trying not to panic. For Force sake, what was she up to now? And what about her stakes? He'd seen her secrete at least three about her person before she'd donned the robe. What would happen if they searched her? How could she hide that many weapons? If they found her hidden weapons, they'd be arrested, taken to the holding area, the Senate Guards would be called, he'd need to explain who she was and why they were there, and then...

“Names please?” asked the droid, breaking into his panicked thoughts.

“Oh, er, I'm Knight Kenobi and this is...” Obi-Wan trailed off. He felt flustered. They'd forgotten to think of a different name for Buffy in the rush over and, with a possible leak in the Senate, he didn't want to give her real one.

He waved a hand in Buffy's direction and said the first name that entered his head, “This is Master Kit Fisto.” He grimaced as soon as the name left his lips. What was he thinking? Buffy was going to...

~Kit Fisto?! Do I look like I have an octopus head?~ Buffy fumed down the mind-link.

Rallying quickly, he responded ~Would you prefer Anakin Skywalker's name? You're both padawans of a similar height.~

He got a flash of annoyance from her before she tutted, spun on her heel and walked off, leaving him to hurriedly collect the receipts for the weapons and rush after her. Once he'd caught up to her, they made their way to the turbolift junction and were lucky enough to find an empty one. The doors closed with a soft swish and the elevator began to rise. After a few moments of silence, Buffy nudged him.

“Admit it. You have a fetish for me in these Jedi robes, don't you?”

He sighed. She was relentless, but he could, and would, defeat her on this. “The Force tells me you should wear the clothing of a Jedi padawan...”

“The Force giving out the fashion advice these days, is it?”

“Of course not. It does, however, assure me I should train the Chosen One and therefore, to fulfill that position correctly, you need to wear the correct padawan clothing. Ah-ah, I have not finished!” He put up a hand to stop her from speaking. “This is most important. I've been thinking of it for a while and I am very serious about this. Now that you are lucky enough to have gained me as your master,” she rolled her eyes and he ignored her, “you need to change your hairstyle. It is traditional for a human padawan to wear a small ponytail at the back of the head and a thin braid over the right ear to signify you are under instruction.”

“Uh! Oh, no. No way. There's no dorky hairstyles for me, Ubi-Doo.”

“You should also address me as Master...”

“Last guy who wanted addressing as Master found himself slayed,” smirked Buffy, enjoying their conversation.

Ignoring the interruption he continued, “Perhaps when you are better trained and we are in a more informal situation I may give you permission to call me Obi-Wan instead of Master Kenobi. You should never, however, call me Ubi-Doo.” He kept his face and voice serious but in the depths of his hood, Buffy could see the sparkle of amusement in his eyes and could feel it bubbling down their link.

“Oh-Be-Only happening in your dreams.” Buffy noticed the way a small, secretive smile played across his lips at her comment. Looked like she had touched on something there. Tilting her head, she smoothed down the robe across her hip, arched an eyebrow, and said, “Make the most of seeing me in this outfit, it's never gonna happen again.”

“Oh, I'm sure it will happen again.” The smirk he gave her was pure evil, but she also noticed the heat in his eyes, making her stomach flip flop.

“A sexual fetish, like I said,” she said softly. Anya would applaud her for saying that. She could almost hear the former vengeance demon's laughter and it incited her to add more loudly, “You've definitely got some strange fetishes going on in your head, Jedi-boy.”

“I have not,” was his prim retort. “I'm a Jedi, you're my padawan and we don't do things like that.”

Buffy snorted, the echo of Anya's old laughter still ringing in her ears. “Who are you trying to kid? This is me, remember? Your girlfriend. Oh, and you'd better drop the subject. We're nearly at Sid's floor and you discussing your favorite fetishes, is so not a good topic of conversation for a Jedi knight to be overheard having.”

And she didn't bother restraining her smile at the way he huffed with annoyance from inside his robe.

…..


	119. Every Day I Love You Less And Less

“Master Kit Fisto and Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi are here to see you, Supreme Chancellor,” announced Palpatine's assistant. She didn't wait for the Supreme Chancellor to look up. Instead, she hurried from the room leaving them standing on the small landing above the Chancellor's main chamber.

Buffy noted the Supreme Chancellor didn't so much as glance over when they were announced. He sat at his desk in front of the large picture window, his head down, and typing away on his datapad. She eyed him warily. From the way he sat huddled inside his robe, shoulders rounded, chin tucked in, he looked in a bad mood.

Careful, don't do anything to upset him.~ she warned Obi-Wan through their bond.

She continued watching Palpatine. Had something upset him? Was it his lack of an apprentice? Andrew said Count Dooku should have become Sid's dark apprentice by now, but Dooku was on her side and she intended it to stay that way. Anakin was still too young to be of use and Qui-Gon was very protective of the young boy. It would mean Sid needed to do all his own dirty work. Was that the reason for the grouchy face?

Of course, Sid wouldn't have given up on her becoming his side-kick. It was obvious he still fancied the idea of having a Darth Vader with extra benefits. She hadn't mentioned it to Obi-Wan as she knew he'd worry, but it was likely Sid wanted to sweet-talk her into one of his schemes. That meant Obi-Wan's presence was both a worry and a blessing. On the one hand, it would put a real damper on the Sith's enthusiasm, but on the other, Obi-Wan was looking for an excuse to expose the Sith, even if that meant putting himself in danger. Thank goodness she'd the foresight not to hand in Mr Smoky at the front desk. At least now she'd be able to protect both herself and the Jedi in case the atmosphere became... highly charged.

She gave Obi-Wan a fast warning look. Through their link, she could feel Obi-Wan's internal battle to go Jedi knight on a Sith Lord.

~Stay calm~ she whispered to him via their bond. ~Let me handle this~

He needed to stay under control otherwise he'd give the game away. Yoda and his Council gang were investigating Palpatine. All the two of them had to do was act normal and continue hunting vampires. Let the Jedi Council deal with the live Sith Lord.

Except, right now, she was the one dealing with him.

It was Senate protocol that visitors to the Supreme Chancellor's office remained by the door until the Chancellor was ready to greet them. With that in mind, Buffy swaggered down the steps and pranced across to the Supreme Chancellor. Obi-Wan hesitated for a brief moment, before following just behind her.

Sid, well aware of the Jedi's approach, refused to look up from his work. Already in a bad mood, his anger rose at the way they flounced towards him, defying known etiquette and intruding into his personal space.

He was just about to bark a reprimand at the Nautolan master when Buffy's voice coming from the depths of the hood made him jump.

“Why Sid, no fond words of welcome for me?” she drawled. Throwing back the cowl of her Jedi robe, she perched on the edge of his desk and pouted across at the older man.

Her actions had the effect she'd wanted. Blinking in surprise, the Chancellor looked from her to Obi-Wan (who'd also dropped his hood and given the Sith the smallest bow of greeting). Rising, Palpatine hurried around to greet her and took her hand as she slid from his desk.

“Knight Kenobi and the beautiful Lord Vader! Buffy you are looking as stunning, radiant and fresh cheeked as ever.” His brow furrowed, as he took a long sweeping look at her robe.

“But what is this?” He gave a depreciating wave at her robe, his mouth puckering in distaste. “That shade of brown does absolutely nothing for you. It washes all the color from your face. You need to wear a more golden hue, or perhaps a shade darker with a more cinnamon tone. Now that would bring out the lowlights in your hair and emphasize those pretty brown flecks in your lovely, green eyes.”

Buffy grimaced. Even the Sith thought this shade of brown was horrendous.

Sid suddenly remembered his manners. “Oh, do accept my most sincere apologies for not jumping up and greeting you as soon as you were announced. It was most remiss of me. I'd become rather engrossed in an important document that needed dealing with before I depart for the Outer Rim. That being said, If I'd known it was you and not Kit Fisto under that hood I would have left it straight away.” He gave her an ingratiating smile, adding quickly, “My dear Lord Vader, you know I'd always put you before... well, almost everything in the galaxy.”

Looking at her robes again, he leaned closer, and quietly asked. “What's going on? Why do you use the Nautolan's name? You look nothing like him.”

“I should hope not,” Buffy replied. “ I'm not one for wearing tentacles on my head. The Jedi disguise is in case that idiot bounty hunter spotted me leaving the Temple and tried to stop me,” she explained. “As for using Kit Fisto's name, that was Obi-Wan's idea.”

Red spots appeared on Obi-Wan's cheeks as he fought back his embarrassment. “I thought the use of that name was a good one. No one would expect Buffy to pretend to be Kit Fisto,” he replied. He hoped it sounded a reasonable excuse for using the Nautolan's identity and not something he'd just thought of on the spot.

The Sith Lord stared at him blankly before giving a little shake of his head. Taking Buffy's arm, he drew her across to a low, padded sofa in the corner of his office. As he took a seat next to her he slanted Obi-Wan a look, and out the corner of his mouth said, “You do pick some very strange apprentices, Buffy.”

Over hearing, Ubi spluttered down their mind link, affronted. ~Me? How can he think I'm your apprentice?!~

“Oh, Obi-Wan has his uses,” she managed to say, holding back her laughter. Obi-Wan was vibrating with tight-lipped indignation and some of the words coming down their mind-link were very un-Jedi like.

Sid's eyes assessed the Jedi knight. 'Had his uses', eh? So he'd guessed correctly at the new relationship between them. Squeaky Clean had clearly fallen to the Dark Side lure, which meant the Sith-Queen was making the most of her position amongst the Jedi to find herself powerful apprentices. That was rather annoying. Palpatine rubbed the palms of his hands together as the power inside him crackled for an outlet. He'd no such reservoir of Force users to tap and had to take what he could get. Inwardly he pouted at the unfairness of it all.

He thought back to the training session he'd spied on. Obi-Wan Kenobi had worn a black outfit, complete with Vader helmet, and used the Dark Side to fuel his rage; slashing and slamming the droids with his crimson blade. That day Kenobi's intense anger and use of the Dark Side of the Force had been quite impressive. Squeaky Clean Kenobi could prove useful in future – as long as he didn't get too big for his boots. Palpatine had heard about the duel between him and Dooku. Had the duel been a sign of jostling over position and hierarchy on the Sith-Queen's Council? Perhaps the two of them had even fought at her instigation?

A Sith conducting Dark Side bouts in the very center of the Jedi Temple! The thought almost made him cackle out loud.

His attention turned to Lord Vader. Taking in the way she'd pulled her long blonde hair away from her face yet allowing wisps to hang down to soften the effect. The way her wide eyes watched him in such an innocent manner. Hiding her true dark Slayer nature under the pretty facade of a young, small and vulnerable female. It was no wonder she'd managed to entrench herself so firmly into the heart of the Temple. Playing on the protective nature of the Jedi by pretending to be the tragic innocent victim of a vengeance demon and seeking asylum in their midst. All a devious ploy to lure powerful Force users to her side and build her very own Dark Council, ready to take down the Jedi Order from within.

Palpatine became almost breathless at the thought of a new Sith Renaissance, obviously with him as its Emperor. There was something about Buffy, her core of swirling darkness probably, that made him want to drop all pretense and pull out his red lightsaber. Oh yes, he'd love to expose his Sith side to the Sith-Queen. She was bound to be impressed by his immense ability and agree to become his consort.

“What was it you needed to see me so urgently about?” Buffy asked with a smile. She hoped the smile was convincing but it wasn't easy. Not after the way she'd noticed Palpatine undressing her with his eyes and how his breathing had changed. He was leaning in, panting heavily, and trying to stare into her brain like the Jedi did when they were going mind bendy.

“Ah, sadly not simply for the pleasure of your... company,” Sid drawled, his eyes on her lips.

Buffy leaned back in her seat, unsure if the Sith was going to try to kiss her or kill her. His voice had become deeper, the same as when he'd drawn on the Dark Side at the Opera House.

The Sith began to fiddle with his robe sleeve. Buffy eyed him warily. Andrew reckoned he kept his lightsaber hidden up there. She shot Obi-Wan a fast glance. The Jedi stiffened, his eyes going to Palpatine's sleeve.

Buffy watched as Sid's fingers slid further into the depths of the robe, trying to grab at something. She edged away. Ready now to dive to the side, roll away and snatch her own lightsaber from its hiding place.

Sid extracted a large white handkerchief with a theatrical flourish. “Do excuse me.” He blew his nose, wiped the stray drop from the end, and then tucked the handkerchief back into his sleeve without noticing the relief on Buffy's face.

“Where was I?” he asked. “Ah yes, the reason I needed you urgently. This morning I received a message alerting me to the fact two bodies have been found in Queen Amidala's residence. Bodies drained of blood. The Queen has personally requested your attendance and, as I'm leaving for that planet shortly, I need you to accompany me in your official capacity as Lord Vader, Protector of the Republic.”

“Naboo.” Buffy gave Obi-Wan a meaningful look. Feeling completely vindicated. None of her Scoobies had believed her when she said the vampire lair was probably on Naboo. They all claimed she'd been swayed by the artisan workshops creating shoes and she was just using it as an excuse to go shopping.

Spotting the look passing between her and Obi-Wan and misinterpreting it, Palpatine added, “I know the planet is a remote backwater but hunting down vampires is what the Republic's paying you to do.”

“Huh? Paying me? You mean how they gave me the speeder?”

“Indeed not. The speeder was a thank you gift. I'm talking about the wages we pay into the Lord Vader account every month. Not to mention the nice bonus for every vampire you kill or capture.” He leaned back and waved a hand. “Personally I'd rather you slay them all. I'm not sure where we'd lock them up and it's not as if we could let them out after a few years for good behavior.”

“What Lord Vader account?” Buffy scrunched up her nose, perplexed.

Palpatine raised an eyebrow. “Why, the account made when you were given the title Lord Vader. A retainer is paid monthly into your account. Surely you remember? The blue cred-stick that was given to you at the after-dinner ceremony, into which your wages are paid.”

“Oh,” Buffy felt her cheeks turn pink. “I thought that was a spare key for the speeder. I wondered why it never started up when I tried to use it. I thought it was busted so I threw it down the Jedi garbage chute.”

At the incredulous looks given to her by both Sid and Obi-Wan, she retorted, “Hey! How was I supposed to know! No one said anything. They just pushed it into my hand and said you'll need that. That's why I thought it was a spare speeder key.”

Palpatine stare was unblinking, then he gave a long sigh. “A speeder key? Well, I suppose you are from a different dimension. I shall have the old one canceled and a new one issued to you.” He tutted as he smoothed the edges of his ornately decorated robe. “One of my staff should have explained properly that you are on the payroll. Honestly Buffy, around here if you want a job done properly you need to do it yourself. It beats me how the Republic even functioned before I came along. I have to constantly nag to make sure anything gets done at all. I swear, if anything happened to me the entire Republic would fall into absolute ruin and mayhem would reign. I truly despair of the idiots I have to deal with on a daily basis.”

Buffy scowled.

“Oh, not you, of course. You are the one thing in this galaxy that cheers me up and brightens the day.” He shot a fast look at Obi-Wan who was standing stoically nearby, arms in a Jedi arm fold as he watched the Sith. “Don't you think so, Knight Kenobi? Don't you think Lord Vader's presence brightens the day?”

“Very much so,” replied Obi-Wan carefully. Wondering why he was being addressed at this point, after being almost ignored.

The Chancellor gave the Jedi a calculating smile. “What the Republic needs is someone with a strong backbone monitoring and making sure things are done properly. Someone who isn't afraid to discipline those who step out of line and break the law. Sadly, I can't be everywhere at once... There's an opportunity for a charismatic person who's experienced and looking to make a difference to the galaxy...” Palpatine gave Obi-Wan a shrewd look before turning his attention to Buffy once more. He reached out and patted Buffy's leg. And then promptly 'forgot' to move it away from her thigh.

Buffy eyed the Sith's pale, wrinkled, claw-like hand with horror. How could she get it off her, without freaking out and going Slayer on him?

Jumping to her feet, she began to pace in front of the couch. Obi-Wan, who in all this time had never been asked to sit, stood watching her anxiously.

“Have you any more details about the bodies, Sid?” she asked. “Have they been autopsied? Any sign of blood in their mouths?” An awful thought occurred to her. “Do you know the identity of the victims?” Anakin's mom was on Naboo. What happened if she became a vampire? Anakin might freak out, blame her, and go Dark.

“I have all the information on my datapad. Jedi Kenobi, would you mind passing... Ah, thank you.”

He spent a moment checking the information. “Ah yes. It seems that the victims were two males... Blah, blah, blah, complete nobodies and both Gungans. Blah, blah, examined and found to be completely drained of blood amongst other injuries which suggested a fight. It doesn't mention anything about blood in their mouths.” He looked up at Buffy. “All this blood sucking really is revolting.” He tutted and gave a small head shake. “Queen Amidala organized their cremations and requests your immediate presence on her planet. Which is why you need to come with me. I can't be putting myself at risk, doing official duties with vampires on the prowl. We shall leave in...” he checked the chrono, “...twenty minutes.”

“Twenty minutes? It'll take me longer than that to get back to the Temple,” squealed Buffy, stopping her pacing, and going into a panic. Her mind ran through everything she needed to do before going on a slay vacation. “I need a shower, I've got to do my hair, find some normal clothes, gather the weapons, tell the Scoobies, find someone to feed and sort out Andrew, let the Council know I'll be away slaying, and then I need to pack. The packing is gonna take ages. Is it warm this time of year on Naboo? Should I pack a bikini?”

“Oh, there's no time for a trip back to the Temple,” Sid replied firmly. From the sound of it, Lord Vader's preparations might take at least a day if not more. They sounded uneasily similar to what his mother's had been like when she'd been getting ready for a few days away. She'd have lists and lists of things that needed to be done and she was always mislaying her list and panicking. His father and siblings had always vanished, leaving him to deal with mother's clothing dilemmas and tantrums. He shuddered inwardly at the memory. “The speeder has been booked to take us to the spaceport and we shall fly straight to Outer Rim from there.”

Buffy opened her mouth to argue and, knowing her weakness well, Sid quickly continued, “Anything you require during the visit can be bought directly from the shops on Naboo. A special credit card will be provided for all expenses and it can all be charged to the Senate. Weapons, clothes, hats, make-up, hairstylists, whatever you need.” He paused to allow that information to sink in, before adding the extra lure. “As it's rather hot this time of year on Naboo everyone goes to the beach. You simply must buy plenty of bikinis, with some of those matching floaty wraps that go with them, and of course... shoes.” He tilted his head and his smile became wolfish. “In fact, I know all the best places to buy from and will happily spend a full day with you if you'd like to go retail shopping.”

Oh yes, if Lord Vader wanted to shop, he could be very accommodating and, if she wanted to visit the beaches in her bikini he knew several secluded ones where she'd be able to accommodate him.

Across the room, Obi-Wan's watchful eyes narrowed.


	120. Introducing Jar Jar

Buffy and Obi-Wan took their seats in the back of the open speeder behind Sheev Palpatine and two other senators that were flying with them to Naboo. Back at the Senate Palpatine had informed her that both senators were extremely important to the Republic as he introduced them. Buffy had no idea if it was true or if Sid was fawning around them for some insidious reason.

To her, they just looked like demons. One was a tall frog and the other she thought might be related to a goldfish. Both came from planets she'd never heard of and, as neither of them triggered slay-age, she promptly forgot their names.

The goldfish senator had brought his PA along for the trip. A blue Twi'lek girl who stared with unconcealed contempt at their Jedi outfits. Her attitude reminded Buffy of Cordelia, but the Twi'lek lacked the brunette's cutting sarcasm and fashion sense. Having been a fashion diva at one time herself, Buffy knew it would take more than the sneers of a blue girl dressed in a hooker outfit to bother her. She'd rather wear Jedi robes than deal with creep-o goldfish. It was obvious there was something going on between those two. Not that it was any concern of hers what a goldfish got up to in his spare time, she'd enough problems of her own to deal with.

As they flew along the busy skylanes over Coruscant, Buffy nudged Obi-Wan. “I'm kinda worried about Andrew,” she said.

“We've not even left the planet and already your worrying?” Although his face was hidden inside his cowl she could hear the trace of amusement in his voice. “He's quite safe at the Temple.”

Obi-Wan then thought of all the trouble Andrew had managed to caused inside the Temple, not including his exploits in the Sith Tomb. He winced, feeling Buffy's surprise and disbelief at his comment coming through their link.

“Ah, yes,” he conceded, “I do understand your concern. However, Dooku promised he'd keep a close eye on him and Andrew's also very busy these days doing extra shifts at Dex's.”

Obi-Wan had no qualms about abandoning Andrew into Dooku's company. The Count wouldn't put up with any of the Watcher's silly nonsense nor would he restrain himself when it came to disciplining him. Andrew was the least of his worries.

He thought back to his own private call he'd made to the Temple before they'd left. Despite breaking his vow of non-attachment, Obi-Wan still liked to adhere to all the other Jedi rules. Therefore, he'd sought permission for this mission before leaving the planet. Since none of the masters wanted to Buffy going off with a possible Sith, the Jedi Council told Obi-Wan to monitor the situation and provided them with updates.

Lowering his voice to almost a whisper, he said, “Personally, I'm more worried about this trip, the Chancellor, and what we're going to find on Naboo.” Obi-Wan's eyes flicked to the front of the speeder where Palpatine was chatting amiably to the Mon Calamari. This might be a good moment to admit to Buffy the fear that was already beginning to eat at him. “I have a bad feeling about this. I think Palpatine intends to lure you to the Dark Side with shopping trips.”

“I know,” Buffy responded gleefully. “I think so too. I'll give him a shopping trip from hell that'll cause nightmares for the rest of his life.”

Obi-Wan's turned to look at her. Although her face was shadowed by her hood he could see the gleam in her eyes. A shopping trip from hell? He looked back over to where the Dark Lord of the Sith sat in happy ignorance and almost found himself feeling sorry for him. Almost, but not quite, and deep inside his hood the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi grinned broadly.

….......

“I like the color of your spaceship, Sid,” said Buffy. “I never thought you'd have gone for that color.” Their group was standing at the Spaceport terminal ready to board the large craft that was docked nearby. Buffy's eyes had grown round as they'd made their way towards the Republic Cruiser that awaited them.

Palpatine, stood in front of her with his fellow chancellors and wearing his official robes of office, turned around at her comment. He smiled pleasantly and gave the craft a fond look. “Ah yes, a lovely shade of red. Red is my favorite color. Is it your favorite color too, Buffy?”

Buffy scrunched her nose, puzzled. “That's not red it's pink!”

As they walked along its gangway, Palpatine frowned as he looked at the ships' hull. “It's supposed to be red,” he drawled. “Pale red.”

“Isn't pale red another name for pink?”

“I suppose it is,” replied Palpatine tersely. The thought of being transported around the galaxy in a pink spaceship made him feel very uncomfortable. What type of Sith traveled in a pink spaceship? That type of thing could get him a bad reputation and cause laughter behind his back. He decided to put an order in for it to have an immediate repaint on its return. In such a bright shade of crimson that no one would ever dare to confuse it with pink again.

The other senators split off, heading for their private quarters, leaving the Slayer, the Jedi and the Sith alone. Before Buffy and Obi-Wan could do the same thing, Palpatine led them into a side room which turned out to be a private lounge. After glancing around, both Jedi simultaneously threw back their hoods. Obi-Wan smiling a little as he remembered how he and Qui-Gon always used to do the same thing on their missions away. Now, he and his own padawan were here and already Buffy was...

Buffy ripped off the brown robe and threw it onto a nearby chair. “Ugh, I'm sick of hiding inside that!”

Obi-Wan frowned. They might have been invited into the Supreme Chancellor's private space, but they'd yet to be asked to take a seat or offered refreshments. The visit still felt formal and even if Palpatine was a Sith, he was still the Supreme Chancellor until he'd been unmasked. Also, a young padawan should always remember their place and wait for their master to lead the way before removing their robe. He said as much down their link. In response, Buffy stuck her tongue out and gave him a rebellious grin.

~ I'm here as Lord Vader. Remember? Not your podperson, Ubi~

Obi-Wan inwardly rolled his eyes at her childishness. Then decided now was as good a time as any to educate her on ways of the Republic and Galactic matters. “The vessel we're traveling in is painted red for a good reason and not as a color choice,” he instructed. “The color red represents the diplomatic neutrality of these vessels so all who see it know instantly it's a neutral vessel on a peaceful mission. These ships usually convey ambassadors, Jedi, and other mediators to conflicts around the galaxy.”

Which reminded him. Without looking over at the Sith Lord he added, “Master Qui-Gon Jinn and myself were transported in one of these neutral vessels during the Naboo blockade. The Radiant VII was destroyed, its crew along with it, by agents of the Trade Federation.” He shot Palpatine a pointed look. “No one has taken responsibility or faced prosecution for that terrible act. Master Qui-Gon Jinn and I were very lucky we weren't killed also.”

“That was such a dreadful tragedy,” growled Palpatine.

Obi-Wan, now aware of him as a Sith and not just a politician, noted how his words said one thing yet the hint of a smile on the Chancellor's lips implied another.

The Chancellor continued, “The destruction of the ship represented a huge financial loss for the Republic. Luckily for us, this far more comfortable vessel is its replacement. Not only will you both have your own quarters but you'll find them vastly superior to that previous ship.” His eyes sought Buffy's. Smacking his lips together in anticipation, he added, “Not only are the mattresses extremely springy but the rooms are completely soundproof should we require it to muffle our cries of delight.”

Obi-Wan felt Buffy's prickle of unease and replied curtly, “There's no need to provide me with a separate bedroom, Supreme Chancellor. I'll be sharing with Buffy.”

The Sith Lord slowly turned in the Jedi's direction. His face set, mouth grim, and eyes furious. Anger vibrated from him, while the air around them dropped several degrees and the shadows in the room lengthened.

“I shall find a chair to doze in,” Obi-Wan added quickly. “I've been instructed by the Jedi High Council not to leave her side. Except when she visits the 'fresher, of course.”

“Obi-Wan's been on tenterhooks since I fought Jay on the Tower Roof and got shot off,” explained Buffy, not liking the way the Sith was staring at Obi-Wan. “It's a good job the Council was having a meeting that day otherwise I'd have splatted onto their main roof. They might still be scraping all the bits off if I hadn't been floated into the tower room.”

“Ah, yes,” Sid's tone was icy and scathing as he sneered, “I heard Kenobi flew off, taking your lightsaber with him. It left you facing a well-known and heavily armored Mandalorian assassin completely defenseless. Some protector the Council chose when they...”

“Obi-Wan does just fine and I trust him,” Buffy quickly injected. She knew Obi-Wan had worried in case the Council gave the task of bodyguarding her to someone else after the Jango fight. Through their link, she could tell his emotional control was being stretched. Normally he was a very patient guy and well able to control his temper, but each of the Sith's comments seemed to push him more and more. And when Obi-Wan gave in to his anger the Dark Side beckoned.

~Don't go Hulk on me, Ubi,~ she warned.

~What's Hulk?~he asked.

Ignoring him, Buffy changed the subject. “Sid, you haven't seen my new lightsaber, have you? I charged this one all by myself. I didn't steal it off a dead Sith.”

“Disposing of Sith Lords is our specialty,” injected Obi-Wan smugly. “We've rid the galaxy of several of the pests so far.” Inwardly, Buffy rolled her eyes in exasperation. That was so not helping.

Palpatine continued to glare at Obi-Wan. Both for the pest comment and how his plan had been thwarted. His room was on the next corridor and he'd planned on losing his way in the darkened corridor, accidentally entering the wrong room and slipping into the wrong bed. He'd had a lot of fun with that one in the past and it wasn't as if a simple lock could keep him out. What would destroy his fun was if a Jedi was dozing in a chair in the same room.

Aware Buffy was waiting for a reply, Palpatine reluctantly pulled his cold gaze from the Jedi and concentrated on what the Slayer had said.

A lightsaber? A new one?

“Now that is interesting news,” he growled. His curiosity became aroused. In the past, Buffy had excused her blade's color by saying its previous owner was a Sith and she was completely blameless. She'd a need to calm the Jedi's suspicions as the Sith had a long history of fighting with red blades. Their crystals had the darker and far more powerful emotions of pain, anger, and aggression driven directly into them.

Buffy pulled the lightsaber from her robe pocket. Holding up the hilt to the light she rotated it in her hand. “I got Andrew to embed lots of crystals in the handle. Isn't it pretty? I wanted it to be extra sparkly with a rainbow effect so I can wear it when I go out to the clubs looking for demons.” Her face lit up, as it always did when she spoke of Mr Smokey.

“It's very pretty,” replied Sid. Not his style. A lightsaber was a symbol of aggression, power, and status. To him, it should always look menacing, not sparkly or in the least bit pretty. Although to be fair, it went well with Buffy's theme of danger hidden inside a pretty package. “What about your blade?” he asked. “May I see it ignited?”

“Sure.”

Buffy stepped to one side, pressed the power button and the energy blade shot out. A dark beam of swirling darkness with a low pitched threatening hum. Bringing it up to vertical in front of her, Buffy watched the dark, smoke gray blade settle to its almost black hue before the pulse of red light spiraled its way upwards from the hilt. She then glanced over to Palpatine to see what he made of it.

The Supreme Chancellor hand covered his lips as he fought to contain the excited cackle that almost burst from him on seeing the color of her blade. This was no ordinary lightsaber. The crystal producing it must surely have been charged by the Dark Side of the Force, possibly in a way even the Sith knew nothing about. Sid's mouth watered at the thought of untapped knowledge. Obviously, the Slayer knew a more devious way of subverting the Force than anyone else did.  
He watched as a blood-red pulse of light spiraled it's way lazily to the top of the blade. The crimson light a sure sign of a someone in touch with those strong emotions that the Jedi were afraid of.

It was no wonder the Council had neglected to mention Lord Vader's new energy blade to him on his last visit. He was surprised Master Yoda hadn't suffered a huge stroke and finally croaked when he'd seen it. Palpatine almost cackled again and strove to hide it with a cough.

When he'd gotten his cackles under control, he managed to say, “It's very you, Buffy. Unique.”

“Yeah, that's the same thing the Jedi keep telling me.” She gazed lovingly at her new baby as she scythed it through the air. She couldn't wait to try it out on the vamps and demons. Was it bad of her to hope she'd get some slaying action in soon?

She eyed Sid, hopefully. If he freaked out, started electrocuting people and went all out psycho-loony like in the movies maybe she could slay him? Active Sith gave off a distinct evil vibe that really hit her slaydar hard. She'd felt it that day she'd fought Darth Maul but hadn't sensed anything similar with the other Zabrack she'd met. Even Tenacious, who was definitely a bit weird.  
Her eyes met Sid's, who smirked at her, and she sighed. He was obnoxious but wasn't pinging her Slaydar yet. She'd best leave him to the Jedi Council.

Deactivating her lightsaber she slipped it back inside her robe pocket.

“You're lucky having the opportunity to play with such fascinating weapons,” said Palpatine. He walked across to the refreshments and poured himself one of his special teas. “Refreshments anyone?”

“Thank you, but no,” said Obi-Wan politely. Buffy shook her head.

After drinking a full cup in one audible gulp, Palpatine poured himself a second cup. “Sadly, I found myself taking up a career in politics where the weapons used are very different. Have you ever thought of taking up politics, Buffy?”

“I'd probably start a war.”

The Sith Lord smirked. “That could always be arranged,” and he chortled into his cup.

Obi-Wan didn't like the direction the conversation was heading. “I intend to teach Buffy the techniques needed to be a good mediator and negotiator. There's much more to her than just being a Slayer.”

Palpatine raised an eyebrow at the Jedi. “From what I've heard about vampires and zombies we need a Slayer, not a negotiator.” His tone was scathing. “Kenobi, you'd do well to remember Buffy has much to teach you. Things the Jedi can not.”

The comment made Obi-Wan speechless and, while he was mentally floundering, Palpatine smugly turned to the Slayer. “I wanted to ask you about your work. What's the difference between a vampire and a zombie? How would I be able to tell them apart?”

Buffy began to explain, the Supreme Chancellor nodding and listening avidly, when the door to the private lounge slid open. It revealed a guard, and beyond him, a tall, reptilian with long limbs waited in the corridor.

“Obi? Obi!” the Gungan shouted across the room, waving one hand excitedly in the air to catch the Jedi's attention. “Mesa so smilen to be seeing yousa, Obi!”

Buffy stopped talking. She looked across at the strange creature and frowned in recognition. Palpatine grimaced, while Obi-Wan groaned in dismay down their mind link. Polite as ever, he begged to be excused, before walking across to the excitable alien.

Her eyes narrowed, Buffy watched the way the two of them interacted. The Gungan bounced into the room, slapping the Jedi on the back with one hand while waving a large mug of caff around in the other. Obi-Wan pinned a smile onto his face but his expression was more mannerly than welcoming.

The Supreme Chancellor's face was sour. “Jar Jar Binks. Between you and me, I dislike him immensely. For some reason, the young Queen took him under her wing and made him her Gungan aide. He's very... annoying to be around.” He took a fast gulp of tea as if trying to swill away a nasty taste from his mouth.

“I know,” said Buffy. She caught her lower lip between her teeth, the frown still on her face, as she concentrated, watching the creature fawning around Obi-Wan. She remembered Jar Jar Binks from the movie. She'd wanted to slay him on principle for being irritating.

“Ah, you've met him,” growled Palpatine. His attention moved from Gungan to Slayer and remained riveted on her.

“Er, no. He's got a... bad reputation.” She reluctantly took her eyes off Jar Jar and gave the Sith a bright smile. “I need to avoid him due to a medical problem. I'm allergic to idiots.”

Sid snorted with laughter. “Oh, I think I suffer from that allergy. Complete annihilation of them all would be the best preventative.” He gave an insane cackle at his joke, before realizing what he'd done, and hurriedly refilled his teacup.

Feeling uncomfortable, Buffy wandered over to the window to stare out at the star streaks. She realized they'd gone into hyperdrive. The transition had been so smooth she hadn't even noticed. This was a much nicer spaceship than the last one she'd traveled from Naboo in. They'd all been forced to sleep in their seats and Andrew kept throwing up because the dampers on the hyperdrive had broken off.

Across the room, she could hear the Gungan asking Obi-Wan about Qui-Gon and Anakin. The alien squealing with excitement at Ubi's answers. Something about him made her feel uneasy. It could be his voice. It was pitched at just the right level to hurt her Slayer hearing.

On hearing the Gungan ask Obi-Wan who the Jedi was accompanying him, she braced herself. Knowing Obi-Wan's innate politeness he would...

“Oh, she isn't actually a Jedi, although she does live at the Temple. Let me introduce you to each other.”

Yeah, she was right. She was going to be introduced to the most irritating creature ever created in the Star Wars dimension. Even Andrew sneered when Jar Jar was mentioned. With more than a twinge of apprehension, she turned to see the Gungan marching enthusiastically towards her.

The first thing she noticed was the yellow eyes on stalks, then his long muzzle, her eyes drifted automatically to his open mouth and large protruding teeth. The expression he wore was that of being reunited with a long lost friend. Buffy's gaze dropped to Jar Jar's odd loping stride and then the creature's weird sandals. She shuddered. The creature was even worse close up than it was in the movie.

Behind him, Obi-Wan gave her an apologetic look. “Jar Jar Binks, I'd like to introduce Buffy Summers. Buffy this is Jar Jar. He is currently the Queen of Naboo's Gungan aide.”

Jar Jar opened his mouth and made a happy shrieking sound that hurt her ears. “Mesa be your humble servant, Buffy.”

Lurching towards her, the Gungan stumbled and lost his balance. Staggering forward, the caff cup he was holding slipped from his grasp. He went to grab it with his other hand. The cup juggled, first from one hand and then to the other, and then back again.

As Buffy tensed, ready to dart away, the Gungan suddenly regained his balance and his grip on the mug. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yousa no worry! All isa fine now.” Jar Jar said happily, blinking in delight at the Slayer.

He loped across the few feet separating them. “Mesa justa busten wit happiness at meetin' yousa!” And then he tripped once more.

As the Gungan called out, 'Ooopsie,' the mug flew out of his hand straight at Buffy. Her hand shot out, the palm of her hand striking at it, to bat it away. The cup turned in mid-air from the strike, emptying its contents across her, before flying across the room and hitting the wall.

No one in the room noticed the mug shattering. Instead, there was a shocked silence as all stared at Buffy.

Brown caff soaked her hair. It ran down her cheeks in small rivulets, it made its way to her chin and from there it dripped downwards. Some of it soaked into her tunic and some into her trousers. It even dripped onto her boots. Buffy looked down, appalled.

“Oh, ex-squeeze me,” Jar Jar turned his head and gave her an ingratiating smile. “Mesa so sowwy. Isa needa another drinky now.”

“Sowwy? I'm so gonna kill you!” screeched Buffy.

The Gungan backed away from the slowly advancing woman. He waved his arms in front of him trying to ward her off. “No, no! Mesa hatin' de crunchin'. Mesa sowwy, mesa vewwy clumsy. Crunchin's de last thing mesa want- aghh.”

Grabbing Jar Jar by his long throat with her right hand, Buffy lifted him high into the air. The Gungan's feet kicked out wildly, one foot catching her across the stomach. She threw him from her. Jar Jar sailing backward, slamming into the wall so hard the metal bowed. Before he'd even chance to slide down, she'd used a flash of Slayer speed to cross the room and pinned him by the throat once more.

“Argh,” whimpered the Gungan. Eyes crossed, tongue hanging from the side of his mouth as he struggled in Buffy's grasp.

“Another drinky?” she hissed. “There's no time for drinks. I'm gonna send you back to whatever hell you crawled out of.” Still holding his throat, her free hand went to the concealed weapon she carried in her waistband.

Behind her, the Supreme Chancellor made no move or murmur against the violence. Instead, he swayed gleefully at the display of anger and aggression unfolding in front of him. He suppressed cackles of excitement as the Dark Side was drawn in, as a moth flew to a flame.

Another in the room also watched, and his reaction was not one of excitement but dismay.

Obi-Wan used a spurt of Jedi speed to dart across to them. He put his hand around her wrist, trying to tug it away from the Gungan's neck but unable to loosen her grip. “Let him go.”

“Ckkklackk!” croaked Jar Jar, his eyes bulging, his long tongue turning blue.

“Buffy!” Obi-Wan shouted a warning down their mind bond, as well as out loud. “You can't hurt the Queen's representative!”

Buffy's hand no longer squeezed the Gungan's windpipe and she'd stopped reaching for the stake in her belt, but still she didn't release him. Obi-Wan moved to face her. Putting his hands on her cheeks and gently turning her head. Making her look at him and not the creature she wanted to kill.

He'd never seen her look so outraged. While caff dripped from her hair and stained her face, that wasn't what held his attention. It was her eyes. The green eyes of the woman he'd fallen in love with had been replaced by the golden eyes of a predator.

His voice dropping to a hoarse and troubled whisper, “Please Buffy, don't do this.”

“Get him away from me, Ubi.” Abruptly, Buffy dropped the Gungan. She pulled herself from Obi-Wan and walked off to the far side of the room, beyond the Supreme Chancellor.

Feeling emotionally torn between checking on Buffy and looking after the Gungan, Obi-Wan looked to where Jar Jar lay on the floor. The Gungan clutched at his throat, coughing and spluttering helplessly. This could go ill for Buffy. Could he placate Jar Jar? Could he stop the Gungan aide from making a formal complaint to the Queen? With that in mind, he pulled the hapless creature to his feet, slid an arm under his, and walked him from the room.

As the two entered the corridor, Buffy heard the Gungan aide croak, “Mesa said, me no wantin de crunchin'! Mesa no liking her, Obi. Shesa mucha bombad.”

Buffy stared off, her expression turning to a death glare and she clenched her fists by her sides as she fought the urge to attack once more.

Beside her, Darth Sidious watched the Slayer with a dark and knowing half-smile.


	121. Sith Interactions

Onboard the Republic Cruiser Valiant VIII the Supreme Chancellor stood alongside Lord Vader in his private quarters. The Sith Lord was breathing in deeply, savoring the last invigorating remnants of the Dark Side of the Force as it slowly dispersed from the chamber. Beside him, Lord Vader, otherwise known as The Slayer, stared down at the floor. Her fists tightly clenched by her sides as she thought over what had just occurred.

Palpatine glanced at her face. He decided this was an ideal opportunity to show her his compassionate and caring side. “What you need is tea,” he crooned soothingly. He turned away to the refreshments bar and poured a fresh cup of his own specially blended recipe. Pushing it into her hands he said reassuringly, “You'll feel better after you've partaken of this. I always do.”

Buffy looked down at the liquid and then at him dubiously.

“It's... herbal. You'll find it helps in regaining calm, strengthening resolve, and hides...” He gestured towards her face, almost apologetic for bringing attention to it. “Your eyes have turned yellow. It's best not to let the Jedi see things like that, Buffy. They'll only start asking awkward questions and we don't want that to happen, do we?”

He stood, watching Buffy take a tentative sip from the cup, before passing a napkin over to her. Putting the drink down on a nearby table, she used the cloth to wipe as much caff from her face and hair as she could, before staring down morosely at her stained clothing.

Palpatine tutted in sympathy at the mess. “That creature is a disgrace and brings Naboo and all its residents into disrepute. Personally, I've always thought the Gungans were little more than barbarians. Jar Jar is certainly no exception.” He scowled, remembering a private grievance. “It never occurred to me the Queen would seek help from his fellow species during the Naboo conflict. I thought she'd have far more respect for herself and those she represented, but no. She went and allied herself with Boss Nass and the Gungan Grand Army.”

Buffy pushed back the locks of sticky caff-soaked hair away from her face. Although it was no longer soaking wet, it still felt damp and it also felt crunchy to touch. She sighed, it was time to ask the Sith Lord an important question. One she might not like the answer to and, even if she didn't, she wasn't sure what she'd be able to do about it.

“Sid, will you tell me the truth? I've got something important to ask you.”

The Sith raised an eyebrow at her question and stared in surprise. “Why, of course. I am a man of my word. I shall always endeavor to tell you the truth.” Ever the devious politician he hedged, “If it's in my power to do so.”

Buffy bit her bottom lip. She really didn't want to ask.

The Dark Lord of the Sith waited patiently, sensing embarrassment and despite his eagerness allowing her time to think. He could only think of one important question Lord Vader would ask him, perhaps two...

The first question would be if he was a Sith. Which would lead to him showing her all sorts of tricks and then taking her as his apprentice. The second question would be where his bedroom located. That would mean she was ready to become his lover. Hopefully, he'd be able to have her as an apprentice and lover at the same time. The thought made him feel quite excited. He eyed his tea, wondering if he should drink another cup in case he started cackling, but decided to throw caution to the wind and not drink anymore.

“You know when I rubbed my hair before?” asked Buffy in a small voice. “Did....did I make it stick up all over my head?”

The Sith blinked, frowned and then made a fast recovery. His mother always set a great store in appearances, it really shouldn't have surprised him Buffy had the same concerns. She was very like Mother, in ways if not her looks.

Palpatine ran his eyes across Buffy's hair. “No, no. It isn't that bad. It's mainly at the front.” He gave her a sympathetic smile. “There are several species who wear their hair like that so it doesn't stand out as being overly strange.”

Seeing the horror on her face, he continued gently, “There, there, you are still very beautiful even with matted, clumpy hair. However, the incident should never have occurred. Once we land I shall deliver a personal complaint about Bink's behavior to the Queen.” As he spoke he noted Buffy's eyes had reverted back to green and once more projected an innocent and vulnerable look. The Slayer really was good at hiding her true nature, she was almost in the same league as him.

“You must be congratulated on the way you handled yourself,” he began, intending to compliment her on something positive and take her mind off her bedraggled appearance. “The speed with which you grabbed him by the throat. The strength you used to lift him into the air and then slammed him into the wall. I really enjoyed watching you fully embrace your anger. It was truly magnificent. ” He looked across to the dent in the metal wall of the ship, a sly smile playing across his face. “How I've often wished to do the same thing to the obnoxious and irritating people in my life.”

“He needs staking,” replied Buffy, rubbing at the stain on her top with the cloth. Her mouth twisted in annoyance as she realized rubbing at it made it worse, not better.

How did that cup manage to hold so much liquid, anyway? Her top was soaked right through and her trousers as well. She touched her hair again and grimaced at the texture. It was all very well for Sid saying lots of species had hair like this but she wasn't one of them.

“Hopefully, you'll have the opportunity to stab him with a stake in the future,” Palpatine rasped excitedly. He could hardly contain himself at the thought of the Gungan impaled and dying slowly on a sharp stake. He grabbed his cup and took a huge gulp. All that aggression and a complete lack of remorse from a female Sith masquerading in a Jedi outfit made him feel extra-frisky. He eyed Buffy speculatively.

“Why don't you remove your clothes?” he growled.

The Slayer stopped rubbing at caff stains and shot him a death glare. A glare which would make the evillest of demons from the darkest of the hell dimensions hesitate, at the promise of lingering and unforgiving pain.

Palpatine decided it might be wise to back-track a little. “What I mean is, there's a clothes 'fresher in the service part of the ship. You could don the unstained outer robe, while the rest of your clothes are being cleaned. There are also showers inside all the bedrooms. A good cleansing shower will remove the sticky caff from your hair and wearing refreshed clothes will improve your mood.”

“That's not a bad idea,” replied Buffy, cautiously. She felt filthy, out of sorts, and was beginning to worry about Obi-Wan.

She didn't trust the Gungan, not after he'd set her Slaydar off. It hadn't been the usual tingle of the Spidey senses she'd become used to when meeting a different alien species either, but the loud scream of warning that came with a Big Bad. Despite the warning, she'd not intended to go full-on Slayer on him. Her plan had been to set the dumb blonde act against his Goofy the Gungan and they could have both played the innocent for a while longer.

Being soaked in hot liquid caused her to lose control. While the shock had made her freeze, something primitive inside her rose up to attack the demon in front of her. Before she knew it, she'd found herself in the process of choking and almost staking Jar Jar. It was only after him and his evil vibes had left the room that she'd managed to fully regain control of herself.

She wished she'd been able to warn Obi-Wan before he'd left though. She'd been too busy trying to control her inner slayer to think of using their mind-link and hadn't wanted to say anything out loud with Palpatine in the room. The Sith Lord might have a hand in all this. He'd certainly looked happy enough during it all and she didn't trust him.

“Oh, I often have good ideas.” Palpatine was growling in self-appreciation. “Some of my plans I put into immediate effect, while others are more long term. It doesn't matter which, as I intend to live for a very long time so that I can attain all my goals.” Sid smiled happily to himself, lost in his own world of devious plans. Glancing over, he caught her watching him and he couldn't resist asking, “I'm feeling a little dirty myself if you'd like some company in that shower?”

Once more, Buffy shot him the death glare that reminded him of his mother. He sighed. “I take it that's a no. Again. I shan't give up, you know. It's obvious we're two of a kind and we'd deal well together. I'm not the type who...”

The door swooshed open and Obi-Wan appeared, looking harried. His eyes immediately sought hers and Buffy didn't need a working mind-bond to read the panic in them. Down their link, she could feel his anxiety, his worry for her, the way he was trying to gauge her mood, and a hundred questions he wanted to ask. Now was not the place to answer any of them. They needed to be alone to do that.

Aloud she said, “Obi-Wan, would you mind helping me find my bedroom? Then, if I pass you my clothes, could you put them in the clothes 'fresher while I have a shower?”

Down their link, she said ~I need to speak to you alone~

Obi-Wan nodded.

Buffy gave the Sith Lord a false smile. “Excuse me, Sid. I'm gonna take your advice and get cleaned up. I'm not fit company when I'm wearing stained clothing.”

Put out at having his plans thwarted once more, Sid waved a hand of dismissal before turning away to hide his scowl. He supposed he couldn't blame Buffy for being in a bad mood after having caff thrown over her. His mother would have been livid if it had happened to her and those close to her would have all hidden to try to avoid becoming the next victim of her fury.

The Gungan, on the other hand, was entirely to blame. Jar Jar was not only a disgrace but a liability to have onboard with his idiotic and dangerous antics. Who knew what mischief he'd get up to if he went near the pilot? He could cause them to crash. That thought made him uneasy. With the Gungan, it was a real possibility.

Palpatine decided to send a guard to Bink's quarters and keep him confined until they reached Naboo the following day. Jar Jar could be told it was for his own safety. That there were concerns another argument might break out between him and Lord Vader and a diplomatic incident was being averted. Yes, that excuse would work out well.

A smirk played across his face. Of course, if Lord Vader wanted to stake him while she was on Naboo that was not his concern. He'd even help her dispose of the body. It wasn't as if it was the first time he'd disposed of people who got in his way and the Gungan had already put his plans in jeopardy.

…................................


	122. Jedi Distraction

Once Buffy and Obi-Wan reached the quieter corridors of the accommodation section of the ship, Obi-Wan asked, “Are you going to tell me what happened with Jar Jar?”

“Was he a friend of yours?” Buffy didn't think he was. Remembering what had happened with Xander and Jesse though, she thought she'd best to make certain. Friendship would complicate but not affect the end result.

“No, he is not! He literally forced himself on Qui-Gon during the blockade of Naboo, which is where I met him.”

“That's good. He wigged me out. Where did you leave him?” Buffy asked. She might need directions for later.

“Jar Jar went back to his room. He said he wasn't feeling well.” Obi-Wan gave her an admonishing look. “He is extremely distressed by what he considers to be an unprovoked act of violence from a complete stranger.” As she made no reply he continued, sternly, in the hope of impressing on her the seriousness of her actions, “When I left him he was debating whether or not to make an official complaint against you to the Republic. It's within his rights to do so. He represents the Queen and you assaulted him.”

Buffy gave an unrepentant snort.

Obi-Wan shook his head in disbelief. “Buffy, you attacked him. You can't slay someone simply because they trip and spill their drink over you.”

“I still might,” Buffy shot him a mutinous look as they turned into another corridor. He hadn't waited to hear her side of the story but was immediately siding with Jar Jar against her.

Her attitude distressed Obi-Wan. It was true she wasn't officially his padawan but he'd been assigned by the Jedi Council to protect and guide her, just like a master did with a padawan. He'd have to answer to the Council for her actions. He took a deep breath, steeling himself, knowing she wasn't going to like what he was about to say.

“I'm seriously worried about your lack of control,” he began. His accent becoming more formal Coruscanti as it always seemed to when he became stressed. “This tendency of yours to react with violence and aggression over a minor transgression needs tempering before it leads you into trouble.”

Her mouth dropped in surprise, before tightening. She rolled her eyes at him and tutted.

Her reaction made him panic. “I'm serious! Your aggression was so strong the Dark Side filled the room!” He lowered his voice, aware that they were still in a public area, “What's more, and this is even more worrying, your eyes changed color to gold. During my research, I've found that's a sign of a Dark Side user. People are going to think you're a Sith!”

Buffy huffed with frustration. “If, by people, you mean Yoda and Palpatine they think I'm a Sith anyway. And the eye thing is nothing to do with the Dark Side. Well, it is, but not the Dark Side of the Force. It's more like the dark side of the Slayer. It's totally a Slayer thing and not to be confused with a Sithy thing.”

Obi-Wan tried to calm himself, but her light-heartedness was almost sending him completely over the edge. “It's nothing to make light of! Now you're accessing the Force you must be especially wary of the Dark Side lure. Master Yoda says that...”

“Ugh! What do I have to say to you? I'm not going Dark!” Buffy huffed once more. She'd important stuff to tell him. Why wasn't he waiting until they'd privacy? She couldn't blurt out what Jar Jar was in the middle of a public corridor.

Obi-Wan sensed her attempt to warn him off the topic but ignored it. This couldn't wait, he needed to impress on her how dangerous the Dark Side was. Not to mention the disturbing look of glee and obsession that came over Palpatine's face as he watched Buffy lose her temper. “It might not be your intent to go dark,” he allowed, “but should you continue down this path you seem determined to take...”

“Do you love me?”

The timing of the question threw him, he shifted uneasily, glancing around before quietly replying, “You know how much I love you. This is why I don't wish you to hurt yourself... and others.”

“Then trust me,” said Buffy. They'd come to a halt outside her bedroom door. She put a hand onto his forearm and gave him an imploring look. “If you love me, put your trust in me for a little while longer and stop this judging me before you know the facts.”

~When we get inside I'll explain everything. I promise~

Obi-Wan paused, unable to look at her. Behind the words, he sensed she was cross and also hurt. She thought he didn't trust her.

He trusted her, but inside the old worry gnawed at him. If he could lose control to the Dark Side after a lifetime of warnings from the masters at the Temple. How much easier would the fall be for someone unprepared? He didn't want that fate for Buffy, he didn't want to lose her, and he'd fight it every step of the way.

Once inside her room, Buffy insisted on first checking the small adjoining 'fresher. Telling him she was making sure no vampires were hiding in there and also checking it for cleanliness. Satisfied, she came back into the bedroom and threw off her robe. Unbuckling her utility belt, she flung that on the bed, closely followed by two lightsabers, one blaster, three stakes, and then from each boot, she pulled out a dagger.

After her attack on the defenseless Gungan, the amount of weaponry she'd taken to secretly carrying made him more anxious. As he eyed them, he became aware she was handing something to him. It was her caff stained Jedi tabard. Taking it, he folded it across his arm, and watched, as she sat on the bed and began pulling off her boots.

“I'm completely soaked,” she grumbled. “Look, even my socks have caff stains.” Rolling off her socks and then removing her caff-stained trousers, she passed them over to him. He draped the larger item over his arm and put her socks inside his robe pocket for safekeeping.

“What about Jar Jar?” he asked. He'd been patient for long enough. She'd promised him an explanation, now it was time to deliver on it.

“Goofy the Gungan is totally Sithy evil,” Buffy replied. At the same time, she lifted the long Jedi issue under-tunic away from her chest. “Ewww, that's all sticky.” She lifted her arms, dragging the wet top over her head.

Obi-Wan forgot what he was going to say. His eyes widened in surprise. That was not Jedi padawan issue underwear! Silk, black lace, and skimpy would never be allowed. Quickly, he averted his eyes and focussed on a point above her left shoulder. “Umm, Jar Jar is not evil.”

“Look what he did to my hair!” Buffy reached up. Undoing her hair from its clasp she tugged several caff stiffened sections forward to examine it more closely. “He made my inner Slayer freak so how can you tell me he isn't evil?”

Obi-Wan's eyes flicked to her hair. “It was an unfortunate accident.” Then, feeling his eyes drifting downwards, jerked his head away. Why had she stripped down to her underwear before having this conversation? Why hadn't she gone into the 'fresher and undressed in there?

Buffy shook her head. “Oh, no! Not only is that guy a demon but he purposely threw the caff over me!”

“Just because someone's clumsy doesn't mean they're a demon or evil,” the Jedi said reasonably. He was starting to feel more and more flustered by the situation. Did she think to distract him? It wasn't going to work. He was not going to change his mind about her attack. It wouldn't matter how hard she tried. Definitely not. See, he could look at her and he wouldn't even notice. He had his Jedi training to fall back on and they were trained to be above that type of thing. There is no emotion, there is only peace...

Buffy put her hands on her hips and pouted at him. “You've not heard a word I've just said, have you?”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. Softly, he replied , “Please don't do the pout, as well as...” his hand waved towards her body.

Buffy frowned, “Huh? What are you on about?” She glanced down at herself and then tutted. “Honestly Ubi, the way you act, you'd think you'd never seen me in my underwear before. Anyway, why aren't you believing me? I'm telling you Goofy the Gungan IS way up the evil league table. He gave me the slay vibes.”

Obi-Wan kept his eyes shut tight, and sighed loudly. “ I was watching the whole time. You were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. He could have got Palpatine.”

Buffy stroked the fabric of her bra and finding it wet, unhooked it and flung it to Obi-Wan. Since his eyes were still closed, he sensed it through the Force and used Jedi reflexes to catch it before hurriedly stuffing it into his robe pocket.

“He's not clumsy,” she corrected. “That's like, an act, to stop people realizing how evil he is. Obi-Wan you need to concentrate on what I'm telling you.” Slowly and clearly so there could be no mistake she said, “Jar Jar Binks gives off the active Sith vibes and he freaked my Slaydar out. He's a Sith vampire.”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes wide. “Jar Jar Binks is a SITH VAMPIRE?!”

“Ugh! Finally!” Buffy stepped forward. Leaning in and standing on tip-toe, she put a finger to his lips. “But not so loud,” she said softly. “He's a nasty piece of work. Why do you think I freaked out?”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to say, 'because he messed up your hair and clothes,' but thought better of it. Instead, he asked, “Are you quite sure?”

He closed his eyes once more. The revelation Jar Jar was a Sith vampire was hard enough to deal with, he didn't need the distraction of an almost-naked Buffy pressing herself against him. His brain was already going to overload with too much stimuli.

“I'm a hundred percent certain,” she was saying, “the Slaydar is never wrong.”

Obi-Wan's eyebrows came together as he concentrated on the information. Jar Jar was an irritating individual but he'd never have suspected him to be in the least bit dark. Of course, he hadn't seen him since the Naboo conflict. After the battle Binks had gotten a trusted position with the Queen and eventually become her Gungan aide. That meant Jar Jar was in and out of the Senate regularly these days and he'd have every opportunity of circumventing the security there. Not to mention planting the tracker on the speeder they'd given her. Who would suspect the bungling Gungan of doing anything untoward? Like Palpatine, he was evil hiding in plain sight. It was all beginning to make sense.

“I think he's the apprentice we've been hunting for,” he said, keeping his eyes shut. “But if he's a vampire, why is Quin able to sense him?”

“The spidey vibes tell me he's definitely a member of the Fang Gang. I think he's quite new at the sucky thing though. That's a good thing and a bad thing. It's good as the newbies often make rookie mistakes and it's bad as he's highly likely to get bitey at some point. The young ones are never as good at controlling the bloodsucking urges as the masters are.”

“I'm sorry for doubting you,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “Yet again your Slayer senses pick up what Jedi senses can not.”

“You're forgiven.” Buffy pressed a swift kiss to his lips before stepping away from him. “We make a good team.”

“Poor Jar Jar. He always did fall into trouble,” replied Obi-Wan sadly. The creature had seemed so innocent and childlike when he'd first met him. What could have happened to cause this?

Halfway to the 'fresher, Buffy turned. “If he was the one who stole the Sith Vamp from the Temple basement he's been planning this for a good while. I'm taking a shower. Come back later and we'll sort out what's the what.”

With those parting words, she sauntered into the 'fresher and shut the door behind her. Leaving a bemused Obi-Wan, eyes now open, staring at the door. Thinking about Darth Jar Jar and how they could prove he was both a Sith and a vampire. Would it be better to say nothing and let him lead them to the Sith vampire master? Or would he attack someone before they arrived at Naboo? Should they contact the Jedi Council while on the ship and risk the message being intercepted? Or wait until they landed and had a more secure link?

And while his mind was turning over all those important questions, another part was wondering, on his return, which Buffy would be most eager to see? Him, or her clean clothes?

................


	123. The Plot Thickens

Buffy stood at the window of the Republic cruiser, one hand on the sill, her face pressed so close to the pane that her breath misted the transparisteel. They'd dropped from hyperdrive not long before and the blue planet of Naboo grew larger and larger as they approached for landing. Still new to space travel, Buffy found the sight of a planet floating in space fascinating.

Xander and Dawn would have loved this. Those two had enjoyed the sci-fi stuff more than she'd ever done. She could imagine Dawnie chattering non-stop and Xander... Xander would no doubt be making quips and bouncing about excitedly. It was seeing this planet, where it had all started, that was bringing back memories and making her homesick. She even missed the Hellmouth. Okay, that was a lie. She didn't miss the Hellmouth. What she missed was familiar places and the people she cared about. The Hellmouth could stay buried.

Everything in the Star Wars dimension was different. Here there were lightsabers, droids, space travel, and the Sith vampires. Not to mention she lived in a Temple with weird Jedi monks. And that made her think of the best thing in her new life. Her off-limits Jedi-monk boyfriend was right behind her, almost close enough to touch but not quite. Not that Obi-Wan needed to touch her to make her feel safe and loved. Through their bond, he'd sensed she was getting emotional and gently wrapped her in his version of a Force hug.

Her eyes flicked across to his reflection in the window. Obi-Wan stood in his classic pose, arms folded inside his over-size robe sleeves, and wearing a peaceful expression as he looked across her shoulder at their destination. She knew he was feeling protective towards her, remembering previous events on Naboo, and thinking of the future.

The previous day... Was it yesterday? Buffy wasn't sure. On a spaceship, it was always dark outside so she'd lost track of time. She guessed, since they'd slept, it could be called yesterday. Yesterday, when Obi-Wan came back with her clean, pressed clothes he'd brought good news with him.

One of the crew members, who'd recognized Obi-Wan from a previous trip, stopped him. The crew member said Palpatine had ordered Jar Jar Binks confined to quarters with a guard posted on his door. The Official reason was that he might cause a diplomatic incident with his clumsiness and the guard was there for his protection. The crew suspected it was for the ship's safety. Apparently, on previous trips, the Gungan's clumsy antics had resulted in a variety of damage to the ships he'd been traveling on. It had even caused several emergency landings on planets they'd never been scheduled to visit.

The news he was locked in cheered Buffy up. Not only did it stop her worrying that he'd snack on someone, but it took the pressure off informing Palpatine they knew Jar Jar was a Sith vampire. Since Sid had a reputation for playing devious games, they didn't want to alert him they were onto Darth Jar Jar.

Now, staring out at the planet of Naboo, her thoughts drifting from homesickness to Sith vampires she felt Obi-Wan jolt through their bond. Followed by a flood of uneasiness.

“Is something wrong?” she softly asked, turning to look at him. The other ship passengers, Frogman, Goldfish guy, and blue girl were sat on a sofa at the other side of the room. Buffy could hear their low voices as they gossiped about a corrupt Senator universally disliked. Palpatine wasn't present. He'd disappeared into his office earlier, stating he needed to attend important business before they landed.

The crease between Obi-Wan's eyebrows deepened as he searched the Force. “The Force tells me something has happened, somewhere...”

Buffy chuckled. “Vague that up much?”

Affronted, Obi-Wan hissed back, “It isn't an exact science! Anyway, what are your senses telling you?”

“I'm hungry and you're weird.” She took the edge off the words with a teasing smile, adding, “What time's breakfast?”

Obi-Wan who'd been about to shoot her a reproving glare for lack of Force respect (as well as calling him weird), found all thoughts of a scolding vanished at that smile. He grinned back in reply. After all, it must sound odd claiming that somewhere something was happening. That was pretty much a given. Since the sensation had become more of a background shimmer, he decided to ignore it.

“Eating breakfast is a good idea,” he admitted. “I'm rather hungry myself.” They intended following Jar Jar on leaving the ship so they might not have the chance to eat for a while.

Taking her down the corridor to where the food was being served, Obi-Wan ordered their breakfast. Between them, they soon cleared a large serving platter of scrambled Nuna eggs and were discussing their plans for Naboo when there was a commotion in the corridor. Looking over to where the door lay open to the corridor, they both watched as a guard rushed past. He was heading in the direction of Palpatine's private office.

“I sense a disturbance through the Force!” Obi-Wan jumped to his feet. The line between his eyebrows deepened as he made full use of his mind-reading ability to read the guard's jumbled thoughts and emotions.

Buffy rolled her eyes and stirred her caff, completely unimpressed by his dramatics. “No kidding, Sherlock. You've just seen a guard charge down to Palpatine's office. No prizes for guessing there's been a disturbance, but you might have won an Oscar for that performance.”

Obi-Wan didn't reply. Still wearing his expression of intense concentration he moved across to the door, like a sniffer dog on an interesting scent. Curious now, Buffy rose gracefully to her feet and followed him. The corridor was empty of all life.

“He takes the news of sudden death,” Obi-Wan explained in hushed tones. “That must be what I sensed before. Someone onboard met their death in a very violent manner. Possibly even murdered.” They both stared towards the ominously closed office door.

“Do you think it's anything to do with Jar Jar?” Buffy asked. From this distance, she couldn't sense the Gungan vampire. The accommodation deck was too far from here and the presence of so many aliens played havoc with her sensitive Slaydar. She toyed with the idea of running up there and checking on him.

“I'm uncertain.” Obi-Wan's concentration was more on the Force than on her question. The Force warned the situation was about to worsen. The reason why remained elusive. He glanced over to Buffy and felt... unsettled. He hoped she wasn't going to do something stupid.

“Then let's find out.” Buffy used a flash of Slayer speed to dart to the door leading to Sid's room. She beckoned to Obi-Wan to follow her. “Come on. What are we waiting for?”

Before Obi-Wan could stop her, Buffy pressed the button on the side of the door and, as soon as the door opened wide enough, dived through. Cringing at her bad manners and blatant disregard for protocol by gatecrashing a private meeting, Obi-Wan followed her sheepishly.

Inside, they were met by the sight of a robed Palpatine sat at his desk, several open datapads lying in front of him, as he listened to the red-faced guard. He turned an angry scowl on the intruders. This was quickly replaced by a more benign expression, once he realized it was Buffy who'd burst into his office.

“What's the what, Sid?” Buffy asked, coming to a halt at his desk and looking from him to the guard.

“What?” replied Palpatine.

Over her shoulder, Obi-Wan read the confusion on Palpatine's face. He provided a translation, “Our sincere apologies for interrupting you, Supreme Chancellor. Might we ask what's happened?”

Sid pointed his finger at the guard, who suddenly found the tops of his boots fascinating. “This imbecile has just informed me Jar Jar Binks's guard was not at his post. Entering the Gungan's room he found it empty. Searching further he discovered the guard dead in the refresher.”

“Had he been dead long?” asked Buffy. “Signs of a struggle? Or had he slipped while taking a shower and banged his head?”

“There were signs of... violence,” Palpatine looked down at the datapads in front of him, realized they were still displaying holonet pages and quickly pressed a button on each one so they wouldn't see what sites he'd been browsing. He added, rather obscurely, “Likely his head hit the floor at some point. Although that was not the cause of his death.”

Something in the Sith's tone of voice caught Obi-Wan's attention. There was more to this than he and Buffy were thinking. What did the Sith know that they did not?

“Anything... distinctive about the cause of death?” Buffy didn't want to mention fang marks, not yet. She plowed on. “Were there injuries to the upper body? Umm, say neck injuries?”

She ignored Obi-Wan's mental wincing. These questions needed to be asked. Standing in the corridor muttering about disturbances through the Force simply wasn't going to cut it.

Her question resulted in Sid staring hard at her, the guard stirred uncomfortably, and the atmosphere in the room tensed as the silence lengthened.

Finally, Palpatine rose to his feet and walked across the window, his eyes on his homeworld where they'd land very shortly. “Indeed there was a neck injury,” he softly growled.

“Umm, did it look, kinda like, two small holes? As if a wild animal had attacked him, or maybe he'd tripped and stabbed himself with a two-pronged fork?” Buffy asked, thinking how the authorities explained away vamp killings back in Sunnydale. “Also, the body. Was it sort of pale and...bloodless?”

“There were indeed two holes on the victim,” replied Palpatine turning his harsh gaze on Buffy. “You could also say both wounds were... cauterized.” The guard began to shift away from the Jedi and the Slayer, aware he hadn't been dismissed but desperate to escape.

The movement caught the Jedi's attention. Obi-Wan glanced over, his expression one of slight constipation, and then he tensed.

“Cauterised?” Buffy felt confused. Did the vampires cauterize neck wounds in this dimension? Glancing at Obi-Wan she saw him studying the guard and felt Obi-Wan's emotions shift from confusion to horror.

Palpatine followed the direction of their gaze. He waved a hand at the young guard who came back to attention. Speaking clearly and slowly as if to impress it's importance on the guard's mind, “Check the ship for unusual activity, further missing crewmembers, breaches of security and look for signs of the Gungan. Report only to me. Speak of this to no one else. Now leave us!”

The guard swayed slightly, before nodding, and darting for the door.

Once Palpatine was certain the guard had gone off to carry out his orders, he regarded the Slayer. His sounding lower and raspier than before he began, “You asked if there were any unusual neck injuries?” At her nod, he continued, “You are correct.” He paused dramatically, before adding, “He'd been beheaded by a lightsaber.”

Buffy eyes widened. That wasn't what she was expecting to hear! She flashed a shocked sidelong glance at Obi-Wan. To find the Jedi's face unreadable but his eyes troubled.

~Say as little as possible to Palpatine. Be wary.~ he sent via their link.

Palpatine looked from the Slayer to the Jedi. His expression both suspicious and knowing. “I wonder who could have done that? Hmm?”

Realization dawned on Buffy. No wonder Obi-Wan was telling her to be wary. They were the only ones known to carry lightsabers on board ship and anyone investigating would consider them to be the prime suspects. Mainly, they'd look at her. She'd not only a motive but she'd threatened to kill Jar Jar.

The knowing expression on Sid's face made her cross. “Don't look at me like that, Sid.” She gave his sleeve a pointed look. “I bet this spaceship is teeming with people who've got hidden lightsabers stuffed up their sleeves.”

Palpatine sat down in his chair. Turning his wrist, he glancing down making sure his lightsaber hadn't slipped from its hiding place. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it hadn't.

“Hidden lightsabers stuffed up sleeves,” He repeated, his voice amused. “If it were true, it would be a worrying thought. However, as you two are the only ones known to carry a lightsaber, the finger of blame is going to point firmly at you. I'm sure you are both aware of that.” He leaned back in his seat, looking very sure of himself. “Jar Jar Binks is the Queen's aide and his disappearance will, without doubt, cause a full inquiry and high profile trial of those accused.” He paused, frowning, “So what happened? Were you disturbed? Why did you leave the guard's body after disposing of...”

Buffy placing her hands on his desk, she leaned over. “I've not killed anyone!” Then, because she was being truthful, she added, “Not recently, anyway.”

A dark smirk played across Palpatine's lips.

Buffy saw it. “And those I did kill were the undead, so they don't count!”

“I can confirm Buffy's innocence. The only time she ventured near Jar Jar's quarters was when I accompanied her.” There was a slight tremor in Obi-Wan's normally calm voice which betrayed his inner anxiety. When Palpatine's speculative gaze switched to him, he snapped, “And I haven't killed anyone, either!”

“Kenobi, I've noticed whenever Lord Vader is mentioned you have a tendency to become overly emotional.” Palpatine's low growl held a note of suspicious jealousy. “Do try to remember you are supposed to be a Jedi and cut back on the attachment.” Missing the flash of shock on Obi-Wan's face, Palpatine's attention was back on Buffy. “Security has already reported you both, not only for trespassing in sections you'd no business to be in but also for suspicious behavior in Jar Jar's corridor. Have you got a good excuse for this?”

“We were patrolling!” Buffy retorted. She couldn't believe this. Once again she was the main suspect in a murder case and once more she was completely innocent. Was this the work of vampires or one of Sid's schemes? Did he intend to frame her for murder, and then manipulate her into becoming Darth Vader? The thought left a sour taste in her mouth.

“We'd a good reason to be in all those areas.” She tried to make sure her voice stayed calm and even. “You called me into your office, you told me there'd been vampire activity, and then asked me to hunt vampires. We've been carrying out your orders. The only reason Obi-Wan is involved in any of this is because the Council assigned him to protect me. As for Jar Jar, my Slaydar sensed he was...”

“Not to be trusted,” Obi-Wan interrupted quickly. He wasn't sure if Buffy had been about to reveal Jar Jar's Sith identity, but he didn't want to show their hand to the Sith Lord yet. “We all know how clumsy Jar Jar Binks is. It's quite possible the Gungan picked up a lightsaber from somewhere, accidentally lopped off the guard's head, ran away in terror, and then got himself sucked into an airlock.”

There was a silence in the room as both the Sith and the Slayer turned to give him a disbelieving look.

Obi-Wan felt the blush rise up his neck to flood his cheeks. He'd thought it sounded a perfectly feasible idea and had been quite proud of having thought it up on the spot.

The Dark Lord of the Sith muttered something under his breath which sounded like, “stupid idiot”.

“Ubi has a point.” Buffy, caught her lower lip between her teeth as she thought over the possibilities. She didn't think Jar Jar had accidentally beheaded the guard. If a lightsaber had been used it must have been the Gungan's own, and if he'd lopped the guard head off he'd done it on purpose. How could she prove it though? “Sid, are there security cameras on this ship? Especially on Jar Jar's corridor? The camera could have recorded the guard's killer.”

Palpatine's eyes drilled into Buffy's. Buffy could feel him trying to worm his way into her head and she gave him a sour look for thinking she'd fall for it.

The Sith Lord sighed audibly. “Are you telling me the pair of you are innocent,” he smirked a little at the word innocent, “and neither of you had a hand in Jar Jar's disappearance? Or the guard's murder?”

“YES!” yelled Buffy and Obi-Wan simultaneously.

Buffy added, “Am I going to come running in here, asking about bites marks on his neck if I'd just beheaded him? I thought it was vampires.”

For the first time, Palpatine looked less sure of himself. “That means someone onboard knows how to use a lightsaber besides... you two.” His gaze became inward and thoughtful as he pondered the mystery. “There are no cameras on the accommodation corridors. Passengers like knowing they have their privacy in that area. There's a lot of bedroom hopping going on and no one wants to be blackmailed about their,” he licked his dry, gray lips as he looked directly at Buffy, “illicit sexual activity. All other areas are monitored. I'll need to check the security tapes myself and get back to you on this.”

“Are we under arrest?” asked Obi-Wan. He'd seen the way the Sith looked at Buffy and was clawing back the urge to punch Palpatine in the face and have done with it. This reliance on a Sith to find evidence of the real killer irked him. What did Palpatine have to gain from this? What if Darth Sidious had killed both the Gungan and the guard? What if he'd set up the whole thing with Jar Jar? Was this a plan to force Buffy into being his apprentice?  
Obi-Wan decided to make a few discreet inquiries amongst the crew and see if he could obtain a copy of the ship's security tapes for themselves.

“I'm not going to order your arrests.” Palpatine drummed his fingers on the top of the desk as he thought over the options. “The Queen will no doubt ask where Jar Jar is, but I'll divert attention away from you. It's a pity the Gungan was so vocal about Lord Vader's attack on him, but as no one outside of this room saw anything, it's all hearsay. We are also ready to land, so none of the other passengers or crew will notice his absence.” He stopped his finger drumming and gave them both a considering look. “The guard's death blow is the worst problem. That points the finger of blame firmly in your direction. However, it is not an insurmountable problem as we can say he died of a tragic accident.”

“Tragic accident?” repeated Buffy, doubtfully. “What are we going to say? He borrowed a lightsaber off one of us to give himself a haircut?”

Palpatine looked smug. “There's a doctor on Naboo who'll write a report stating the cause of death is 'misadventure'. He can say the man's neck injury came about from getting his head stuck in a dodgy door mechanism. That should put off the curious. I'll also order an immediate cremation once we land so no one will know any different.”

He put his hand on one of the datapads drawing it towards him, looking down at it for a moment before fixing his penetrating gaze onto Buffy.

“Lord Vader, I suggest you take your apprentice and continue as normal. Should anyone question you, regarding this, then you must deny all knowledge of this conversation with me. You know nothing of Jar Jar's disappearance, nor anything about the poor crew member's freak accident either.” He smiled. A smile that showed far too many of the Sith's teeth and made Buffy's skin crawl. “I shall contact you once I've more information, or if I need you.”

~Say nothing. We shall make our own investigations into this~ Obi-Wan tried to send his usual reassurance down their bond. But this time he wasn't able to hide how worried he was at this turn of events and, inside, Buffy felt herself grow cold.


	124. Close Encounters of the Creepy Kind

After hearing Naboo was one of the prettiest planets, Buffy was disappointed when she looked out the spaceship's window. Not that she could see much of anything where they'd parked. The ship had dropped down neatly into a docking bay with a row of other large spacecraft. In front of the window lay a series of walkways along which spaceport workers, speeders and lifting droids moved.

She'd missed getting a more dramatic birds-eye view of the planet when the ship broke the planet's atmosphere. She and Obi-Wan had been on a last-minute patrol of the ship. Buffy using her Slaydar to try to locate creepy Jar Jar Binks vibes, while the Jedi searched for disturbances through the Force. Despite their best efforts, neither had found a clue to where the Sith vampire had gotten to.

They'd made their way back to the lounge for the landing and now they were all stood around waiting for Palpatine to make his appearance. Republic etiquette demanded the senior politician always disembarked first and Sid, still entrenched in his office, was keeping everyone waiting. Buffy wondered if the reason for the delay was because he was arranging the guard's funeral and cover-up, or was he plotting some other dastardly scheme? She didn't know. The only thing she could be certain of was that the blue girl's nasal whining across from her was getting on her nerves.

She and Obi-Wan stood slightly apart from the other passengers, keeping their voices low as they made plans. Buffy was convinced Jar Jar had been the one to behead the guard and had done it to hide the evidence of his fang marks. Where the Gungan disappeared to later was a mystery though. How could someone vanish on a spaceship? They couldn't just walk off. Had he been staked? On their patrol, they'd found a new guard on his door so they hadn't been able to go in and check for dust piles.

“Once we reach the palace, I'll let it be known that I'm meditating in my room,” said Obi-Wan quietly. “I shall then return to the Valiant, re-board, and try to obtain a copy of the ship's security recordings and if possible question the crew.” As he spoke, Obi-Wan watched the other passengers. None of them registered as a Force user to him but then neither had Palpatine or Jar Jar. He'd gotten to the stage where he regarded everyone as suspicious. He went on, “Your task will be to find out more about the vampire attacks. Locations, timing, victim details, etc. If possible interview any witnesses and do comlink me before going off on your own.”

“I know. I've been investigating demons for a while,” replied Buffy in a low voice. “ Don't forget, check Jar Jar's room for suspicious dust piles. Either someone staked him, or he moonwalked off the ship.”

“Moonwalked?” Obi-Wan frowned. “Do you mean sucked through an airlock? I don't think… Oh.”

“What's with the 'oh'? Give.”

Obi-Wan didn't hear her. He lost his train of thought as his attention went to the doorway across from them. The Supreme Chancellor posed, dramatically, in the entrance. He watched the Sith Lord's eyes slide over to Buffy before he went on to greet his fellow senators with a pleasant smile and a quiet apology at keeping them waiting.

To any of the others in the room, it would appear Palpatine had only given her a cursory glance, yet Obi-Wan knew differently. Around him, Obi-Wan felt the Force crackling louder than ever in a warning. Once again Buffy had drawn the Sith's attention, and from the way the man's eyes had slid over her, it seemed he already regarded her as his.  
Obi-Wan dropped his eyes, fighting a silent internal battle to regain his calm. Now he could see Palpatine for what he was, he could no longer un-see it. The genial politician he'd masqueraded as had gone, replaced by an evil and sinister mastermind who wanted to take control of the galaxy. Obi-Wan desperately wanted to draw his lightsaber and unmask the evil Sith yet doing so would not only be futile, but dangerous for the entire Jedi Order.

“What are you thinking about?” asked Buffy, nudging him.

“How much pleasanter this galaxy would be if it were Sith free,” he replied truthfully. “Try to avoid Palpatine while I am away. I've a feeling he'll use this opportunity to lure you to his side.”

A look of repulsion crossed her face. “As if he's got anything to lure me with!”

“Perhaps lure is the wrong word. The Sith had a reputation for being manipulative and Palpatine is no exception. Please be wary.”

“Don't worry,” she replied. “I'm not gonna go Darth Vader on you.”

Obi-Wan regarded her silently. Sometimes he wished she wouldn't be so flippant. For some reason, the title Darth Vader created a cold clenching sensation in his gut.

….

They left the spaceport in a large private speeder and the scenery below changed the further they flew from the spaceport. They passed over lush green meadows, small villages and onwards to where the river Solleu wound it's way lazily across the landscape, before cascading downwards in a spectacular waterfall.

Buffy was impressed with the city of Theed. Several times she found herself leaning over the edge of the speeder to get a closer look at the domed roofed buildings, pretty fountains, secluded courtyards, and arched walkways. The place looked more like an ancient Italian town than a sci-fi city.

Sat alongside her, Obi-Wan watched her reaction to the city with an expression of mild amusement. A couple of times she caught his dimpled smile when she spotted a particularly impressive building or a shrine. It was a good job he wasn't picking up her thoughts, she'd been wondering if they'd any demons lurking in them and wondering if she'd get the opportunity to break in and find out.

“The situation was too fraught for sightseeing when we were last here, but the planet is extremely beautiful,” he said. They'd just flown over one of the waterfalls and even Palpatine's head turned in silent appreciation.

“It's a pity we're going to be so busy investigating. I'd have liked to do the tourist thing and explore the city,” replied Buffy. She'd most likely venture out later and do some patrolling, but she'd be exploring dark places and not going on a tourist route.

“Theed is known for its culture.” Obi-Wan thought of all the museums, theatres, and art galleries, the city was known for. “I agree, it would have been educational for us both to explore further.”

“Yeah, I bet there are some great retail centers.” Buffy nodded sagely. Where there was culture, there was cash, and where there was cash there were shops to spend it in.

Obi-Wan repressed a sigh, he should have expected that. “I suppose there is. Speaking of shopping...” He glanced to the front of the speeder, where the Supreme Chancellor sat with the others. “I don't want you going off with Palpatine while I'm out looking for evidence.”

“Don't worry. I heard him saying he'd a busy day ahead with personal engagements. He's probably having a wash and meeting his relations.” Buffy remembered the Sith admitting his parents had died in choking and electrocution accidents. “Those he's not killed off, that is.”

Obi-Wan quickly shushed her. “ Please be more circumspect. He might hear you. Much as it grieves me to say this, we need to play nice with the Supreme Chancellor until we can prove our innocence.” He slanted her a glance, remembering the way the Force crackled when she and Palpatine were in the room together. “Although it might be better if you don't play too nice. I also need to contact the Jedi Council and alert them to these events. We may need them if we wander into more trouble.”

“I can hear Yoda already,” groaned Buffy. She knew exactly what that mutant frog was going to say. “Finds trouble, Slayer does. Leads to the Dark Side, it will.”

“He does have a point,” Obi-Wan replied drily.

Buffy poked her elbow into the Jedi's side in reply.

He made a show of wincing and rubbing at his ribs. “A padawan should meditate several times a day. I believe if you did the same, it would curb your aggressive tendencies and stop you elbowing your poor master in his side.”

Buffy smiled at him, her eyes glinting with amusement. “And I've already told you, Master Ubi. I haven't got time for all that meditating. I've more important things to do, like watching the gossip channels and doing my nails.”

If he had a witty retort for her she missed it, as at that moment the speeder dropped down to land inside a large vine lined courtyard. A moment later several liveried palace servants stepped out the arched doorway, greeted the Supreme Chancellor and his associates before whisking them away. Buffy and Obi-Wan, left behind, watched them go.

A short, balding man stepped forward to give them a short bow, which Obi-Wan returned. “Knight Kenobi? I'm here to escort you to your accommodation.”

Obi-Wan gave her a pointed look before leaving. ~Stay out of trouble.~

She smiled back. ~You too. And no going off with girls when my back's turned~. Her grin became gleeful when she spotted the color staining his cheeks as he walked away.

“Lord Vader?” Buffy looked over to see a stiff-legged silver protocol droid standing right beside her. She hated it when the droids did that. Her spidey-sense was really crap at picking droids up sometimes, and she had to rely on the squeak.

“Call me Buffy.”

The protocol droid tilted its head processing the information. “Of course, Lord Buffy Vader. I am TC-14 and I have been sent to attend you. If you will, please follow me.”

“It's just Buffy.”

“Very well, Lord Buffy. I hope your stay in Naboo will be a pleasant one.”

The silver droid minced off through the archway. Buffy hesitated, before deciding it wasn't worth arguing. She needed to make a good impression and not look like a deranged serial killer who picked arguments with over-polite protocol droids and went around murdering people.

The droid led her to a turbo lift and thankfully remained silent until they reached their level. At the end of the corridor, they were met by a middle-aged, dark-haired woman with a strong care-worn face.

“That will be all TC-14,” said the mystery woman, giving Buffy a nervous smile as she dismissed the droid. “I'll show Miss Summers to her room from here.” As the woman silently watched the droid walk away, Buffy peered at her. She looked familiar. She'd seen her before, but where?

Aware of her scrutiny, the woman shifted uncomfortably. “I've been sent by the Queen to speak to you. My name is Shmi Skywalker and...”

“Oh! You're Shmi!” Buffy realized where she knew her from. “I saw you in...” she stopped, awkwardly. She'd been about to say, I saw you in The Phantom Menace, which wouldn't go down well. Too many explanations. “You look like Anakin.”

The wide smile lit up and completely transformed the woman's harsh face. “You know Anakin? Has he settled in? Has he made any friends? Does he eat enough? Ani tends to become engrossed in whatever he was doing and he'll miss a meal if you don't...” she trailed off, looking embarrassed. “Sorry. I'll never stop worrying about him.”

“He's doing fine and he's a nice kid,” replied Buffy easily. It was true if you didn't count the stalker activity and the fact he might go Sith.

Shmi gave her a watery smile at the compliment and blinked back unshed tears. Haltingly, she explained she worked in the housekeeping section but also ran personal errands for the Queen. She'd assigned Shmi the task of providing Buffy with the information on the vampire attacks.

“That means you are so the person I was gonna search for!” Buffy exclaimed excitedly. This was going to take a lot of boring legwork away. “Can you can grab everything you have on the attacks and bring them straight to my room? We can go over it all together.”

They stopped in the corridor and Shmi gestured towards an ornately carved doorway. “These are the rooms you've been allocated. I'll get the information and be back shortly.” Passing Buffy the room key she hurried off to collect the information needed.

Not expecting anything special about the room, Buffy opened the door, stepped across the threshold, and her jaw dropped.

They'd only given her a suite!

The room she was in was furnished with understated elegance. Plush sofas were placed in the center of the room, inlaid side tables decorated with statues and lighting to the side, while the walls were hung with Nabooan landscapes. Directly opposite her, a set of doors led out onto a large balcony overlooking the lake. Behind another door, Buffy found a large bedroom. The centerpiece an enormous four-poster bed covered in soft comforters and luxurious silken sheets. A further set of doors opened onto yet another balcony, again directly overlooking the lake and across from her, a second door led, presumably, to the refresher.

“Wow!” It had been a long time, if ever, Buffy had stayed in anywhere this nice.

This was all for her! After dealing with the stress of the last few hours, a bubble of dizzy delight rose up at so much luxury. She really needed to thank Padmé for giving her these rooms.

Unable to stop herself, Buffy danced across the room. Coming to a stop at the huge bed she eyed it thoughtfully. Should she? Would it be really, really bad if she did?  
She looked back into the living area. Empty. She glanced out onto the balcony. Empty. Shmi would be back soon but she had time. If she was quick. She stared at the bed again. The urge to do it was still there.

With a surge of giddiness, she jumped, landed on the bed, and began to bounce. Higher and higher, the springs throwing her into the air just like a trampoline would. Finally, Buffy threw herself backward, bounced, and then sank down into the soft springy mattress. With a sigh of pure contentment, she lay looking up at the ornate gold and blue ceiling. This was perfect. Closing her eyes, she let her muscles relax, her brain drift... she might as well lie here until Shmi returned.

“Buffy!?”

Buffy didn't move. She must have fallen asleep. She was having a nightmare that short, dark and creepy was in her bedroom.

“Buffy?”

Oh crap! Sid really was in her bedroom

Springing up, she landed in a half-crouch at the foot of the bed. Appalled to find Sid standing half-dressed in the 'fresher doorway. The thickly padded official robes Buffy was accustomed to seeing him in had been discarded. The Sith wore a thin, loose shirt unbuttoned to his navel, slim-fitting trousers, and was without his shoes or socks.

Her first thought was one of confusion. Why was Palpatine using her refresher? Her second one surprise. Without thick and ugly robes, and if you discounted his face, he looked like a different person. Slim, athletic, and from the shape of his muscle tone he obviously worked out. Were those robes part of the Sith Lord's disguise? Did he use them to disguise his appearance and make his enemies underestimate his physical ability?

“Are you liking what you see?” growled Palpatine. He'd a funny little smile on his face that instantly made Buffy feel nervous. “You've been ogling my body for rather a long time.”

“Huh?” She stared at him blankly, until her brain shifted into gear. Her cheeks flushed at the realization the Sith thought she was checking him out. “Er, sorry about that, Sid. It's the first time I've seen you without one of your padded dresses on.”

“Those are official Senate robes, not dresses. Underneath, as you can see I'm...” he put his hands onto his hips and leered at her, “very virile.”

“Uh! Oh, okay. Like I really needed to know that,” she replied. “But here's the important question. What are you doing in my 'fresher?”

Sid gave her a knowing smile. “There's no need to pretend, Buffy.” Without giving her a chance to speak, he continued, “I take it you're no longer able to resist my allure? Have you broke in to be tortured, and in return torture me, until we both attain mutual sexual gratification?

“Ewww,” Buffy's lip curled in distaste. “No way!” She backed up. Heading in the direction of the living room. “I must have been mistakenly shown to the wrong set of rooms. Sorry about that. I'll go now.”

Sid darted forward using a surprising turn of Sith Speed. Buffy found herself backed against the wall, trapped between an occasional table and the statue of a heavily armored insect carrying a weapon. Sid encircled her, one hand on the wall above her head, the other at waist height. The excited look on Darth Sidious's face sent cold shivers down her spine.  
'Be nice, play nice, don't get into trouble,' she chanted to herself. She couldn't slay Sid. That really would get her into trouble.

“This could be our honeymoon suite,” the Sith growled huskily, his mouth close to her ear.

“Um, call me old fashioned, but I'm the kind of girl who thinks there should always be a wedding before the honeymoon,” replied Buffy perkily. She was scanning the area, intending on sliding past the Sith and making a dash for freedom as soon as he realized what she'd said.

The 'W' word put most guys off but she'd forgotten she was dealing with the Dark Side of the Sid.

“I've no problems with a wedding, Vader. I'm more than happy to go along with that.” Far from being put off, Sid's eyes lit up with a fiendish yellow light. “I've been researching the history of this subject. The Sith species often had slayer girls such as yourself who loved their work so much they put off having relationships. The males had to hunt them down and force them into... 'matrimony' whether they wanted it or not.” Palpatine raised a claw-like hand and ran the tips of his nails down the side of her face.

Inside, Buffy felt her inner Slayer freak out at the violation, and her own eyes flashed gold as she fought back the inner Slayer's urge to stake him. 'Be nice, play nice, don't get into trouble. Be nice, play nice, and don't get into trouble,' she chanted desperately inside her head.

Sid didn't seem to recognize his danger. Or if he did, he was enjoying the thrill it gave him. He rasped excitedly, “Sith couples enjoyed highly sexed, long-lasting relationships. Apart from the odd ones who killed each other within the first year. But you know what they say, couples who slay together stay together.”

She HAD to getaway. She was going to go Slayer any minute now and he would no doubt rain down forked lighting on her head. What was even more worrying was the thought the Sith might get really turned on by all that and think it was a courtship ritual.  
'Be nice, play nice, don't slay Sid,' chanted Buffy once more.

Out loud she replied, “That's... nice. For those Sith aliens. But I'm not, and you... claim you aren't, so...”

Palpatine acted as if she hadn't spoken. “The Republic would go crazy for a wedding. The romantic story of a young, interdimensional refugee and the Si- Supreme Chancellor who fell in love. It'll take two or three months to organize. Anyone who is anyone will fight for invites and it'll be the biggest event the galaxy has ever seen... We'll have the entire galaxy worshipping at our feet by the end of it.”

His eyes had glazed over and Buffy could see him salivating at the thought of all the power and prestige he'd gain. She had to stop this now.

“I told you before Sid, I'm not...”

There was the soft hiss of a door sliding open and Buffy turned to see Shmi in the doorway, holding a datapad and gaping at them in surprise.

Buffy felt a flood of relief when Palpatine dropped his hands and stepped away from her.

“Shmi,” Buffy squeaked. “I'm in the wrong room! The Supreme Chancellor claims it's his!”

The dark-haired woman looked confused. “We assumed that since you are a couple that you'd want to share.”

Buffy screeched, “No! That's not true!”

“Buffy has kindly agreed to be my wife,” declared Darth Sidious. “We're just about to have celebratory sex so you need to leave and come back later. Much later. Say tomorrow. Cancel all my appointments for today and Lord Vader's as well.”

“No!” Buffy swallowed, trying not to panic. “We're not gonna have sex. Because...” caught off guard she had to think on her feet, “because sex is bad...” she waggled a forefinger at him. “ Yeah, and, and I'm .. er, Amish! Yeah, and uh, the Amish don't do sex before marriage.”

Palpatine raised an eyebrow at her and she began to back away once more. Sid padding after her, matching her pace for pace.

'Be nice, play nice, don't get into trouble, don't slay Sid,' chanted Buffy. Buffy gave the Sith a mega-watt smile to try to diffuse any electrical tendencies. “So like I say, there's no sex for me. Like, maybe, forever.” She gave a firm nod, knowing the door to freedom lay just behind her. “Nope, still not married. So no way.”

“We shall have that wedding. However, the time has come for you to pay the piper, Vader.” The Sith didn't take his eyes off her as he continued to follow her.

“Mr Piper needs to go and play with his er, pipe before he's paid,” said Buffy adamantly.

“There no need to be shy. I'll happily show you everything you'll need to know, “ Palpatine's smile was oily.

“Um, yeah, thanks for the offer. But as I said, sex is bad. Also, I've got the evil urge to stake a monster and watch it die slowly in pain so excuse me.”

She darted for the door, grabbed a bemused Shmi by the arm, and dragged the woman off along the corridor with her.


	125. A Jedi Scooby Mystery

Obi-Wan silently looked at the 'room' he'd been allocated in the lowest levels of the palace. He knew he shouldn't be so judgemental. After all, it wasn't that bad. He'd stayed in a lot worse places and he guessed this room was... serviceable.

However, he was taken aback by its location. After killing the assassin Darth Maul, he'd thought, obviously wrongly, the Queen would have been provided him with better accommodation than a cell inside her dungeon.

His silent appraisal must have struck a nerve with the palace servant.

The man gave an apologetic shrug of his shoulders. “It's Theed's festival week,” he said by way of explanation. “Anyone who's anyone's come to the palace and we've had to find somewhere for you to sleep at short notice.” He looked across at the only furniture in the room, a set of bunk beds that took up the far wall. “The bottom bunk one is wider but you might prefer the top. You can take your pick, as you aren't sharing. There's also a closet to hang your clothes,” he pointed to a narrow door inset into the wall, “and it's got its own refresher.”

“It's ample,” replied Obi-Wan politely. It wasn't the servant's fault he'd been assigned this room. “I shall be busy meditating until mealtime, so please see that I am not disturbed.”

“The banquet starts at 8 pm. Main hall.” He gave the Jedi a quick bow and scuttled off to attend to his other duties.

Obi-Wan crossed from the door to the lowest bunk, in exactly two paces. He pulled back the covers, noting with some relief that the mattress was a decent one and the sheets clean. Not quite a dingy dungeon cell after all, but not far off.

Was Buffy faring any better with her room?

He thought she probably would be. Palpatine most likely would have called ahead to ensure 'his' Lord Vader would be allocated a nice room. No doubt it would be very close to the Supreme Chancellors. His lip curled. Obi-Wan wouldn't put it past Palpatine to make sure he'd been assigned a room as far from her as possible. He could almost hear the Sith Lord growling that 'a dungeon is as good a place as any to keep a Jedi in'.

The thought made his face darken and he drew in a ragged breath.

Hate was not an emotion a Jedi should become acquainted with, but it felt to Obi-Wan he was becoming far too familiar. Was it because once you'd stepped onto the dark path, it forever dominated your destiny?

Buffy didn't believe that, but Obi-Wan wasn't so sure.

Since he'd lost control to the Dark Side those strong negative emotions came far more quickly to him. Especially when in Palpatine's company. He knew the lure now. He understood why a Jedi went Dark. Yet Buffy, despite knowing him at his worst, still believed in his inherent goodness. She said that his step into the darkness had shown him where his boundaries lay and that in future he'd be better able to avoid it. Her faith in him - in him, who was nothing special- surprised him.  
Possibly, she was letting her emotions cloud her judgment. She'd also told him that he was the best Jedi in the Temple and that he was good enough to rise up through the Order and be given a seat on the High Council. Of course, in the next breath, she'd also called him a Jedi nerd. But these days, if they were alone, she normally kissed him after saying it, so he no longer cared if he was a nerd or not.

Closing his eyes, Obi-Wan slowed his breathing and reached out to the Light Side of the Force. Letting his anger and hatred for the Sith dissipate, he chanted the Jedi code and filled himself with the Light Side energy. Once completely free from strong negative emotions, he opened his eyes.

And realized he'd wasted valuable time becoming distracted by his insecurities. The Force urged him on. He needed to return to the spaceport, check Jar Jar's room, and then go through all the security data before evidence was lost. With that thought in mind, he rose to his feet, hit the control on the side of the door and hurried off.

.......

Obi-Wan flew back to the spaceport in a hired speeder. Parking in a quiet area, he raised his robe-hood and made his way along the walkways. He slid past spaceport security guards who might have queried his presence, dodged tourists who'd come to the festival, and then moved on. Now he entered an area mainly occupied by droids hoisting crates of imported goods. The ship was not far ahead.

When the Republic cruiser Valiant VIII came into view he slowed his pace, scanning the vicinity. The loading bay doors were open and no one appeared to be around. Obi-Wan moved to where a tower of crates had been placed at the bottom of the gangway ready to load onto the ship. Using it as cover, he hid and peered around once again. He was just about to dart aboard when the Force sent him a warning and he slipped further between the crates to avoid detection. After a minute or so, a man in a security uniform appeared followed by two droids carrying a stretcher on which a black body bag lay.

He was just in time! A moment or so later and he'd have missed them. Obi-Wan watched the guard disappear inside the ship and the droids set off along the walkway. He allowed the droids to walk off a short distance before following and intent on carrying out orders they paid no attention to the brown hooded figure walking behind them. The pair continued carrying their burden until they arrived at a low building marked for storage, opening the door they went inside. Obi-Wan waited. After a short time, the droids reappeared without the body or the stretcher and walked back towards the Valiant.

Once they'd gone from view, Obi-Wan emerged from his hiding place. Approaching the door, he made a sideways movement with his hand, using the Force to disrupt the current and open the door. He slipped through the doorway and looked around him. It was a dark corridor that was lit only by small emergency lights, but close by the door were more controls. Touching them he watched as the lights slowly lit up all along the passageway.

They'd placed the guard's body on a long table in a small room off the main corridor. Although the lights came on automatically as he walked into the room for some reason Obi-Wan felt oddly nervous as he approached the body. During his time with Qui-Gon, he'd seen many corpses. Being in the presence of death was not a novelty, yet this one made him feel uneasy.  
Buffy's stories of dead bodies bursting back into life with a demon inside them played out in his head. He found himself raising an eyebrow at his own apprehension and, after taking a moment to find comfort in the Force, reached for the bag's closure tag.

Whoever had placed the corpse into the body bag had tried to be respectful. They'd placed the head back in the position it would have been during the man's life. Unfortunately, without anything to anchor it in place, the head had come adrift and it was a gruesome sight that greeted Obi-Wan.

Pulling his eyes away from the ruined and seared flesh of the neck stump, Obi-Wan looked into the guard's face. He was a human male, slightly older than he was, perhaps in his early thirties, with short dark hair. The face was chalk-white and drawn, skin pulled back tightly across his cheeks, mouth gaping open and dark eyes wide. They stared at Obi-Wan as if in terror.

Outwardly, Obi-Wan didn't flinch, but inside he recoiled at the man's expression. This had been far from a peaceful death. He leaned closer. Trying not to breathe too deeply as he examined the neck wound.

The searing of the wound's edges was typical of a lightsaber. Yet the head hadn't been removed by a single clean sweep but more a series of jagged hacks. Why was that? The lightsaber was perfectly capable of severing a human head from a body. The Jedi Order considered a beheading to be a clean kill as it caused instant death and didn't prolong suffering. Was this a case of a clumsy attempt at beheading by someone unused to a lightsaber? Or was there more to it than that?

Buffy had told him that occasionally the more intelligent vampires damaged their victims' throats to hide bite marks. Was that the motive behind the mutilation of the throat?

Trying not to overthink what he was doing, Obi-Wan placed his hand on the chin and moved the head back to examine the injuries more closely. The front of the neck and the sides bore a lot more damage than the rear. It did indeed look as if the perpetrator had hacked away part of the throat to hide evidence of the first initial injury. That would tie-in with what Buffy told him of vampires trying to hide their fang marks.

He could see no other injuries to the skull. Placing it back onto the shoulders, he pulled the tag once more and this time checked the rest of the body. The man was fully clothed and what he was doing was by no means a full examination, but it seemed the only visible injuries were the ones made to the neck.

It seemed Buffy could be right. It was highly likely the guard had been bitten before being beheaded. Had he been drained of blood? There was no test Obi-Wan could make to show this, but the paleness of the corpse suggested it.

Unless the man had suffered from a bad case of anemia before his death.

Obi-Wan blinked at that thought. It seemed his exposure to Buffy was having an adverse effect on his brain. He gave a mental shake and continued to think over the evidence carefully.

The throat mutilation suggested the murderer wanted to hide the initial injury. The lightsaber was either a weapon he'd found and used or his own, which meant a Force user. Possibly meant to lay the blame at the door of the Slayer.

Was the murderer the vampire Jar Jar Binks? Where was he? Why had he run away? To escape the Slayer? To escape Palpatine? Was this part of some grand plan the Sith were unfolding? The whereabouts of the Gungan was crucial to this investigation. They must find him.

Obi-Wan looked once more at the man's corpse. The only thing he knew for certain in all this, was that with these injuries, this victim would not be rising from the dead.

….............

“And they'd definitely been drained of blood?” Buffy asked.

Shmi sat opposite her in the small office they'd found empty, after leaving Palpatine's suite. Buffy nursed a mug of caff in her hands. She was trying to calm her nerves and get over the horror of becoming accidentally engaged to a Sith Lord. She hoped Palpatine would get a sudden and prolonged case of amnesia but didn't think she'd be that lucky.

Shmi checked the notes on her datapad dutifully once more. “That's what the coroner recorded. It was that and the bite marks to the neck which alerted the Queen to send for you.”

“Are there any more victims I should know about? Or has anyone else gone missing recently?” Buffy asked. Vampires either sired more and more vampires or they were the sort who only let a selected few into the undead club. It depended if they wanted to build an army and go for the apocalypse, or they were trying to hunt under the radar.

“We do have a missing person log,” admitted Shmi. “I don't think it will help though. Queen Amidala has done a lot to rebuild homes and industries, but the war created a lot of refugees. People scattered and many are still missing. We've also no idea if there've been more attacks inside the Gungans cities. Jar Jar Binks promised to make inquiries there but so far he hasn't got back to us.”

Buffy looked down at her caff, feeling guilty. She hadn't staked him and she'd no idea where he'd vanished to, but sooner or later these people were going to start asking questions. And looking in her direction.

Shmi, thankfully, took her long silence to be a sign Buffy was mulling over the information.

“So there could be more victims we don't know about,” said Buffy thoughtfully. The place didn't have the Hellmouth vibe Sunnydale had. She didn't think it would be some unholy epicenter for demon activity. Plus, large nests of vamps caused large numbers of victims, or at least victims walking around with a scarf tied around their necks and complaining of feeling tired. None of that was true about Theed. If she had to hazard a guess, she'd think this the work of migratory vampires who'd chosen their victims carefully in order to stay off the radar. Which all pointed to Darth Jar Jar and his Sithy friend from the Jedi Temple basement, Darth Desolate.

Shmi hesitated at Buffy's comment. Since being given this task, she'd researched the subject and only this morning had shyly passed on some information she'd discovered to the Queen. It was Padmé who'd encouraged her to tell Buffy. “There was someone else found drained of blood,” she began. “Although it happened in the Lake Country and not in Theed. A girl, she was only sixteen years old, who went missing from her family home. They found her a couple of days later floating in a lake near their house. The authorities put it down as a wild animal attack due to the marks on her throat.”

“You don't happen to have a picture of her, do you?” asked Buffy.

Shmi nodded and brought up an image on her datapad. “This was her.” She held it up to show Buffy.

Buffy leaned forward and shivered as an icy chill ran down her spine. The photo showed a smiling blonde girl with more than a passing resemblance to herself when she was that age.

......

Entering the Gungan's room was like directly stepping into a freezing cold spider's web. Off-balance at the sudden change, Obi-Wan stopped. A feeling of revulsion and the urge to escape hit him when the door closed behind him.

Someone had recently used this room to summon the Dark Side of the Force.

Tendrils of something abhorrent tried to reach through the Force and he shuddered. If Jar Jar had done this, how could he have missed it? Then again, how could he have missed seeing Palpatine for what he was?

Knowing he had a job to do in here, he quickly shielded himself, then walked across to the bed at the furthest side of the room. His head moved from side to side as he walked, making a fast preliminary sweep to see if anything caught his eye before searching more closely. He noted there was nothing in the room to differentiate it from every other Republic cruiser he'd been on. Uniform gray and cream, minimally furnished with a bed with drawers underneath, a small closet and an attached refresher. There were no obvious signs of a struggle. Nothing untoward, no damage, no pools of blood, blaster impacts or lightsaber burns to the walls or furnishings.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on his connection with the Force. Pushing aside the tendrils of the Dark Side, reaching deeper into the Force - searching. There! The vibrations of a disruption. Strongest close to the door. Had the guard walked in, not expecting an attack? The struggle had been brief. Possibly too little, too late and he'd been easily overpowered.

Although unfamiliar with Force tracking a vampire, the way the attack occurred and the guard's injuries did suggest a vampire attack. The strength of the lingering Dark Side also suggested the presence of a regular Dark Side user. Was that Jar Jar? Or Palpatine?

Obi-Wan searched the room, careful not to disturb too much as he did so. There was nothing in the drawers. A set of Jar Jar's clothes hung in the closet. Obi-Wan noted the caff stains to the front so no doubt the ones he'd worn when he threw caff at Buffy. Lifting the mattress, he checked underneath – nothing. He noted faint scrape lines on the floor. Then, halfway up the wall, by the door, he found a splatter of blood. Had more been cleaned away? Was biting a victim, less messy than he thought?

He walked back and studied the marks on the floor. More led into the refresher suggesting the victim had been half dragged, half carried in there. Following them, he looked around at the small space. Inside the cubicle, blood-stained one of the walls. Had he been thrown down in there before being beheaded? It seemed likely.

Obi-Wan stroked his chin, thinking over the evidence and running over different scenarios. Buffy said new vampires often had an overwhelming blood lust that caused them to attack a living person on sight. She'd also worried that Jar Jar's thirst for blood might drive him to attack whilst onboard ship.

But what of Palpatine? What was his role in this?

When Buffy attacked the Gungan in front of the Sith Lord had something betrayed Jar Jar as a Sith? Master Yoda had told him the Sith used to exist in large numbers, but that changed to two existing at any one time. Was Palpatine angry another Sith was around besides himself and Buffy?  
Had he gone to kill the Gungan and found him attacking the guard? Had Palpatine then killed Jar Jar? Or was he covering up for the Gungan? It was convenient the evidence pointed at Buffy as being the main suspect in all this. Convenient, that is, for Palpatine. What had happened to Jar Jar? There were no dust piles in this room, so where had the Gungan gone after draining the guard?

There was a niggling in Obi-Wan's mind. He should know the answer to this. Would the security recordings reveal more? He glanced around the room and decided there were no more answers to be found inside this depressing place.

…..........

If a room could be any more depressing than the one she'd stayed in after running away and becoming 'Anne', it was this one. The room she'd rented back then may have had more mysterious stains on the carpet but at least it had a window. And was above ground. It had probably never been used to imprison people either. Her nose wrinkled with disgust. She'd friends with bigger and nicer closets than this room.

Buffy decided whoever was in charge of room allocation in the palace needed staking. They'd set her up with Palpatine and given Obi-Wan a cell in the dungeon. Why? Was that the work of their friendly neighbourhood Sith-boy? Had he phoned on ahead and arranged all this?

After her meeting with Shmi, she'd asked the older woman to find a new bedroom for her. She'd absolutely no intention of going back to Sithy-Sid's to beg a spot on his couch. She'd be fighting off his slithery hands during the night.

Shmi had logged onto her datapad once more and surfed for several minutes before looking up, embarrassed. Apologising to Buffy, she'd admitted there wasn't a free room anywhere in the palace. She'd also said there probably wasn't an empty bed to be had in all Theed. The place had been booked up months in advance for the Flower Festival which was being held this week.

Buffy had given her a dark look. If the only options were sleeping in a shop doorway or sharing Palpatine's bed, she'd take the shop doorway over him any day.

“What about Obi-Wan's?” Buffy finally asked. “He won't mind sharing with me.”

Shmi appeared horrified at the suggestion. “But... but he's a Jedi!”

As if Buffy hadn't noticed he was a Jedi. “It's okay, we've done it lots of times,” Buffy said, trying to ease the woman's concerns.

Shmi now looked scandalized.

Buffy quickly added, “I mean, we've shared a room when it was necessary. Him in one place and me... in another. The Jedi Order hasn't objected to it.” She wasn't lying. The Jedi Order hadn't objected, probably because they didn't know they were doing it.

After another check of her room plans and allocations, and Shmi admitted, doubtfully, “There are two beds in Jedi Kenobi's room. If you're sure he won't mind sharing?”

“Oh, don't worry, he'll be happy to share it with me. He'd rather I am with him than be with Palpatine.”

So now, here she was. Sitting in a dungeon, on the bottom bunk in Obi-Wan's depressing room and planning her next move. Obi-Wan expected her vamp investigation to take up the whole day but with Shmi's help, she now had lots of cool information. She could take some time off from going research. There was a Republic credit card in her Jedi robe pocket just itching to be spent and a dire lack of clothing and make-up in her luggage. In fact, she'd a dire shortage of luggage. It was lucky she'd the foresight to put lipstick, eyeliner, and a sample size foundation container into the 'emergency supplies' pouch on her utility belt, else she'd have been walking around with a naked face. She hadn't done that since she was eleven.

It was such a tough decision to make deciding whether to snoop or shop. She knew what Obi-Wan would expect her to do. Stay in the palace until he got back and go research-girl while avoiding Palpatine. So which was it to be? Shopping or snooping? Snooping or shopping?

Buffy smirked. It was a no brainer. She had a fashion emergency going on. She had plenty of time to snoop later. When it went dark and all the best shops had closed their doors.

Yeah, that was definitely the best plan. Not that she ever had a plan, but it was always good to be optimistic and say you had. Buffy rose to her feet and left her dungeon dwelling behind her.

........................

Leaving Jar Jar's room behind him, Obi-Wan openly walked through the ship towards the security section. The few crew members he came across glanced at his Jedi robes, along with his confident stride, and didn't think to question his presence. That or they were too engrossed in their own work to bother him. He continued onwards. As he expected, a member of the crew's was stationed in the main room where they monitored ship security and he looked bored.

“Hello there,” Obi-Wan gave the man a friendly smile and casually leaned against the door. Trying to make it look as if he wasn't purposely blocking the man's exit. “I'm here making inquiries on behalf of the Republic. It is regarding the unfortunate accident that occurred onboard. I'd like to know more about the safety measures you have implemented and also any footage you have. I believe you are the ideal person to help me.”

The crewman shuffled across to him, looking slightly panicked at being thought of as the 'ideal person'. “I'm sure the insurance is valid, and all health and safety checks are carried out regularly. I don't have access to that information, but if you wait here I'll find someone who has.”

Obi-Wan waved a hand at him. “You are happy to speak to me about the ship's security.”

The crewman blinked. For a moment Obi-Wan thought his suggestion wasn't going to work. Then the man slowly smiled. “I'm happy to speak to you about the ship's security.”

“Why, that's very kind of you to offer. I'd be most grateful to see where you monitor the ship's surveillance cameras.”

Leading the Jedi into a smaller room, the crewman quickly brought up the ship's cameras on screen. “We can see all areas of the ship with these, except private rooms, of course.”

“What about cameras on F corridor? Specifically in the vicinity of room twenty-eight,” Obi-Wan asked. F corridor was where Jar Jar's room was located.

“F corridor? That's one of the accommodation corridors. We aren't allowed to point our camera directly into those areas.”

Obi-Wan stroked his upper lip thoughtfully. That was what Palpatine had told them. “Are there any cameras at all in that vicinity?”

Eager to help, the crewman leaned forward and entered a code onto the screen. “The one located on the main corridor is the nearest.” The images of the main corridor came up. Jar Jar's room to the left, just off-camera.

Obi-Wan knew Jar Jar's guard had changed at 6 am. The body had been discovered shortly before 8.30. “I'd like to see footage from that camera between 6 am and 8.30am Coruscant time.”

The crewman entered the information and Obi-Wan watched the new guard pass under the camera and turn down F corridor. A short time after the guard he was replacing walked back out. The corridor stayed empty. It appeared there was only Jar Jar had been quartered in that area.

“Can you forward this until someone enters the area? I'd like to know if anyone, besides the guard, passed along this corridor between 6 am and 8.30am.”

They both stood watching the screen in front of them as the images fast-forwarded. When a dark shadow flashed across the screen, the crewman stopped the recording and they watched the images play in real-time. There! It was 8.02 when a shadow flickered across the screen. What was it? Obi-Wan replayed it. And then replayed it again.

Was someone moving at Force speed down the corridor? Or was it simply a shadow? A flicker of the light? It was impossible to say. The image was not the best.

Obi-Wan continued watching the footage. Nothing more happened until 8.12am when the screen suddenly became blank. Replaying it, the same thing happened. He Fast forwarded until the images of the corridor resume at 8.20am. That was 8 minutes of footage lost.

“It might be interference,” the crewman suggested. “Or perhaps a fault on that particular camera.”

“Can you check on another device nearby?”

A second camera showed the same fault happening at around the same time. The same with a third camera. Frowning, the crewman checked his system. More and more cameras were also showing a problem.

Puzzled, the man ran a full test on all the camera footage. Whatever he found seemed to confuse him more. Obi-Wan said nothing. He simply stood with folded arms as the man continued to input data and watch the results display on the screen.

Finally, with a mixture of apology and confusion, the guard admitted that between 8.12am and 8.28am most of the Republic Cruiser's surveillance cameras were out. All lost, on average, 8 minutes of footage.

Easily enough time for someone to pass through the area. On his way... where? And what caused the cameras to stop recording? Or, perhaps the more important question was who deleted or interrupted the footage?

“Can you give me a map of the ship showing the locations of the cameras where this outage occurred?” asked Obi-Wan, taking his datapad out of his robe pocket.

As he transferred the information, Obi-Wan casually asked, “ Do you know if any of the ship airlocks have been breached recently? Or if possibly a small craft left the ship at some point?”

“I know for a fact there were no launches as we don't have the facilities on here to keep any craft, nor do we have a launch bay for them.” He looked across at a screen by the doorway. “All airlocks are monitored. If any breaches occur, it causes alarms to go off at various points across the ship. It's a serious offense to use an airlock without permission and if there was a breach there'd be a full inquiry.”

“Hmmm,” replied Obi-Wan, mulling that information over. “Who was on duty here between 8-8.30am?”

“Amba Kroi. She's on leave now. I believe she intends to stay overnight with a friend.”

“And do you know where this friend resides?” Obi-Wan felt it important to speak directly with this Amba Kroi.

The man shrugged. “I think she works at the palace.” He paused, thinking. “If it helps, I overheard Amba saying that she's looking forward to sampling everything Theed has to offer. I doubt she means cultural nightlife.” He grinned at Obi-Wan. “Try the clubs near the spaceport. She likes variety.”

“What does Amba Kroi look like?”

The security uploaded the woman's file. Her image appeared, a pretty human female in her late twenties with short, magenta colored hair.

Obi-Wan downloaded the woman's picture onto his datapad. “Any idea which club she might frequent?”

“Ah, let's just say... as many as she can fit in.” The crew member started laughing.

“Is something amusing?” Obi-Wan looked up from his datapad, frowning

“Not really.” The man continued to chuckle to himself.

Obi-Wan's piercing eyes continued to look at him, but the man refused to be drawn further. For a moment, Obi-Wan considered probing his mind and extracting the information, but the thought of invading someone's privacy went against his beliefs. An uncomfortable memory of him as a padawan trying to probe Buffy's mind came to him. What had he been thinking of? No wonder she'd bragged about seeking revenge on him.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”

The man's question broke into his thoughts and made him realize his call into the Jedi Temple was overdue.

“I'd like to use your communications room to contact the Temple on Coruscant. However, I already know where that room is located, so I won't need to disturb your work anymore by asking for help finding it.” Obi-Wan smiled politely. “You've been very helpful. Thank you.” The Jedi motioned with his hand once more. “You won't mention my visit to anyone.” Obi-Wan paused, thinking. The man might be needed as a witness at some point. “Unless directly questioned and the specific phrase... Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is used. Until then, you'll forget all about me.”

“Forget about you.” The crewman looked down to where his tea had grown cold. When he looked back the Jedi had gone and he hesitated, frowning in confusion, before resuming his work.

........


	126. Meetings and Mayhem

Obi-Wan stood in front of the holoprojector in the Republic Cruiser's private communications room. He'd contacted the Temple via a secure channel, had been put through to Jedi communications and was now listening to meditational music while waiting for a master to take his report. He was therefore surprised when he was put straight through to the High Council chamber, where it appeared there was a meeting in progress.

“Knight Kenobi, I take it you and Miss Summers have arrived safely on Naboo?” Master Windu asked without preamble.

“Masters, my apologies for interrupting your meeting.” Obi-Wan, always keen to show his manners, bowed. “Master Windu, we have indeed arrived safely on Naboo. However, a problem occurred during the journey here and I'm afraid Buffy is involved.”

“Slayer caused it. Better she would do if she stopped to think, and let wisdom guide her passion,” croaked Yoda smugly. Looking over at Mace Windu and Ki-Adi Mundi with an 'I told you this was going to happen' expression.

Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably. Buffy had said Yoda would blame her for everything at the slightest hint of trouble. It appeared she knew the small master rather well. Obi-Wan cleared his throat before continuing with his report. “It happened when she met Jar Jar Binks, the Queen's Gungan aide,” he explained. “He tripped over his own foot, threw a large mug of caff over her head and she attacked him...”

“I can't say that comes as a surprise,” broke in Master Ki-Adi-Mundi with a nod of his long head. “I've met Jar Jar myself. The only thing that surprises me is that he's managed to stay alive for this long. He's one of the most irritating...”

“Shhh!” rebuked Yoda. “Backward, that Gungan is. A need to slay him, there was not. Kenobi's report, we need to hear.”

“Masters, Buffy didn't kill him. After he threw caff over her I escorted Jar Jar back to his room. The Supreme Chancellor put a guard on his door and locked him in...”

“A very wise move,” broke in Master Windu. “ I've no idea why Queen Padmé thought he made a good representative for Naboo. The creature is a liability and could cause a nasty accident or even a galactic war with his antics. Is Buffy in a very bad mood about having caff thrown over her? Where is she?” He straightened in his chair, then leaned forward, his face grim as a thought occurred to him. “Palpatine hasn't arrested her, has he?”

“Shhh,” shushed Yoda. “Never know we will, if talking you continue to do.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “No, she hasn't been arrested. Not yet, anyway. The problem isn't her attack but what followed was far worse than that. Buffy says Jar Jar Binks is evil...”

Master Ki-Adi-Mundi snorted very loudly.

Obi-Wan decided that wasn't a question and continued, “Buffy says he is an evil Sith vampire and not the clumsy, simple oaf everyone takes him for. When she met him she said her spidey-sense got a huge tingle and her Slaydar went off.”

“Where did she get a 'huge tingle'?” asked Master Plo Koon looking across to Mace Windu hoping that he could explain. He'd been trying to follow Kenobi's report, but with all the interruptions wasn't sure if he'd heard right.

“On her spidey-sense,” replied Master Windu, looking back at the masked Kel Dor male. “It's part of the Slayer package that enables her to locate and fight the forces of darkness. She gets tingles when demons and Sith appear.”

“Ah, that must be... nice for her,” replied the Kel Dor. He still felt as if he was missing something, but didn't like to admit it in front of everyone. He'd pull Mace Windu aside later and ask him privately if there were files in the archives explaining Slayer anatomy. Preferably ones with lots of diagrams.

On the other side of Mace Windu, Yoda sat massaging his face with his hand. He decided he was getting too old for this. Things had changed for the worse since the Slayer appeared in their dimension and it felt as if he was losing his grip on Council meetings. Everything was so much simpler before she arrived. Not only had the Sith been eradicated, but the High Council masters all behaved with utmost decorum and people thought before speaking. Now it was a free-for-all with everyone shouting out the first thing that popped into their heads. He kept thinking about his rock in his swamp room. It was nice and quiet up there and no one bothered him.

The silence in the chamber made Yoda stop face rubbing and look around in cautious hope they'd come to their senses. He sighed, the thoughts of all in the room open to him. The silence wasn't due to respect. There were too many thinking about Buffy's tingles. Not one was giving a thought to the fact there might be another Sith about.

“A Sith, she thinks Jar Jar is, hmm?” Yoda ventured, wondering how many more were going to turn up.

Obi-Wan nodded. “Yes, Master Yoda. She also says he's a vampire. We think he may be the Sith apprentice with the connections to Naboo that we've been searching for. The vampire Sith Lord's apprentice that is, not Palpatine's,” he clarified. “However, this morning they found Jar Jar missing and the man guarding Jar Jar dead. He'd been beheaded by a lightsaber.”

This caused suspicious expressions on the Jedi master's faces, except Master Yoda who'd gone back to massaging his face again.

Obi-Wan added quickly, “I know for a fact it was not Buffy! I was with her not only while out patrolling the ship, but also later, when I went back to her cabin. We spent the night together and I was still with her at breakfast when we heard the news.”

Yoda stopped massaging his face and gave Obi-Wan a very narrow look. As did several of the other masters.

“I... I slept in a chair in her room!” the young knight spluttered. His face shone with the truth of the statement but his cheeks were stained red at the masters' silent accusation. “Palpatine had been making lewd suggestions to her about bedsprings, screams during the night, and... and leering!”

Obi-Wan could feel the intense scrutiny of the Council. He straightened himself and bore it stoically. Nothing had happened that night with Buffy. He could face them with total honesty. As long as they didn't start asking him about attachments...

“That was very noble of you,” soothed Master Ki Adi Mundi. He could see Obi-Wan had become upset. Even though Obi-Wan was only present as a blue hologram he could see his skin had darkened with embarrassment.

This was, after all, a story as old as the galaxy. An evil Sith Lord trying to seduce a beautiful, young and vulnerable girl who was forced to barricade herself in her room to evade his clutches. Of course, Buffy didn't quite fit in the vulnerable category being a Slayer, but everything else fitted. It wasn't surprising Obi-Wan had volunteered to sleep in a chair in her room. Offering his protection in those circumstances was typical behavior of any honorable Jedi Knight.

“You did the right thing guarding her room and ensuring the Supreme Chancellor didn't try sneaking in while she was sleeping,” continued Ki-Adi-Mundi and gave Kenobi a reassuring smile.

Obi-Wan nodded, relieved he'd actually stayed in the chair so they knew he wasn't lying. He continued with his report. “The Supreme Chancellor has promised to personally investigate the death and disappearance. However, Buffy's previous attack on Jar Jar and the fact she carries a lightsaber makes her the chief suspect in this.” Obi-Wan looked around. The Council masters were exchanging knowing looks and nodding in agreement. He went on, “Masters, I'm very concerned at how eager the Supreme Chancellor is to smooth over the incident. His motives for doing so are highly suspicious and the Force crackles whenever he looks at Buffy. I have discussed this with her but she is adamant she won't go Darth Vader...”

“Darth Vader?” screeched Yoda, jarred out of his head rubbing. His long ears dropped and his eyes closed as he felt through the shifting currents of the Force. Around the small master the council chamber and masters faded. Held in the icy grip of a Force Vision, he watched as through the fog-like murkiness of the Force the current changed like a tide. Rolling back inside his mind, to show him a tall, helmeted figure dressed in black. He strode along carrying a red lightsaber. Deep dread filled Yoda. A blink later and the vision disappeared. Once more, the council chambers shifted into focus around him.

Aware of the young knight addressing him, he refocussed on Kenobi.

“Master Yoda, Buffy thinks Palpatine has ambitions for her to become his evil minion, Darth Vader.” Obi-Wan didn't mention the fact that whenever Buffy or Andrew said the name Darth Vader, the other one made an odd sucking noise and then started laughing. He wasn't sure what they meant by those noises. He'd never liked to ask in case it was something rude. Something that might embarrass him.

Yoda nodded, only half-listening. He was still trying to understand the confusing flash of imagery he'd received through the Force. That wasn't Buffy he'd seen. She owned a similar helmet, carried a red lightsaber and was called Lord Vader but that wasn't her. Who was it? These were dark times indeed and he sensed that it was about to become worse.

“To keep the Slayer away from Palpatine, important it is, “ replied Yoda. A Sith and a Slayer working together would not be good news. Of that, he was very certain.

“Yes, Master Yoda,” replied Obi-Wan, knowing the problem was not keeping Buffy from Palpatine, but keeping the Sith away from Buffy. However, he was feeling much better now the worst part of the report was over with.  
“I've also started my own investigations into this mystery. I have examined the body and I believe the beheading was carried out to hide evidence of the vampire's bite to the neck.  
Also, the cameras monitoring the ship show signs of being tampered with. Several minutes of important footage have vanished which might be crucial to the whereabouts of Jar Jar Binks. I have no idea at what point this was done. Perhaps Jar Jar used the Force to interrupt the system or a segment was deleted later by someone else. In an attempt to find out more I shall be pursuing a lead this evening. A security guard who monitored the system at the time of the incident. I am hoping they can tell me more.” He purposely avoiding mentioning that the 'they' he referred to was a female and he'd be hitting the night clubs of Theed trying to find her. Just in case he was on the receiving end of the masters' narrow looks again.

“What about Buffy?” asked Master Windu.

“I've left her at the palace, investigating the vampire attacks. She will be quite safe there until I return,” replied Obi-Wan, realising it was getting late in the day.  
Although he disliked leaving her in the vicinity of the Sith Lord for so long without him, it might be late before he returned. He decided to contact Buffy as soon as this meeting finished to make sure everything was going smoothly for her.

….................

The day was not going smoothly for Buffy. After leaving the palace in cheerful anticipation of a shopping trip burning plastic, she hadn't been able to find a taxi. Then, after walking what felt like miles to the nearest shops, she found that it was early closing for the festival. She'd had to dart around grabbing a few essentials before walking back to the palace dragging a mountain of bags with her. It was a good thing she was the Slayer, otherwise, she'd never had made it back with the weight of all her purchases.

She dumped everything in Obi-Wan's bedroom and showered. She changed into a sneaky, grave-yard style patrol outfit; comprising of a pair of dark, close-fitting trousers teamed with a black silky top. Happier with her change of clothes she bounced upstairs, determined to make Obi-Wan proud of her by engaging in a spot of an intensive snooping session. Otherwise known as poking her nose into other people's business.

Only to meet Miss Blue-and-Whiney, the goldfish guy's girlfriend who came prancing out of a side passageway wearing a tight black wiggle dress. Buffy stopped awkwardly. Should she simply push her way past? Or give her a nod of recognition?

During the trip from Coruscant blue-girl had made a point of being peevish to her and Obi-Wan. It had all started off with annoying comments about their Jedi robes, which Buffy ignored. But then, later when they were sat in the ship's lounge together, she'd started insulting Obi-Wan to the senators and laughing. Buffy, sat at the opposite side of the lounge with the Jedi, listening with growing anger until, finally, her control snapped. How dare she! No one messed with the Slayer's boyfriend!

She'd risen to her feet, only to be stopped by Obi-Wan. In his quiet way, he'd reasoned with her. Sending out calming vibes, before asking if it was worth causing an intergalactic incident over? Buffy wouldn't repeat the insults. She knew, underneath his stoic exterior, Obi-Wan was a shy and sensitive guy who'd take it to heart. She wasn't having him hurt or made to feel inferior, because of a mean comment made about his hair color by a girl with a bald head. Eventually, Ubi calmed her down, but Slayers don't forget in a hurry.

And now she was here again. Buffy narrowed her eyes as the woman drew closer. She supposed pushing past her would be rude. Obi-Wan was right, she shouldn't drop down to their level, no matter how much verbal provocation.

Buffy gave a small, polite nod of recognition, then moved forward. However, the woman had other plans. Instead of going on her way, she surprised Buffy by dragging her into a smothering embrace.

“Buffy!” The Twi'lek now firmly held onto the Slayer's upper arms, as she made air-kisses next to Buffy's cheeks. “Darling, we've been distraught wondering where you'd got to!” She waggled a finger under Buffy's nose. “ Naughty Lord Vader. Going off on your own like that and causing us to become frantic with worry.”

Taken aback, Buffy wrinkled her nose in confusion. “Huh? Have you? Why?” Apart from the sneering, jeering, and the back turning during the journey the woman had never shown any concern for her existence.

“Don't you remember me?” the Twi'lek pouted. “I'm Leranda Domin, the aide,” she simpered, “to the Mon Calamari senator. We met on the flight here.”

The woman laced her arm through Buffy's, trying to lead her away from the stairs and along the corridor she'd come from. Buffy dug her heels in. Literally. She wanted to find Jar Jar's room which was on one of the higher levels. Being distracted by this dimension's version of Cordelia was not on the agenda.

“Yeah, I kinda remember you,” replied Buffy flatly. “I remember you never spoke to me.” She eyed the woman. Why was she suddenly trying to be her friend? What did she want?

“Oh! That was rude of me! I was so busy with Senator Chog-Laa. Never mind, we can make up for it now. Let's have a friendly drink together and get to know one another much, much better. I'm sure we can become great friends. The Supreme Chancellor has been asking for you and I'm sure you don't want to keep him waiting.”

“Ahh, that's nice,” replied Buffy. She knew blue-girl's angle now. Leranda had seen Palpatine's interest in her and thought Buffy would be a useful contact for gossip. Buffy placed her own hand on top of the blue fingers that gripped her arm and gently tried to pry them off. The sharp, claw-like nails of her species dug deeper into the Slayer's forearm as her fierce grip increased. With anyone else it would cause pain and bruising, to the Slayer it simply caused annoyance.

“I'll have to take a rain check on that drink Lenda, as I'm... meeting someone.” Really she intended to find Jar Jar's room and see if there was a way of sneaking in and snooping through the vampire's stuff. This was going to be the best time to do it while everyone else was admiring flower displays and watching the floral parade go past. Going to the main rooms and making small talk with Sid and his cronies about pretty flowers was definitely not going to happen.

Leranda leaned forward, engulfing Buffy in the strong smell of an alien perfume that would kill a canary at fifty paces.

“It's Leranda, not Lenda. A word of advice, Lord Vader.” The Twi'lek's voice low and throaty. “The Supreme Chancellor doesn't like to be crossed, so if I were you I'd meet your lover on another day. You've been very lucky to catch Palpatine's interest which means if he asks for you, you run to his call. Not playing by the rules means you'll... disappear... from the social spectrum.”

“I'm not meeting a lover,” Buffy corrected. She used a touch of Slayer strength to pry the woman's fingers from her arm. “And I'm not in a relationship with Palpatine either.”

“That's not what the Supreme Chancellor thinks.” The woman's attitude changed again, all signs of fake friendliness disappeared and she'd reverted to condescending. “Take what he offers and be happy with your lot. You know you can't hold him.”

“I don't want to HOLD him!” squeaked Buffy. That was a horrifying thought. You'd need to be crazy and have a death wish to want a relationship with short, dark, and electro-creepy.

“Please, don't deny you haven't thought about all his money and status.” Leranda's eyes raked over Buffy, taking in her face, stature, and the outfit she'd chosen. “Looking at you... I really don't see the draw. I mean it's not as if you've much to offer anyone, let alone a man as rich and powerful as the Supreme Chancellor.”

Buffy shifted self-consciously. She'd dealt with mean girls before, but this Leranda had it down to an art form. Buffy knew her outfit, chosen for slaying, lacked in the high fashion department. She resisted the urge to touch her head to see if her ponytail was still in position. It might have been better though, if she'd visited the hairdresser before she flew out here to have her highlights redone.

Buffy set her jaw. She could handle this. Hadn't she run with alpha girls back at Hemery before the slaying got in the way? Blue-girl was bald. What did she know about hairstyling?

“I've no interest in Palpatine's money or status. As for what I have to offer... I've got talents in directions you'd never guess. Also,” Buffy flicked her eyes up and down the other woman's close-fitting dress, “unlike you, I've not reached the point where I need to go in for the heavy advertising.”

“Why you...” The Twi'lek gave a screech of displeasure and her headtails twitched in annoyance. “If you think by playing hard to get,” she hissed, “is going to make him pant after you, then know that others have tried it before you. It doesn't work with Palpatine.”

“I'm not like any of the others,” Buffy's voice was low. There was a dangerous edge to it that made the Twi'lek narrow her eyes at the smaller woman. “Sheev Palpatine might want me but I've got...” she paused, she really wanted to say good taste but, if that tingle on her senses was anything to go off, she knew being honest was dangerous. She'd been electrocuted before and it hadn't been a good experience. “I've got a destiny as a Slayer and for that reason, I can never marry him. Even if he thinks we are a One True Pairing.”

“He won't marry you!” snapped the Twil'ek. Her headtails were lashing from side to side, like an angry cat's.

Buffy made a sad face. “I know. We'll never be together as a couple. It's a shame, but sometimes you've got to put your career before relationships. You know, put your head over your heart, deny true romance, and do your best to duck and avoid cupid's arrow. That type of thing.” She'd a feeling she was overdoing it but wasn't sure when to stop.

It must have struck a nerve with blue-girl. “You're nothing special!” she snarled. “You're a passing fancy for him!”

“Are you ladies having a fight over me?” rasped a smug voice. Its owner walked out of a nearby corridor, one eyebrow raised quizzically as he regarded them both with amusement.

Buffy's eyes slid over to the Supreme Chancellor. She'd picked up on his presence partway through the conversation and guessed she was being set up. But by who? Palpatine? Was he checking up to see what she'd say behind his back? Then again, could the whole thing have been engineered by the Twi'lek and her goldfish boss in an attempt to discredit her with Palpatine? Or was Leranda more scheming than both males? Did she have Palpatine in her sights? She seemed like the type who'd follow the money and trample anyone who stood in her way.

There was a subtle undercurrent of calculation and manipulation going on here and Buffy felt as if she was walking through a minefield. If she wasn't careful and didn't watch her step, she was going to end up blown into a million pieces in this dimension.

.......


	127. Closet Conversations

"Beep!"

The comlink went off in Buffy's pocket. It echoed around the silent hallway, almost giving her a heart attack and making her cringe at her stupidity. She'd forgotten to slide the button onto silent.

Quickly slipping her hand into her pocket to stop it from beeping again, she moved out into the hallway and away from the doorway she'd been stood in front of. Now the com-link had given her presence away she needed to put a distance between herself and Jar Jar Bink's room. If someone in one of the other rooms should come out and investigate the beeping noise she didn't want to be found standing in front of the room she was trying to break into.

She purposely walked directly in the center of the corridor away from all the doors. Hopefully, if anyone looked out, they'd see her and assume she was innocently walking past, rather than lingering with devious intent. She didn't hear any noises from the rooms suggesting someone was coming to investigate, but she still continued walking down the moonlit corridor. Partway along, she glanced around once to make sure all was clear, then ducked into the cleaning supply closet and shut the door behind her.

She'd been in the corridor for far too long anyway. Lurking around Jar Jar's door, trying to imitate Obi-Wan and use the Force to open it was so not working for her. She'd waved at it that many times she thought it might cause repetitive strain injury in her wrist. The door had remained frustratingly closed. As Yoda would say, a Jedi she was not.

Inside the janitor's closet, the darkness pressed down on her, the only light coming from a chink under the door. Still, with her Slayer night vision, it was enough for Buffy to get a quick glimpse of the surroundings. It was mainly stored cleaning supplies. She stepped backward, away from the door, backing up until her calves hit a small droid. And then leaped forward, spun in mid-turn and falling instinctively in a defensive crouch as the short cleaning droid powered itself up.

“Nice vacuum cleaner,” whispered Buffy, wondering if it was going to attack her with its hose.

She'd already unhooked Mr Sparkly and held him at the ready. Would a droid attack her for being in its territory? The cleaning droid didn't move or notice its danger. It simply finished powering up and then, not receiving further input, switched itself back off again. Feeling stupid at how she'd almost slain cleaning equipment, Buffy clipped the lightsaber back onto her belt.

It was time to call Obi-Wan back.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi here.” He answered his comlink almost instantly so he must have been walking along holding it in his hand waiting for her to return his call.

“Is it?” Buffy couldn't resist teasing. “I've got the wrong number. I was trying to order a pizza.”

She could hear the familiar sound of Obi-Wan tutting to himself. It sounded as if he was in a street somewhere. There was the faint hum of speeders going past, the sound of people laughing and in the distance, she could hear music playing.

“Buffy, I'm sorry but I'm not in the mood for your jokes. I've been in every club I could find for miles looking for this Amba Kroi.” He sounded dispirited and tired. It made Buffy feel guilty. The previous night Obi-Wan had refused to sleep in the bed. He'd got a bee in his bonnet that Sid intended to break in and have his wicked way with her if he wasn't there to stop him. She'd no idea if he'd managed to get any sleep at all in a chair he'd declared to be 'adequate'.

“Can't you return to the ship and wait for this Amba there?” she asked. When Obi-Wan commed her earlier, he'd given her a quick run down on everything he'd found out so far. She knew it was important to find the crewmember, but the woman could be anywhere. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

“She's on leave. My only lead is that she's staying the night with a friend who works at the palace.” From his flat tone, Buffy could hear how dispirited he'd become since she'd last spoken to him. He'd been all excited before at having found clues. He sighed and added with his usual tenacity, “I shall keep looking. The Force is telling me I should do so.”

“Talking about the Force, I'm thinking of using a bit of force on Jar Jar's door.” Buffy leaned back against a shelf containing cleaning fluids. “I've been waving my hand at it for ages and nothing's happened. It's time to attack it with Slayer power.”

“No!” Obi-Wan panicked. “Please, don't. I'll open it later and we'll investigate together. We can't leave evidence behind that we've been in there. Not with you being a suspect.”

It was Buffy's turn to sigh. Today was not going as planned. She'd hoped to break in the Gungan's room earlier but had been thwarted by Lurking Lendy everyone's favorite twiglet. After that, Palpatine insisted she watched the floral parade with the rest of the Senators and Queen Padmé. He'd given her, what he called, the place of honor at his right hand. They'd sat, watching the parade together and to make it worse Sid kept sneaking glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Then, at one point, he'd grasped her hand possessively and stroked it. Buffy had washed it twice, trying to make sure all the germs were off. It still didn't feel clean.

And she'd yet to tell Obi-Wan how she'd accidentally gotten engaged to a Sith Lord. It wasn't something you could explain over a com-link.

“Buffy?” Obi-Wan asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice. “You haven't done, or about to do, something...” Buffy knew he'd been about to say 'stupid' and she winced. “...inappropriate, are you?”

“Er, nope. I'm all appropriate-girl. All good. Just the usual appropriate type stuff happening.” She gave a short laugh and turned the question around, hoping to distract him. “What about you? I hope you've not been hitting the brandies again and eyeing up pretty girls?”

“Indeed not!” he spluttered. “I'm a Jedi, we're not allowed...” he lowered his voice and added softly, “You're the only girl I'll ever break my vows for.”

“I'm glad,” she replied, just as softly. His words made her happy and sad at the same time. Happy he felt that way about her and also sad he was forced to break the vows he'd made to the Order. They'd still not had that important talk about what was going to happen to them in the future. Every time she tried, he changed the subject and she wasn't so insensitive that she'd push him into talking if he wasn't ready. But it wasn't something they could avoid forever.

“You'll await my return, rather than breaking the door in?”

“Okay. I'll leave his door alone.” There must be other ways of getting into the Gungan's room. She just needed to find one.

“Ah-ha!”

“Huh?” she asked, feeling confused.

“I've spotted another club in a small alleyway and it looks surprisingly busy for its location. Perhaps, I shall get lucky in there,” said Obi-Wan.

“Okay, go and break a leg,” replied Buffy.

“I sincerely hope not,” Obi-Wan sounded puzzled and affronted. She could hear him walking along the paved area and the thumping beat of the music growing louder. “What an awful thing to wish on someone.”

“Ugh, it doesn't mean that! It comes from...” she hadn't a clue where it came from. “It means, I hope you are successful. I'll speak to you later.

Buffy closed the com-link and stared ahead of her into the darkness of the closet. The pounding music had given her an idea.

…..............


	128. Force Your Way In

Buffy placed the small droid in the very centre of the hallway, switched on the power button and beat a hasty retreat along the corridor. She turned left into the next corridor and stopped. Then she moved to the end of the wall and took a cautious peek around the corner, back to where she'd left the cleaner droid.

This was one of the problems with her plan. She needed to stay out of sight until the crucial time came to make her move. If she got her timing wrong, she'd definitely be caught.  
Buffy wasn't sure what excuse she'd use for doing this. The only thing that came to mind was pretending she was drunk and saying she'd been goofing around.

Hopefully, that wouldn't happen. Obi-Wan had spent a lot of time teaching her how to increase her Force perception. She had to admit the Forcey-thing made a lot more sense to her now. Still, he could only teach her so much. A Slayer's perception of the Force was very different from a Jedi's.

Buffy watched the cleaning droid zig-zagging along the corridor, humming happily as it cleaned the floor.

“Come on, come on,” she murmured. “Please, let me have done this right.” When it came to dealing with the technology in this dimension Buffy often found herself stumped. She'd even thought the cleaner droid's basic control panel was confusing. If she hadn't pressed the correct sequence, she'd be back at square one.

Almost as if it heard her plea, the droid halted in the hallway. Lights along its control panel flashed and it emitted a series of low beeps. Then the small droid spun in a circle, turning so that it was directly in line with an apartment door, before shooting forwards with a surprising turn of speed.

Clang! The droid collided with the door. Determined to follow its programming, it reversed, and shot forward again with the same result.

“Yes!” whispered Buffy, a devious grin on her face. “Now, come on. Someone answer the door.”

She watched the droid repeatedly banging on the closed door. After what felt like ages, her Slayer hearing picked out the sound of footsteps from inside the apartment, hurrying to the door. She pulled back out of sight, listened, and felt out through the Force. This was the part where she needed to use all her senses. If she could access the apartment and then sneak out onto their balcony, she'd be able to jump over to Jar Jar's, which was next door. From there she was only a jiggle of a door lock away from searching the vampire's room.

With a soft hiss the door slid open. She listened, her heart thumping in her ears as her adrenaline kicked in.

“What the kriffing hell do you want?” A man's voice snarled from the direction of the door.

“What's going on, Goff?” came a female's voice from further inside the apartment. “Who is it?”

“It's a kriffing cleaning droid!” he replied.

“What does it want at this time? Get rid of it. And stop swearing!” the shrill female's voice called. “I've told you about your language before.”

Buffy heard the vacuum begin to hum again and she grinned. She counted down, 3, 2, 1, 0!

“Oi! Come back here! I don't want you cleaning in here at this time of night.” She heard the man turn and give chase to the droid as it shot past him into the apartment.

She risked a quick glance around the corner. Good. Her Force sense was working. No one from the other apartments had bothered coming to investigate the noise. Not their door, not their business, she guessed. That worked for her.

Buffy ran from her hiding place, down the corridor to the apartment door and stopped just outside the room. She could hear the droid in the bedroom cleaning as it was programmed. There came a loud shriek of annoyance and then the sound of something hard being thrown at it.

“Get it out! Get it out!” The woman shouted. “Switch it off and put it outside. It must have malfunctioned!”

This was it. She had to get inside or she'd lose her chance. Feeling completely exposed, Buffy ran into the room, and spotting a large chair ducked behind it. Had she been seen? There were no shouts of alarm so she guessed not. She tried to make herself as small as possible and used her Slayer ability to blend into the background.

From the direction of the bedroom came angry muttering. It sounded as if the man had cornered the cleaning droid and switched off its power button. She listened carefully and felt out through the Force. There came the sound of huffing as he carried it out the bedroom, through the living room and then out into the corridor. Buffy bit her lower lip, waiting and concentrating on not being seen, as she heard him close the door. She heard the sound of his footsteps crossing the room and then came the blessed sound of the bedroom door closing.

“Did you put it in the corridor?” she heard the muffled female voice ask. “Are you sure you switched off and it's not on stand-by?”

The man's soft assent was followed by the creak of the bed. A few minutes later she heard laughter. Buffy let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. She was in! Now for the second part of her plan.

She rose from her hiding place and tiptoed over to the pair of doors which led onto the balcony. These doors were more like the ones she knew from home. They had handles and they opened outwards. She flicked the button next to the door to release the lock, pushed open the door, and once outside, closed it behind her.

The coolness of the night hit her and she shivered. It might be summer, but here on the edge of the plateau the temperature dropped several degrees when the night drew in. Above her, three of the Nabooan moons hung in the night sky and the air was scented with smell of thousands flowers from the festival. Somewhere in the darkness a night bird whistled to its mate. Once she'd gotten her bearings, she walked over to the corner of the balcony to look at Jar Jar's apartment. The moonlight lit up the face of the accommodation building, making it easy to see what she had to deal with.

“Oh crap!” The loud expletive left her mouth without thinking and she cast a guilty look in the direction of the couple's bedroom. From the soft sounds of continuing laughter coming from in there, she didn't think they'd heard her. She looked once more to Jar Jar's apartment and measured the distance between her and it.

The apartments along this section of the accommodation block all followed the same layout of a living room and a bedroom with a refresher. Each living room boasted an attached balcony, the bedroom only a tall, non-opening window made of transparisteel. Jar Jar's bedroom was nearest to the couple's balcony not his living room. That meant the distance between the two balconies was a lot further than she'd thought it would be.  
She'd jumped across large distances in the past but she'd never done it from a standstill. Could she use her Slayer skills to make that jump? And more importantly, what would happen if she didn't make it?

She looked down, assessing the risk. The original palace of Theed was built on the edge of a plateau and over the years it had been repeatedly added to and added to. This accommodation block mimicked the palace by also following the natural terrain. So there was a drop. A drop of... she leaned over the balcony and sensed a great space. She knew she was in trouble when her Slayer night vision couldn't make out the ground. Her stomach lurched. Fighting a wave of nausea she took a step away from the edge. That must be a drop of several hundred foot or more. It would be like dropping from the Temple tower again but without the Jedi Masters being there to levitate her.

Why?

Why were there always huge drops wherever she went? Were the PTB making some kind of judgment against her? Was it because she'd been resurrected after jumping from the tower? Was this a cosmic joke? She knew what Yoda would say if he was here. Fear leads to anger. The kind of mood she was in, she'd probably prove him right by flinging him over the edge if he dared say it to her.

The only thing stopping her from walking away right now, was a small advantage that she'd never had before. And it was Obi-Wan who'd thought of it for her.

With one hand she undid one of the pockets on her Jedi utility belt and she took out the grapple hook gun. She unfolded it, locking it into firing position. Directly above Jar Jar's balcony, on the next floor, was another balcony. She took careful aim and pulled the trigger. The hook shot through the air, wrapping itself around the rail above. She tugged it and the hooks dug in. Certain she'd attached it correctly, she secured the loose end to her belt.

“Jango Fett, eat your heart out,” she said to herself. It was after her run-in with the bounty hunter that Obi-Wan suggested she copy him and start to carry one of these around with her. He claimed it would make him feel easier knowing she had it with her, but Buffy thought he'd really suggested it to try to lessen her fear of falling to her death again. She was glad he had.

Putting one foot on the balcony railing, she deftly hoisted herself up and turned so that her chest was pressed against the building.

“And now, for the scary stuff.”

Buffy stretched out her left arm, searching the wall for a handhold, then repeated the process with her left leg. The next part was going to be even worse. She took her foot off the narrow rail and moved out onto the face of the building.

“One small step for man and one giant leap for The Slayer.” Her voice sounded thin and hollow and she pulled a face. Honestly, that was pathetic. The fall from the Jedi Council tower must still be too fresh in her mind. It might be a better to leave any jokes until she had two feet on solid ground again.

Holding on to the palace wall with only her fingertips and the toes of her shoes was one of the scariest things she'd ever done. Each time she felt out for a hand or toehold she moved further away from the security of the couple's balcony and out onto barren wall. She hardly seemed to be making progress but it wasn't something she dared hurry.

Above her head, a group of large Nabooan bats flew past as she crept across the stonework. Buffy didn't look at them or let them distract her. They weren't attacking her. They seemed more interested in moths. She kept her concentration focused on where she put her hands and also her feet. Pushing fingers as deep as she could into the buildings chinks, then doing the same with the toes of her shoes.

She wanted to look down. No! She mustn't look down! Why did she have the sudden urge to look at the ground? No sooner had she thought it than she shot a quick glance downwards. Her heart skipped a beat and she went dizzy. Unbalanced, her right foot, which hadn't been in the deepest of chinks, slipped sideways. The side of her shoe skidding and scraping across the surface of the building. Her right knee hit the stonework and, a moment later, her left foot slipped too. Her fingers burned under the pressure of her weight and the grapple line bounced into her face.

The thumping of her heart rang in her ears and her mouth dried. She swallowed, but her throat seemed to have a lump in it. She almost gagged. If her fingers lost their grip...

No! She wasn't going crash into the ground!

The grapple line might be slack and slapping her in the face but it would stop her fall, eventually. She'd made sure it was securely tied and at some point it would tighten and she'd just end up dangling.

Gritting her teeth, she strained, lifting herself upwards with her fingers. Her feet searched, first one foot, and then the other gained purchase. She wasn't going to look down again, no matter how much she felt the lure. Resolutely she kept her face turned to the left, in the direction of the Gungan's windowsill.

Finally, she made it to the bedroom window. She placed both feet on the sill. Although only half her foot length wide, after clawing for toeholds, it felt like bliss to the soles of her feet.  
When her heart had stopped hammering she checked out the bedroom window. It was definitely a no-go. To enter she'd need to cut her way through with a lightsaber. After her near fall it was tempting, but Obi-Wan would complain that she shouldn't have done it and that everyone would know a lightsaber user had cut their way in.  
A cruel gust of wind came from nowhere, blowing the grapple line above her, tugging at her clothes and Buffy instinctively pressed her body as close to window as she could, trying to seek protection. Above her clouds sailed across the moons and everything suddenly became much darker and more oppressive.

She waited. Holding on and hoping the gusts would end rather than continue. Not thinking about the drop below her or the grapple line blowing but thinking about the balcony to her left. Her eyes taking in the large doors leading into his apartment. When the wind dropped, she shuffled to the end of the bedroom window, her feet still on the sill. Then, fingertips clinging into the grooves she leaned away from the wall as far as she dared.

Was that what she thought it was?

Buffy tilted her head, running her eyes over the doors. Seeing beyond her normal senses and looked into the Force. Although subconsciously she was always aware of it circling around her, yet now it felt stronger. Or was it her connection that was stronger? Is this what Obi-Wan and the rest of the Jedi saw? Everything around her appeared vivid and either affected the Force in some way or made a connection. This wasn't like a river this was more like standing under the ocean. Even the building she clung to glowed in the Force. The stone didn't produce patterns as a living organism did, but she recognised it for what it was and she also recognised something else...

The Force was showing her the Gungan's door wasn't locked properly. A smile pulled at her lips. Some clumsy idiot had slammed it shut and broken the door locking mechanism.

A flash of quiet optimism washed over Buffy. She could do this. She set off along the wall heading for the balcony and keeping up her newly found Force concentration. She even found herself closing her eyes; searching out and allowing the Force to guide her. When her hand stretched out, searching for a new handhold, the Force guided it to the right spot. When she reached out with her foot, it did much the same thing. With each step, her confidence grew. The Force flowed through her and around her. All she had to do was trust it. That and her Slayer instincts wouldn't let her down. Time seemed to slow, yet the distance she needed to travel seemed shorter. Without her fear dragging out time and draining her confidence, she reached the balcony rail far quicker than she'd thought she would.

“Wow, that was so cool,” Buffy said aloud, a smile of delight on her face as she jumped down from the rail onto the balcony. After all the climbing and clinging she'd done the area felt like a huge space. She grinned. She couldn't wait to tell Obi-Wan about this. She tugged the grapple hook free, rewound and replaced it into her belt.

Could there be someone in there?

Previously, while she'd been in the corridor pretending she was a Jedi and waving her hand at the lock, her Slaydar hadn't registered anyone inside the apartment. But now she'd thought it, she felt uneasy. Someone might have entered while she was clinging to the wall outside. Leaning against a section of wall next to the doors, Buffy took a couple of minutes to check. Searching outwards with her Slaydar senses through the Force she scanned the rooms. Only once she was positive the rooms were empty of life or the undead, did she begin to examine the doors.

They were exactly the same design as the ones in the couple's apartment next door. The only difference was the Force told her these had a problem with the locking mechanism. Buffy placed her palm over the weak point and her fingertips pressed into the joint between the doors. Then she took hold of the handle and pulled it towards her with an upward jerk. For a moment she thought the lock wouldn't give. Then, with a loud creak the door swung open.

“Yay for Slayer Power!” A smile broke on her face and she almost danced a few steps with excitement. She hadn't needed to wait for Obi-Wan's help to break into Jar Jar Bink's apartment. She'd done it all on her own.

Now, she planned on taking her time and making a full search of his rooms. That creepy, long-eared Gungan vampire had got to be hiding something...

.....

The balcony door closed behind Buffy with a soft click. Next to the transparent doors, was a control panel. She made use of it to lower the door blinds, before turning on the room lighting and taking a good look around her.

Her first impression was... disappointment. It looked like no one lived here. Not that she knew much about Gungan home décor. What did Gungan interior design even look like? Obi-Wan had mentioned underwater cities, which suggested less soft furnishings and more seaweed. Surely, even a seaweed loving Gungan would leave some sign behind that he'd lived here? Yet the place looked empty of personal items. If Jar Jar only used these rooms as a stop-off point, it wouldn't bode well for finding left-behind clues.

Buffy took in the layout. As she expected, it was exactly the same as the couple's next door and the uniformity to the apartments even extended to the furniture. There was a small sofa with a low table in front and a single padded chair, almost identical to the one she'd hidden behind next door. Against the walls a lampstand and a small cabinet containing a drawer and bare open shelving. Deciding a drawer was the most likely place you'd put anything, Buffy made her way over and slid it out. Inside lay a thick wad of papers, completely covered in handwriting. It was unusual to find handwritten papers. She'd seen some in general use, but most people she'd met used their datapad for everything. Pulling the papers out, she began to read. And frowned.

This wasn't Basic!

She flicked through the wad. They were all written in the same language, with a lot of scribbled out words and arrows pointing from one section to another. There were also a large number of side notes, written in very different handwriting. These were in Basic. They seemed to be points to bring up during speeches; problems with trade, effects of the invasion on the general population, transport, and so on.

Buffy guessed they were Jar Jar's Senate speeches. Putting the pile on the low table, she looked to the back of the drawer. It was empty. She pulled out the drawer and flipped it over. There was nothing taped to the back or underneath. Next, she pulled the entire cabinet forward, checking down the back and underneath in case anything had been hidden or fallen behind it. Again, nothing.

Undeterred, Buffy moved on, determined to do a methodical, Jedi-worthy search. She moved furniture around to see if anything had been stashed under or behind. She even examined the ceiling. She was about to move on to the bedroom when she remembered she hadn't checked the sofa.

Back in Sunnydale, her mom had found all sorts of things dropped between the sofa cushions. From plastic wrappers left by Xander to Dawn's partly eaten sandwiches. Once she'd even found a stake. Luckily, that was after she'd found out Buffy was the Slayer and not before. With this in mind, Buffy gingerly ran her hand along the crevice between the seat and the back cushion. There were a lot of crumbs, which she didn't want to think about, and then in the far right corner, the tips of her fingernails touched something. Something had worked its way down deep into the groove. She pushed her hand further, caught it with her nail and slowly eased it out.

When she looked at the orange plastic at first her hopes plummeted. It looked like a broken piece from a fast food container. But on turning it over, she realized this was a definite 'something' and not a piece of junk after all. Around the size of a credit card, it had been printed with a holo-image logo and the number 8794. It reminded her of a speeder key. Had Jar Jar lost his speeder key down the back of the sofa? Or was it a key to something else? How long had it been down the back of the sofa? Did it pre-date Jar Jar?

Deep in thought, Buffy put it into her utility belt pocket and moved on to the bedroom.

Again the noted the place was devoid of personal items, making her wonder if the Gungans were like the Jedi? Did they have a thing about not accumulating personal stuff? She'd had to nag Obi-Wan into adding a few key pieces of extra clothing to his wardrobe and he'd looked askance at her when she suggested the addition of cushions, throws, and pictures to his apartment.

Buffy searched, a frown on her face when she found nothing but a solitary cloak. Did Jar Jar Binks consider Coruscant his main home? Is this why the place felt so empty? She moved across to the bed. Getting down on one knee to look beneath it, when her Slaydar screamed out in warning. Someone is trying to get in!

Buffy darted to the control panel and switched off all the lights. Moonlight filtered in through the blinds on the large bedroom window, giving her ample light to see by. Moving back to the bed, she dropped down onto the floor and crawled beneath it. It was relatively clean, apart from a pair of long-forgotten, very old and rancid sandals. She flicked those to one side with the back of her hand and took stock of her immediate surroundings.

The space was high enough to lie comfortably in and the thin, pleated counterpane dropped to the floor on all sides concealing her. As hiding places went, it wasn't a bad one. As a defensive position, it was not so good. She wriggled forward and lifted a small section of the material at the bottom of the bed to give herself a hole to spy through. Then, worried she might be spotted by the newcomer, she shuffled backward and waited.

Was it Jar Jar? Her Slaydar didn't pinpoint their identity. It just told her that they were... dark. The Force didn't tell her anything. As far as it was concerned there was no one trying to get through the door. They must be either a Force Void or a Force user, one who was really going to town on camouflaging themselves. If they were hiding like that, it meant they knew other Force users were around and wanted to cover up what they were doing. That was definitely... interesting.

It also reminded her. Had she left any sign of being in here? Mentally she retraced her steps. She'd shut the balcony door but pulled the blind down. Would they notice? They'd probably think a cleaning droid had done it. What about the handwritten papers? Had she put them away? She couldn't remember.

The door to the living room directly faced the bottom of the bed and she'd left it open, as she'd found it. She peered through the gap in the surrounding fabric, trying to see the coffee table. It was out of sight no matter how much she twisted her neck trying to see. The only way she'd be able to find out if she'd put those papers away was by getting up and going to look.

But it was too late for second thoughts and doubts. The door opened with a soft swish, light footsteps entered the room and she heard the door close behind them. The lights went on in the living room. She heard the person moving around, out of sight. The sound of a drawer being pulled out and then the shuffle of papers. Buffy breathed an inward sigh of relief. She'd replaced those papers after all. Had they come for those? Were they more important than she'd thought?

A moment later, she heard a snort of annoyance. Followed by the loud rustling of papers being shoved back into the drawer. So...they hadn't come for the paperwork.

Buffy tilted her head sideways, straining, trying to see through the small gap. She was rewarded when a pair of shiny shoes and the hem of a long black robe came into view. A prickle ran up her spine, the fine hairs on her arms rose up and she resisted the urge to shudder. Her inner Slayer didn't like this person, although this wasn't the usual tingle she got with vampires. Was it Palpatine? Or someone else? If this was a vampire, they'd used some kind of magic, Sithy or otherwise, to muffle their presence.

Whoever they were, the muffling irritated her Slaydar. She fought back the urge to leap out and draw a weapon. She was here to gather evidence, not start a fight. Gritting her teeth, she watched the shoes of the newcomer as they searched the room. Then, the shoes turned in her direction.

Oh crap! They're coming into the bedroom!

What if they looked under the bed? Why had she hidden underneath the bed? She should have gone out onto the balcony. They were bound to search under the bed. If she dived out now, they'd see her. She'd no choice but to stay where she was. Buffy concentrated on keeping her breathing quiet and letting her presence fade even further. Please let it work.

The bedroom light came on. The shoes halted in the doorway, as the person took a look around. Buffy stared at the shoes. They looked like expensive, black leather shoes. The sort of understated shoes a male from a long line of 'old money' found comfortable to wear. She bet they weren't Jar Jar's. He had big feet and was more an open toe sandals type of guy. What about Palpatine?

Palpatine usually rocked the booted look but there'd been a ball earlier and he'd been going in an official capacity. He could have swapped his boots for shoes. In hindsight, it was a pity she hadn't gone to that ball. If she had, she'd have stood a good chance of now recognizing the shoe wearer. She always noticed shoes, especially expensive ones.

Mr Expensive Shoes walked into the bedroom and passed out of sight. Knowing he was so close and that she could be discovered at any minute, set her heart racing. She heard him open the doors on the small bedside cabinet and began searching through it. That wouldn't take long, it was empty.

What if he looked under the bed? Should she dive out? Make a run for it? How could she find somewhere else to hide without him noticing? He was only a foot or so away from her.

She physically flinched when she heard him lift the pillows and toss them down the bed. The thumping of her heart was now so loud she was surprised it didn't make a drumming noise against the floor. Buffy tilted her head upwards, trying to work out what he was doing. He was making a strange noise at the head of the bed.  
Oh! She knew what that noise was! That was the sound of his hand dragging against the wall and the headboard. It was a good hiding place. She'd forgotten to look there. Had he found anything? The pillows were thrown back and the footsteps moved over to the closet. Hangers rattled. What was it he looking for?

The closet doors clicked shut. He walked around the bed and came to a halt about half-way along. He turned, facing the bed. Was he thinking about the closet again? Or was he looking at the bed? Could he sense her? Was he even breathing? She listened, Slayer senses trying to work out if he was dead or alive when she heard him bending. His hands grasped the mattress. Oh, crap! That's too close!

Buffy squirmed away from him as the mattress lifted. As silently as she could, she slid from under the bed, using the noise of the mattress being lifted to cover any small noise she might make. Now, lying on the opposite side to him, she lay pressed to the floor hardly daring to breathe. The temptation came to make a run for it. She was too exposed lying here, but if she stayed still he might not see her. She heard the mattress drop back into place. She tensed. Ready to move.

The rustle of clothing and the faint creak of well-oiled shoe leather was heard, as he dropped to his knees by the bed. She felt out with all her senses. Now he was stretching his arm, his hand feeling the very spot where she'd just been lying. His hand made contact and something was pulled out from underneath the bed. Something of hers?

Her emotions exploded. Panic, fear, the urge to run or fight all hit her at once and she fought to keep a lid on them. What if her emotions betrayed her? Most Force users couldn't sense her, but some could. Obi-Wan had always been able to pick up her on her emotions, but she'd noticed others, Anakin and Dooku often picked up on them too. She took a steadying breath. She needed to concentrate more on hiding and less on panicking.

There came a growl of revulsion, followed by the sound of sandals being flung back under the bed. Palpatine. It had to be Palpatine and not Jar Jar. It didn't make her feel any better. She didn't want him finding her lying on the floor next to a bed. He'd only get over-excited again.

Unless... unless it wasn't Palpatine. It could be the Sith vampire, Darth Des...Desperate. She thought that was his name. The Jedi Council had told her he'd been a very powerful Sith while he was alive. He might wear nice shoes and be here checking up on the mystery of his missing Gungan apprentice.

As soon as she heard him rising to his feet, Buffy slid back into her hiding place; relying on the noise of his rising and slapping his hands against his trousers (no doubt to get the icky Gungan sandal germs off his hands), to cover her movement.

Eww! The Gungan's shoes were directly under her. Ick! One was close to her chin. It smelt of bad foot odor and smelly mud. No, she mustn't get distracted by stinky sandals. Instead, she concentrated on the intruder as he walked back into the living room. She listened to the footsteps walk to the main door. Both the living room and bedroom plunged into darkness, yet Buffy knew he hadn't left. Why was he standing in the dark? What was he doing? Had he heard her? Was he listening?

Understanding dawned. Not listening, but searching out through the Force. The intruder was using a Force ability to check the coast was clear before leaving. She reached out through the Force. Some late-night, drink party-goer was wobbling past the door. Once they'd cleared the corridor and she heard the soft swish of Jar Jar's door opening and closing, she knew she'd been right.

Buffy stayed where she was. She felt outwards, now using her Slayer abilities rather than the Force. Noted the way the presence faded. He'd gone... or had he? Was it a trap?

She continued to listen. Ears strained to catch the slightest noise. From around her came the usual small noises of the night. The sound of the building and furniture settling in the cooler night temperature and the faint humming that came from the apartment's control panel. Further off, she could hear thuds as someone moved around inside the apartment next door. From the bottom of the corridor the whine of the turbolift descending, and, from one of the rooms below her, came the faint sound of music drifting upwards.

There was still enough doubt in her mind to keep her clamped under the bed. She wasn't going anywhere. At least not for a while. Buffy knew that, whoever this intruder was, they were not only strong in the Force but also highly trained. Who was it? What did they want? She'd rather stay hidden for a while longer, with the smell of sweaty feet rising up to her nose, than emerge too early and find herself caught by the creepy person.

............


	129. Obi-Wan In the Den of Iniquity

Obi-Wan closed his comlink to Buffy, a slight frown marring his face as he did so. Really, he thought, he shouldn't worry so much. It wasn't as if she was a young padawan who'd get up to mischief while he was away. She was a mature and highly experienced Slayer with a lot of experience at fighting against the forces of darkness. No, he shouldn't worry. She was well able to look after herself.

He kept telling himself that, but his instincts were saying something very different. Why was it, over the last couple of conversations, he'd the impression she was hiding something from him? There'd been evasiveness and quick denials. An undercurrent of something he couldn't quite put his finger on that gave him a prickly feeling. Perhaps though, he was reading too much into this. She might have been distracted by something going on in the background that he wasn't able to see.

He decided there was nothing to be done about it right now, and worrying was a waste of time. Instead, he turned into the filthy alleyway and towards the bright lights of the club. His eyes took in those queueing outside. Although most appeared to be human, or near-human, there was also a good mix of other species not native to this planet. Spacers, no doubt. Looking for somewhere to pass their time and spend their credits.

Most of the line looked over at his approach. The males assessing him, while several of the females exchanged looks and giggled furtively. Did they find something about him... amusing? Drawing closer, and running his eyes over them made them giggle even more. Obi-Wan wondered if they were drunk or merely stupid. He supposed it shouldn't matter to him. None of those waiting were Amba Kroi.

Ignoring the angry hisses of outrage it caused, the Jedi walked past the line straight to the Club's entrance. He peered into the darkness, hoping to spot his target in the depths of the club. A flash of disappointment. The club had been set up so that without paying no one could see inside. Was this going to be another waste of time? He'd been to countless clubs and bars that evening and every time he'd drawn a blank. Would she be here?

Obi-Wan glanced up at the name above the door and scowled, feeling suddenly affronted. The Jedi Temple, indeed!

“Hnnk! Oi! You have to pay. Hnnk. No peeking! Hnnk.” A large porcine Gamorrean, wearing a translator on his belt and a security t-shirt that rose up over his large belly, made a grab for him.

Sensing the move, the Jedi quickly stepped away from both the guard and the doorway. The presence of the Gamorrean surprised him. Was this place such a hive of spacer scum that it needed to employ an aggressive species to contain it?

Not wishing to annoy the creature and be turned away, Obi-Wan gave him a polite bow. “My sincere apologies. However, I'm not here for alcohol, dancing or social interaction. I've come specifically for a woman...”

“Aren't we all!” yelled a joker from the line interrupting him. There was a ripple of laughter from those waiting and Obi-Wan found himself receiving a lot of appraising stares from the females in the queue.

Feeling self-conscious, Obi-Wan explained, “It's a very particular female I'm after. Concerning something that's... rather sensitive that I need her for. Not just any female will do.”

Unfortunately, his comment wasn't taken the way he hoped it would. To his dismay, the females waiting in line took it as a personal insult. The stares turned into frosty glares and there were several loud sniffs of annoyance. He heard murmurs of 'cheek!' 'who does he think he is?' and 'he's nothing special.'

“Hnnk, hnnk, hnnk,” honked the Gamorrean. “Pay first, female later. If lucky. Hnnk, hnnk, hnnk.” A trickle of white snot ran from his snout and into his mouth. The Jedi pretended not to notice when the creature's long, fat tongue came out and licked up its nostril. “Hnnk, back of the queue.”

With no other option, the Jedi walked past the sneering faces to the end of the line. Glad he'd changed out of his Jedi robes and that no one would recognize him as a real Jedi. Even if he was about to enter the 'Jedi Temple'.

…...

After handing over an eye-watering amount of credits at the door, Obi-Wan sauntered along a narrow corridor and into the darkened club. Coming to a halt in the doorway, hands-on-hips, he scanned the club to get his bearings. To his left and right were dance floors, both had seating around them. Directly in front of him, and central was the bar. Beyond that more seating, tables and further back a passageway leading to, what he presumed was another section of the club. Everywhere looked relatively clean and surprisingly well-maintained. The music in here wasn't that bad either, not overly-loud nor was it so obnoxious that...

“Hey mate! You're blocking the doorway. No one can get past you,” called out a dark-haired man, who'd walked up behind the Jedi with his group of friends.

Obi-Wan winced. He'd been caught blocking doorways again. He moved to one side and allowed those waiting to pass him. Making sure he now stood with his back to the wall, and out of everyone's way, he surveyed the club once more. This time he looked at the people. Searching for the elusive Amba Kroi.

The dress code was odd. There appeared to be a lot of people wearing only their underwear. A large proportion of the clientele appeared to be wearing nothing more than strips of leather with chains attached. Also, a lot of the underwear and accessories were created from unusual materials, such as feathers, tassels, and... A large man walked past him, clad only in a strategically placed fur patch that barely covered his credentials.

Obi-Wan blushed furiously. Mentally cursing his red hair, his fair complexion and his propensity to turn fiery red at the slightest provocation. Cursing the fact nakedness and people flaunting their sexuality made something curl up with shame inside him. Was it...? Was it because he was a Jedi? Was it because growing up he'd been constantly told he wasn't allowed any? But Quinlan was a Jedi, and this sort of thing never seemed to bother him. If Quin were here, he'd no doubt the Kiffar would just grin and carry on without being the slightest bit fazed. Why couldn't he be the same?  
A Jedi knight should not be so emotional that he became embarrassed like this. Especially one who'd broken the rules and had a secret girlfriend. Things like people flaunting their sexuality, and showing off their undergarments, and...their leather, and their fur and feather collections, should no longer bother him.

Yet it still did.

Trying not to make eye contact, or look at anything below shoulder level, Obi-Wan walked further into the club. There were more human females here than he'd first thought. He carefully compared each one of them to the picture of Amba Kroi. Some of the women stared back in curiosity, whilst others glared at him. Once he'd verified they weren't the Valiant crewmember, he ignored them.

There! She was there!

Amba Kroi stood at the far side of the club, her striking magenta colored hair standing out like a beacon even in the club's low lighting. She wore a long black coat over an outfit of black leather and thigh-high boots that exaggerated her height. Her arm was wrapped around the waist of a man. Obi-Wan noted he was one of the oddly-dressed males. The ones who wore only black silk shorts and a collar and chain around their necks. As he watched, they turned away from the dance floor and headed towards the seating at the rear of the club.

After all the trouble he'd been to in trying to locate her, Obi-Wan was determined not to lose her. The shortest route to where they were headed was straight across the dance floor. Obi-Wan pushed his way through the gyrating crowd. Eyes fixed on Amba, oblivious to the angry mutters and curses directed at him as he walked through dancing groups and pairings. He mustn't lose her. A group of Gungan's were in his way, long ears flapping as they danced to the music. The Jedi pushed his way through them and came face to face with a Rodian female. She wriggled her nose and made a grab for him. Obi-Wan sidestepped and continued. No looking behind him. No distractions. No time for apologies. Not now. Not when he was so close to his target. A Bothan male gave him a narrow-eyed look as he brushed up against him on his way past. Obi-Wan hardly noticed his existence, his eyes only on the Valiant crewmember. If he could only speak to Amba. He felt sure she'd have important information regarding Jar Jar's disappearance. She'd been the one on duty that morning. She was the key to this. What about the glitch on the recordings? Why hadn't she logged it? She must have some vital clue that would point to the real criminal. Anything, anything at all to help prove Buffy's innocence.

Leaving the dancers behind, Obi-Wan walked up a short flight of steps. He was so close to her now. If they were heading to their table, he'd be able to question her there. His hopes rose. Only to see Amba and her companion bypass the tables and turn left, disappearing into the passageway.  
Mustn't lose them. Hurrying to the passage, he saw them at the bottom going through a set of doors. Was this another exit? If she left the club he might lose her. Turning into the passage he all but ran for the doors.

“Whoa! Where do you think you're going?” A muscular, scar cheeked human stepped in front of him blocking his path. Closely followed by yet another Gamorrean male, tiny eyes regarding him with suspicion and contempt. Scar Cheek raised a questioning eyebrow.

The Force warned Obi-Wan that both males were bored and there was an undercurrent of barely restrained violence. They wanted a fight. Obi-Wan's eyes dropped to the electro prods clipped to their belts.

He didn't have time for this now! He was going to lose her!

Striving to keep any hint of irritation from his voice, Obi-Wan calmly replied, “I'm following the tall human female who left this way with the man wearing a collar around his neck. I mean neither of them any harm.”

The two security guards stared at him, unmoving.

“I don't want her to leave the club without speaking to me. I simply need her company for a very short time. Minutes only. Then we can both go our separate ways.”

Scar cheek laughed. The Gamorrean's snout moved up and down as he grunted. It appeared his comment amused them.

Exasperated, the Jedi added, “I believe the woman is Amba Kroi. Someone who has urgent information for me.” Obi-Wan explained. “Now, if I might pass?”

“Relax, you ain't gonna miss her. There's no exit that way. It's private rooms only.” Scar cheek's hand touched the top of the electro prod. “If you want her, you'll need to wait until she comes back out.” The man jerked his head upwards towards a sign above the door. “As the sign says, no singles beyond this point. It's couples and groups only through here.” The Jedi noted Scar Cheek's hand lingered, hopefully, on the electro prod handle. “If you plan on coming through here again, make sure you bring company.”

Looking up at the sign, Obi-wan frowned. In his haste to follow her, he'd neglected to read the notice over the door. “I don't see why you don't allow a single...” his voice trailed off, as he read the sign.

Pleasure Rooms

Obi-Wan stared blankly at the name. When he'd finished reading the part which explained what they were used for, the all too familiar and betraying flush traveled up his neck and to his cheeks. He knew now why he wasn't supposed to follow the couple into that area. Knowing the two guards were watching him and seeing his humiliation, wasn't helping him re-find his Jedi calm. He thought if he got any hotter under the collar, he'd spontaneously combust.

He started to back away. Away from the club's security and away from the rooms.

“Er, thank you. I shall speak to Amba later. When she has finished doing... later.” With those parting words, Obi-Wan spun on his heel and rushed from the corridor. His focus now on the bar. He needed a drink. Something strong. Spirits. Brandy. Doubles. Possibly two. Maybe even three.

Kriffing hell! No wonder he'd felt so uncomfortable in this club. The Force had warned him. The evidence had been everywhere he looked. Why hadn't he realized?  
Sithspit! He should have realised. But, he'd been so engrossed in hunting for the Valiant crewmember he'd ignored the warning signs. Throwing himself down on a stool at the bar, Obi-Wan rubbed a hand across his forehead and through his hair.

“Brandy, a double,” he ordered, passing over credits. When the horned Devaronian bartender placed the drink in front of him, Obi-Wan knocked the drink back in one gulp and waved for a refill

He decided he would never, ever, tell Quinlan Vos that he'd wandered into this place without knowing what it was. The Kiffar knight would never let him live it down. In fact, the only good thing about this whole thing was that no one in here knew him, or suspected he was a Jedi knight.

As for having been in here...

That was one detail he'd definitely leave out of his next Jedi High Council report. He didn't think he'd mention to Buffy that he'd found Amba Kroi in a sex club either.

…..........................................................

Obi-Wan Kenobi sat at the bar sipping his third, or fourth, brandy. The first had been a double, the second one might have been as well. He'd lost count. But the number didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that he'd pinned his contact down to one location. There was only one exit and there was no way the Valiant crew member could leave without being seen.

Without looking around, he was aware of the club filling up. The currents in the Force swirled with the energies of so many different species. People came to the bar, ordered drinks and looked over at him curiously. The Jedi ignored them. His focus on the rear of the club. His intent, finding and questioning Amba Kroi.

“Hnnk hnk? Want to dance with me? Hnnk”

Surprised at the interruption, Obi-Wan turned to look in the direction of the snorting. His eyes widened. He'd assumed the large Gamorrean sow had come over to order a drink, but she was smiling at him. Reddened lips pulled back to reveal the full length of her four tusks

“Huh?” he asked without thinking, then winced. He'd got that from Buffy. The sow's translator wouldn't be able to interpret it. “Sorry, I'm waiting for someone.”

The sow gave a low squeal of impatience. She tossed her head; throwing a mane of long, coarse blonde hair over her light green shoulder, before eyeing him once more. Instead of taking his words as a rebuff, she leaned in closer to the Jedi. Tusks jutting from her bottom jaw only inches from his face. Snout wrinkling, she sniffed his face and hair. Catching his eye, she dropped an eyelid in a seductive wink. False eyelashes fluttered. There was a flash of red, sparkling eyeshadow.

Horrified, Obi-Wan grabbed his drink from the counter and took a fast gulp. A Gamorrean sow found him attractive. What should he do? How could he get rid of her? They were known to be very stubborn. He was out of his depth. This type of training hadn't been available to him as a padawan. It wasn't the sort of thing you researched in the Jedi Archives either. What would Qui-Gon do?

“Er, I'm waiting for someone,” he repeated, “she will be here soon.” He looked to the front of him and not towards her. Not only was she wearing red eyeshadow and a set of false eyelashes, but she'd strapped red fur patches onto her ample chest.

“Hnnk, I'm female. Hnnk. I think I'm the one you've been waiting for. Hnnk.” She leaned over him once more, pressing a large mammary gland onto his shoulder. The strong perfume she used along with her natural pheromones made his eyes water. Obi-Wan gulped his brandy. Nearly choking as the fiery liquid went down the wrong way. Coughing to clear his airways. Her tusks were almost grazing his cheeks, fake eyelashes fluttered, and a hand three times the size of his own reached out to stroke his hair. He coughed again, covering his mouth, Struggling to get his breath.

“Hnnk, You have lovely hair. Hnnk,” she snorted coyly. She seemed to think his coughing was some sort of turned-on snorting.

Obi-Wan dragged in a large breath. It was like drowning. Fighting for his breath through cheap perfume, pheromones, and the brandy on his lungs. Then he froze, as the sow's fingers touched his chin and pulled his head towards her.

“Hnnk, want to get to know each other better? Hnnk! In pleasure rooms? Hnnk!”

“No!” The word came out as a choked gargle. The Jedi covered his mouth and coughed once more. “I mean, thank you, but no,” he said hoarsely. “It's a specific human girl I'm after.”

Through the Force, he felt the Gamorrean's disappointment followed by a strong sensation of stubbornness. She wasn't going away. Obi-Wan could sense how determined she was. Oh, for Force sake, go away! There was only one way to deal with this. No doubt Master Qui-Gon Jinn would do the same.

He waved his hand in her face. “You will leave me alone.”

And then he turned his back firmly on her and refused to look at her again. Even though he knew she stood watching him for what felt like a long while. Eventually, she flounced off. The floor bouncing under her pounding steps and Obi-Wan let out a long sigh of relief. When he lifted his glass to his mouth he was surprised to find it empty. He raised the container into the air, gesturing for the bartender to bring him another. He might as well, he needed it.

As Obi-Wan sipped his, whatever number of drink it was, he became aware he was the focus of someone else's scrutiny. He didn't look in their direction. Obi-Wan knew he'd caught several people's attention since coming in here. He'd ignored them all and their fickle interest inevitably moved on to someone else. His focus remained firmly on the other side of the club, hoping Amba Kroi would emerge soon.

“Hnnk! Oi, human! Hnnk!” It was the large Gamorrean boar wearing the security t-shirt from outside the club. He lumbered towards the Jedi squealing angrily. The sounds causing those around him to stare warily, before edging away.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't need this. Not now. Why couldn't they all go away and leave him alone? Opening his eyes, he fixed a polite expression to his face and turned in his seat. “Is there a problem?”

Anger pouring from him, the boar loomed over him, snorting so much the translator on his belt could hardly translate the noises into Basic. “Hnnnnk! You! You cause trouble before! What's wrong with my, hnnk, litter sister? Hnnk!”

“I don't know, what's wrong with your litter sister?” Obi-Wan asked, nonplussed. Was this a game? Bait the human? Ah... The Gamorrean sow who'd come over. She must be the sister.

The boar shoved his face into the Jedi's. Four yellow-stained tusks jutting from his lower jaw pushed into Obi-Wan's face. “Hnnk, Trying to be funny? Hnnk!” Foul-smelling breath washed over him. Obi-Wan tried not to breathe and shook his head.

“Hnnnk, Oga is at the door, hnnk, crying. Says you refused her. Hnnk, Waved your hand at her and told her to go away. Hnnnk. Not good enough for you? Hnnk.”

“I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to cause offense,” replied Obi-Wan, hoping to pacify him. He wondered why his Force persuasion hadn't worked? Had her determination over-rode it? Or had he not put enough intent behind it? This was unfortunate. He might be thrown out of the club for this and so close to reaching his target too.

The boar snorted, still angry despite the apology.

“Your sister is a very attractive sow,” Obi-Wan began, then paused, at a complete loss of what to say. Normally, he'd have excused himself as being a Jedi, but he was in disguise. Think... think...  
“Er, I'm married. Yes, I'm married, that's it. I've got a... sow of my own and she won't allow me to look at other sows.”

The boar's snout wrinkled up and down, small eyes distrustful.

The explanation needed something else... What did Gamorrean's boars admire in their mates? Ah yes, violence. Warming up to the topic, Obi-Wan continued, “If Buffy thought I'd gone off with another sow she'd become insane with jealousy. No doubt she'd beat and kick me until I was half-dead from injuries and the pain. My life would not be worth living. Hence, I had to refuse your sister's advances.”

Some of the righteous anger fell from the boar's face as he slowly translated the Jedi's explanation. He moved back, foul breath no longer in Obi-Wan's face. But suspicion still lingered. “Hnnnk, Married? Why you here then? Hnnk.”

“I'm waiting to speak to someone. Nothing more. I won't be using the... er, back rooms.” Obi-Wan nodded firmly. He didn't want to go near them again, never mind use them.

“Hnnk, knew you a troublemaker when first, hnnk, saw you. Any more trouble and out! Hnnk!” The boar turned and stomped off. And Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief.

…..

Someone sat on the barstool next to him. Obi-Wan ignored them. He didn't feel any anger or danger from them so he'd obviously not insulted their sister. Perhaps they only wanted a quiet drink.

“Hey,” growled a deep, masculine voice.

So much for the quiet drink.

Obi-Wan flicked a glance across, nodded, and turned back to watching the passageway. His new neighbor was a middle-aged Bothan male. The Force suggested he was a spacer. Obi-Wan's eyes told him he was a spacer who favored skin-tight, pink spandex underwear. The Jedi thought it looked odd against the Bothan's dark fur, but wasn't one to judge someone on their fashion sense.

“Don't tell me, that's a Corellian Brandy.” The Bothan gestured to Obi-Wan's drink and gave him a pleasant if wolfish grin.

“Yes, my preference.” Obi-Wan's head lifted as he watched a couple emerge from the corridor. Not the ones he was waiting for. How much longer was Amba going to be in there? This place made him uncomfortable. To his right, he could sense the sow, Oga. She kept looking over at him. The Force told him she was pining for his company. Obi-Wan didn't dare look in her direction in case he met her eye. Quin would be in hysterics if he knew a Gamorrean female found him attractive.

“Are you not going to dance again?” The Bothan asked, out the blue.

Obi-Wan's brow creased. He shot him a confused look.

One of the Bothan's long ears flicked forward, while the other drooped down. It probably passed as an ingratiating expression in his species. He smiled. Lips drawing back revealing long fangs. The upper right canine broke off near the tip. “You were on the dance floor before. You bumped into me.”

“I'm afraid, I can't remember,” Obi-Wan replied tiredly. He wished the creature would go away and leave him in peace. As he reached for his brandy, a large hairy hand dropped over his, half clasping and half pinning it to the bar counter. The hooked thumb began stroking his fingers in what was an intimate and suggestive way. The Jedi froze.

“You rubbed your body up against mine on the dance floor,” growled the male. “Wanna do it again? We can go somewhere more private?”

“WHAT!? NO!” Obi-Wan ripped his hand away. “I'm waiting for someone. A female.”

“Ugh! No need to be like that,” grumbled the Bothan. “If you change your mind, I'll be sat right here. I'm not going anywhere.” He leaned over, sniffed, and then continued with a sly grin, “You can be my female if you want. With you being so pretty and your hair so soft and fluffy.”

“No, thank you.” He was never going to use Buffy's conditioner again. His hair was getting far too much unwanted attention.

Waving a hand at the Bothan and drawing on the Force, Obi-Wan said, “You will go home. It is no fun in here any more.”

“I might go home,” said the Bothan, rising to his feet. He began shuffling away. “It's not much fun in here any more.”

“I don't blame you,” muttered Obi-Wan, brandy glass now held to his lips. When the male was out of hearing distance he added, “I'd leave as well if I could.”

He hoped Amba Kroi and the man weren't planning on spending the night together. He wasn't sure how he'd cope for that length of time. First a Gamorrean sow, now a Bothan male. In fact, this was the sort of prank Quin would enjoy pulling on his friend. Obi-Wan could almost hear his hysterical laughter at his expense. His eyes narrowed and he looked around him. Feeling out with the Force as he searched for another Force user nearby. He couldn't sense anyone, although if it were Quinlan he'd be hiding and watching from a distance.

“Hi there, are you..” came a voice from behind him.

“No!” snapped Obi-Wan exasperated. What sort of weird creature would this be? “I am NOT interested...”

His words died away, as he turned to look into a pair of large, brown eyes fringed with dark lashes. Eyes belonging to a young and pretty human girl with tanned skin, and waist-length ebony hair. Obi-Wan could see nothing strange about her, apart from her clothes, which was a relief.

She wore a 'v' necked feathered collar that was part of an equally feathery bra top. The Jedi didn't allow his eyes to drop further, as he'd already seen more than enough, but he got the impression she wore something short and feathery. The feathers on her 'collar' fluffed up in the air currents and Obi-wan found his eyes drawn to them.

“Er, I'm sorry about that,” he said, once he'd regained his composure. “I thought you were someone who was being rather a nuisance.” Obi-Wan took in the girl's hopeful expression. “I'm afraid, I'm waiting for someone.”

A flash of hurt and disappointment crossed her face.

“You're very pretty,” said Obi-Wan with a warm smile, not wanting to upset her. Thank the Force, one of those who'd approached him tonight was the same species as him. He was beginning to think there was something wrong with him. “Honestly, I'm waiting for someone. It isn't because...”

He broke off as a movement caught his eye. Jumping to his feet, he slid past the dark-haired girl and made his way to the end of the bar. His eyes on the magenta-haired woman walking out the corridor. The man was still with her. They paused, the man touched her arm and spoke, she leaned in to kiss his cheek, and then he walked away. Amba remained where she was, looking around the club, searching for someone.

“Oh, that's my friend Amba. Do you two know each other?” asked the dark-haired girl. She'd followed the Jedi and was now stood alongside him.

Obi-Wan slanted her a glance. Had the Force engineered their meeting? “I need to speak to Amba urgently. Can you introduce us?”

“Sure. We can all have a drink together. I'm Kimbli.” Feather girl waved to her friend and then stroked the feathers back into place on her bra, looking at the Jedi from under her lashes as she did so. “And you're...?”

“Obi-Wan,” he replied, staring at her feathers. He jerked his head away and back to watch his quarry. Amba was walking across the club towards him. The long hooded dark coat she wore billowing out behind her, emphasizing the way the rest of her outfit hugged her slim figure. He noticed the lacing of garters above her boots, the way the black shorts clung to her body, how the leather harness criss-crossed over the bare skin of her stomach and up to her leather studded bra.

It was an interesting outfit. He liked it. However, it was lacking something. It needed accessorizing. It needed... weaponry. Stakes should be in the garters, a blaster strapped to a holster on her hip and two lightsabers dangling from each side of a belt. One of which should be sparkly and the other smokey.

Obi-Wan blinked, then gave himself an inward shake. He'd been thinking of Buffy wearing that outfit. Now was not the time. He needed to concentrate on the here and the now. It was not the time to fantasize over Buffy's slaying outfits. That he'd even done so suggested he'd drunk too much alcohol. The task was at hand. It was time to focus.

Amba smirked at him and then Kimbli. “Made a friend have you, Kimbli?”

Kimbli sighed loudly. “He likes you, Amba. This is Obi-Wan. I'll get a drink while you two get to know each other. Want a drink, Obi-Wan?” At his polite refusal, she turned for the bar.


	130. Obi-Wan & The Jedi Groupies

He'd found her! Obi-Wan found himself staring at Amba Kroi wordlessly. Finally, after all those clubs he'd been in and the long wait, she was here. He had so many questions that needed answering. Why hadn't she logged the disruptions in the security camera recordings? Had she seen anything odd on any of the footage? Would he find out anything new? The Force wanted him to find her. He felt sure about that. She must be important if the Force...

Her lip curled. “You're not my type.” Looking away from him, as if to find someone more interesting.

Obi-Wan cringed. All his excitement at finding her and then being dismissed without him having spoken a word. It wasn't the first time he'd had this reaction and not just from girls either. He'd never been anything special. Not even at the Temple. People looked at him and thought he was a nerd. It was sort of... depressing.  
Buffy was relying on him though. Buffy didn't think he was a nerd. A faint smirk made his lips quirk. Far from it. And Amba Kroi wasn't his type either. He preferred small, blonde, and feisty to big, bold, and blatant. This was only a job. She didn't need to like him to provide answers.

Obi-Wan straightened, and put social awkwardness to one side. “Amba, I only wish to ask you a couple of questions regarding your work on the Valiant and specifically your...”

That got her attention.“Whoa, you're weird! I don't like you and I'm not answering questions about the Valiant! You must be sick in the head if you...”

“You are very happy to be with me.”Obi-Wan pronounced each word clearly and slowly. Using the full extent of his Force ability to drive the words into her head. “You want to talk to me, and will answer truthfully.” This was important. This was needed. Aware that Kimbli wasn't that far from them, he used the smallest of hand gestures to accompany his words.

Amba blinked slowly. A smile crept to her lips and she slid over to him. Too close. “I'm happy to meet you, Obi-Wan.” One hand on the Jedi's chest, her other landing on the cheek of his bottom. “Let's go to the rooms in the back where we can...” she squeezed and Obi-Wan jumped away as if he'd been scalded.

“NO!”

She closed the gap he'd made between them. Pouting, winding her hands into his clothing. Fingers threading into the loops on his waistband. Almost frantic with her need to pull him against her.

Obi-Wan untangled her fingers. Pushed away hands. He might have overdone the Force persuasion. “Stop that at once! We need to talk. No hands! And no... pressing of bodies!”

She batted her eyelashes at him. “Yeah, talk away. I'll listen. I like how your eyebrows come together when you're cross. It's cute. I love your hair. It looks soft and well-conditioned. I really want to play with your hair. Oh Obi-Wan, let me run my fingers through your hair. All of your hair.” She launched herself onto him once more.

“NO!” Grimly, Obi-Wan fended her off. Grabbing her hands and holding them down in front of him. It was the only way to stop further molestation. He was thankful Qui-Gon wasn't here to see what a predicament he'd gotten himself in to. There'd be a long lecture later over his use of Force persuasion no doubt. Even if Qui-Gon wasn't averse to using it himself on occasion.

Kimbli turned towards them, holding two drinks. She stood, feathers wafting around her, watching their antics curiously. Feeling self-conscious, Obi-Wan released Amba's hands. Then took a quick step away from her. Hopefully, he was now out of groping distance.

When Kimbli passed her friend her drink, Obi-Wan's reaction was one of relief. Now, he'd only the one wandering hand to worry about.

“Amba, I need to ask about your shift this morning while you were on board the Valiant.”

“Do you?” She might have been holding a drink but that didn't stop her free hand from reaching out and trying to touch his inner thigh. Obi-wan grabbed the straying hand and kept hold of it. Kimbli giggled.

“I need you to tell me if the ship's surveillance cameras were working correctly between 8 am and 8.30 am in the location around F corridor?”

Amba took a sip from the tall glass and sulked.

“Amba?” he pressed.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm thinking. Give a girl a minute. It's been a long day.” She took another drink and he waited. Letting go of her hand and hoping he wouldn't be groped again.

“Yeah, they were fine. I know because old Palpy wanted to see them from that same area and time. I checked them myself before sending them to him.”

“There was no interference on any of the camera recordings around that time or in the vicinity? You are quite positive about that?” Obi-Wan held his breath until she nodded. Oh, this was interesting! “Did the cameras pick anyone up in that vicinity during those times?”

“No one who shouldn't have been.” She grinned at him, reaching out to trace a finger along his collar bone. Obi-Wan gritted his teeth.

“Are we all going to go in the back together?” asked Kimbli, perkily.

Obi-Wan jerked his head to where she sat waiting for them. “NO!” He pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd a headache starting. Maybe through the alcohol, the lack of sleep, over-use of Force persuasion or the stress.

He turned back to Amba. The crease appearing between his brows as he thought over the words she used. “You said, no one who shouldn't have been. Who was in the corridor between those times?”

Amba shrugged, sipped her drink. “Just the Idiot.”

Obi-Wan tensed. “The idiot? What idiot?”

“Ugh, the Idiot.” She waved her hand in dismissal and her lip curled. “The crew call him the Idiot. That crazy Gungan, Jar Jar. Last time he was on board he somehow got his hand stuck in the hyperdrive and blew it. The ship had to make an emergency landing on one of the Bogden moons. They found a replacement part, but then the Idiot sat on the new part and broke it before it could be installed.” She scowled at the memory. “We ended up stranded there for three days!”

“Did he now?” A damaged hyperdrive? Didn't that sound familiar. The location of this emergency stop-off was also interesting.

Jango Fett had told Buffy that he'd met his client and received his instructions for Buffy's capture from that location. With everything going on at the time, Obi-Wan had dismissed the information as worthless, but it seemed the bounty hunter had told her the truth. If Jar Jar was the Sith Vampire's apprentice, as they thought, it was highly likely the emergency landing had been purposely caused in order for the Gungan to go off and meet Fett.

Rubbing his chin as he thought this over, he asked, “The Idiot, I mean Jar Jar Binks. He was on his own in the main corridor near his room between 8 am and 8-30 am?

Amba didn't answer. Her attention on two men walking towards the bar, casting appreciative looks over in her direction.

Obi-Wan sighed with exasperation. He moved to his left, blocking her view of the spacers. “Was anyone with Jar Jar?”

“He was on his own! No one likes him.”

It didn't surprise Obi-Wan. So the Gungan vampire had been alone when he left his cabin. Where had he gone from there? How did he get off the ship?

“Did any alarms go off?” Obi-Wan asked. “Were any airlocks breached?”

She shook her head. “No. A breach of the airlocks would set off alarms all over the ship. It's not something anyone would miss.”

“Oh.” The crease between his eyes deepened as he stroked his upper lip. This was truly a puzzle.

Obi-Wan went back over the information and evidence. Jar Jar had drained the guard of blood, beheaded him, and then left his cabin. He'd not only vanished from the ship but somehow deleted the footage showing him in the corridors. How? Amba claimed the original footage from that time showed no gaps or interference. The recordings had gone directly to Palpatine. That could only mean the Sith deleted the sections showing Jar Jar and replaced the originals with the new amended recordings. He was covering up for the vampire. Why? What was his motive? Had he helped him to leave the ship?

“Do you have any idea where the Gungan went?” asked Obi-Wan loudly. The Valiant crewmember had begun dancing in circles in front of him. It seemed they were playing one of her favorite tracks. One that she just had to dance to. Obi-Wan barely suppressed an eye roll.

“Hmm?” Amba asked. Eyes closed and lips mouthing the words as she sang softly to herself

“Do you have any idea...” began the Jedi.

The woman's eyes opened. She stopped dancing and grinned slyly. “Oh, I've got plenty of ideas.” Sliding up against him, wrapping her leg around him, both hands on his chest. “Let's go to the back of the club, where I can show you some of them.”

Obi-Wan pulled her off him. The pounding in his head was coming back. “NO! Absolutely not.”

Amba sulked and her friend Kimbli began to giggle again. “The Gungan,” Obi-Wan repeated. “What part of the ship did you last see him in?”

Amba tutted. “Is he all you can talk of? He probably went to his escape pod. It flew to the opposite side of the planet to our landing site.”

“What?”

“Yeah, he'd all the codes and co-ordinates to make an official departure. I knew nothing about it until I saw the information for the take-off flash up on the screen. Palpatine knows all the details. They were sent to him as soon as he requested them.”

“The Supreme Chancellor knew the Gungan used an escape pod to leave the ship?” This was interesting. So very, very, interesting. No wonder the Force wanted him to seek this woman out.

“He requested all the logs and security details before disembarking.” She frowned. “He says too many mistakes are being made and he likes checking everything. I think he's a control freak.”

Obi-Wan eyes lit up. The Jedi Council would be very interested to hear this. The Sith Lord had claimed to know nothing of Jar Jar's plans. He'd even suggested Buffy had killed the guard and disposed of Jar Jar's body. Then made a point of saying he'd cover up the guard's murder for her. He was playing a deep game. This must be a twisted Sith plan to gain leverage over her and gain her trust. A flash of burning hatred for the Sith went through Obi-Wan. It wasn't linked to the Dark Side. It was simply the urge of a Jedi to eradicate evil from the galaxy. At least, that's what Obi-Wan told himself.

“I checked with security and the ship's records. There's no record of an escape pod being launched,” he told her. Curious to see what she'd say to this information.

Amba shrugged once more. “I've no idea why not. I did my job. Look, I don't want to talk about work. I'm on leave. I want to have fun. Let's go to the back rooms and we can start enjoying ourselves.”

“No. You don't want to stay here. You want to go home now.” The Jedi wriggled his fingers at her. She was annoying, but he'd feel better if she was away from this den of iniquity. “I've had enough, myself,” he muttered, half to himself. “The sooner I get back to the speeder and return to my lodgings the better.”

Amba tossed back the remains of her drink, banged the glass down on the bar, and turned to Kimbli. “We've got a ride with Obi-Wan.”

“Wait!” exclaimed the Jedi, flustered. “I never said I'd...”

“That'll be fun,” broke in Kimbli, sliding from the stool she'd perched on. She grabbed Obi-Wan's left arm and Amba grabbed his right.

“Take us home, Obi-Wan,” they both chimed in chorus at him.

“Amba is staying at the palace with me,” smirked Kimbli. “It isn't far. Not for a guy with a speeder.”

The Valiant crewmember tugged on his arm, leaning in, and whispering, “Kimbli's room is in the old torture section of the dungeon. We can show you lots of interesting stuff that's been left behind. We've had a lot of fun with it already.”

A chill ran up Obi-Wan's spine. Sweat broke out on his forehead and the pounding in his head increased. In his mind, he could hear Qui-Gon lecturing him about the misuse and overuse of Force persuasion. He'd told him to use the ability carefully and sparingly. That bad things happened to those who used it on others without caution.

He must have overdone it. Somehow it had gone beyond a willingness to answer questions and changed into something else. In his eagerness for answers, he'd done something wrong.

This was bad. This was very bad. How could he undo his mistake? And more importantly, how would he escape?


	131. Girlfriend

'It had been one crappy day.' Buffy stared at the underside of the bunk above her, mind refusing to switch off and allowing her to fall asleep. Instead, it bounced from one cringe-worthy event to another. Insisting on replaying all the worst parts over and over again on a continuous loop. She still wasn't sure which part had been the worst. Accused of murder at breakfast, accidentally getting engaged to Palpatine at lunchtime, and after supper, there'd been the wall of death, followed by almost discovery under the bed by an unknown Sith.  
On the bright side, she hadn't broken rule number one. Not dying was always a positive. And there were no impending apocalypses she needed to stop this week, so that was also a good thing. Just the Sith. Known and unknown. Dead and undead. Those who lusted after her body and those who lusted for her blood.

After the mystery Sith had left Jar Jar's, she'd stayed under the bed slowly being poisoned by Gungan shoe fumes. When she'd finally moved, she'd used her newly found Force skill and Slayer skill to check the coast was clear before emerging from the apartment. Then did a series of ninja darts down the corridors, in case the creepzoid had managed to hide and was waiting to leap out on her.

Buffy turned over. There was an alien snoring in the next room. Every so often it made a weird whistling through its nose. It wasn't a loud noise or even an irritating one, but she kept listening, waiting for the whistling.  
Her pillow wasn't all that comfortable either. Buffy sat up, gave the pillow a vigorous shake, and turned it over. Palpatine had nicer pillows on his bed. It was a pity she hadn't been able to swap them over while she'd had the chance. The alien's snoring whistle came again. She groaned and pulled the covers over her head. Then pushed them back down again as she became over-heated. She wasn't going to get any sleep at this rate.

Obi-Wan's absence bothered her. She was trying to pretend it wasn't but it was. He hadn't called her with an update since he'd found the promising club and that had been ages ago. Had he found his contact? Should she call him? Would that be too much like a suspicious girlfriend checking up on her guy call? Not that she was a suspicious girlfriend. This was Obi-Wan, after all. But what if something had gone wrong? No, Ubi was a Jedi, he could take care of himself. On the other hand he was a bit naïve, especially when it came to the supernatural stuff.  
Maybe, she should dress and do a quick vamp patrol? But she didn't know the area he was in. Why hadn't she asked him? She should have asked him. He might be being murdered right now and she wouldn't know until it was too late.

Somewhere, on the level above, the main door opened. Buffy stopped fidgeting and listened. That had better not be short, dark, and creepy. All she needed to round off the day was Sid sneaking down here, trying to persuade her to re-join him in the dark side of his very comfortable bed. He might have planted the whistling alien and the uncomfortable pillows here on purpose to drive her insane. It could all be part of his devious plan for galactic domination.  
Well, she wasn't unprepared if he decided to visit. She'd stashed weapons all around the room in case of emergency.

The stairs to this level were almost right outside the bedroom door and Buffy didn't need Slayer hearing to recognize the sound of high heels coming down the stairs. There was a feminine shriek of alarm, followed by a loud clatter as someone fell down the last few steps. Buffy winced with sympathy. High heels, too much alcohol, and a steep set of stairs were a recipe for disaster in any dimension. Buffy turned over and faced the door. Were they badly hurt? Should she offer help?

A squeal of laughter echoed around the corridor, followed by another woman's high pitched giggles. That didn't sound like a serious injury. They'd probably been to a bar somewhere and were coming back to their room. Buffy felt a wave of envy at their carefree existence. Being the Slayer really sucked all the fun out of life.

“Obi-Wan!” came a plaintive cry. “You let go of me and made me fall. Kiss me better!”

Buffy bolted upright. One moment she was in bed, the next she was at the door. One hand slamming the light switch, while a finger jabbed the door control so hard she almost poked a hole into it.

The door slid open revealing a disheveled Obi-Wan, who stared back at her with an expression of tortured suffering. She took in the shirt hanging out of his trousers, mussed hair, pink-cheeks and... was that the smell of brandy she got a whiff of? She glared at him. Then turned her attention to the girls clutching onto him.

The two girls gaped back, surprised to see her. As one they turned to look at each other and burst out laughing.

Did they think she was a joke? Buffy tensed, teeth gritted and weighed-up the pair. The tallest woman, the one whose grip on Obi-Wan was the fiercest, had short, magenta hair and a bold expression. Buffy's lip curled at her cheap bondage outfit. If you're going to go for the bondage-look, you should at least try to buy good quality pleather.

The other girl, the one with all the hair and the vacant face, wore a bikini made almost entirely out of feathers. Like her friend, she was a few years older than Buffy and both women towered over her in their high heels. The Slayer's instincts told her the taller of the two was the most dangerous. She checking her for hidden weapons. There was something bulky in the right-hand side pocket of her coat. A small blaster pistol?

Buffy turned her attention on Obi-Wan once more. He'd gone pale when she opened the door. There was a tic playing under his left eye and the tell-tale anxiety crease between his eyebrows had appeared. There was also a tinge of green and sickness about him as if he might puke. She couldn't say she felt any sympathy.

Obi-Wan swallowed. Buffy would have said nervously if she'd had to describe it. She wasn't surprised at the nervousness, he'd good reason to be.

“Buffy! I didn't expect you to be here. What are you doing in my room?”

“Is my presence inconvenient to you, Kenobi?” Her voice dripped with false sweetness. He didn't like her calling him Kenobi. She knew that and he knew she knew that. If he was expecting Jedi-like calm from her, he was going to be disappointed. “Would you like me to leave?” she continued. Her eyes daring him to say yes. “Maybe you and your... friends wanna be alone.”

“No! Don't go!” There was panic in his voice. “It's not an inconvenience at all!” At her raised brow, he softened his voice. “In fact, I'm very glad to see you.” The two girls giggled and pawed at him. “Very glad to see you, indeed.”

~I need your help.~ Obi-Wan hissed down their mind-link. ~It's urgent. Do something.~

“What are you doing with those girls, Kenobi?” Buffy asked, ignoring his message. Oh, this had better be a good explanation. Going out to a club and bringing girls back to his bedroom. What had gotten into him? By getting him to break his celibacy for her, had she unleashed a sex fiend?

She gaze went to his left where Bondage-girl was trying to tangle her fingers into Obi-Wan's trouser waistband. Her other hand stroked his stomach through his shirt in a way that made Buffy want to rip her arm off and use it as a weapon to beat her to death.

Obi-Wan winced. He'd picked up her vicious imagery from their link. Normally, he lectured her for doing things like that to him, but in this case, just let him try.

~What's going on? Why are you allowing this?~ the questions burst from her through their bond.

“They came with me...” Obi-Wan began.

“I can see that!” she seethed. It was pretty obvious. “What I wanna know is why?”

“Obi-Wan, aren't you inviting us in? Isn't that why you brought us here?” asked Kimbli, bouncing up and down on the spot so that her breasts jiggled and her feathers fluffed out around her.

Buffy took a moment to glare at Feather-brain before turning her eyes back on Obi-Wan.

“I haven't brought you here!” Obi-Wan spluttered to Kimbli. “Well yes, technically I did. However, that was only because you insisted on a ride.” Buffy's glare grew harder and more glittery, but Obi-Wan didn't notice. He went on, “Since it wasn't out of my way, I agreed to bring you back to the palace, but now I want to be alone.” He paused, and then added, “Alone with Buffy that is.”

Amba took a moment to glower at the Slayer, before turning to the Jedi. Her expression, reverting back to the cloying smile. She whined, “But we haven't finished with you, Obi-Wan. We've only just started. We want...”

“NO!” Obi-Wan's refusal echoed around the corridor. Aware others were sleeping in the rooms surrounding them, he lowered his voice. “I've told you already, several times in fact, that I'm not interested in anything you two have to offer.”

~ Please, help me get rid of them, Buffy~ he pleaded.

“If you wanted them to go away, why did you bring those girls back to your room?” asked Buffy. This was suspicious. He was acting strange. Those girls were acting strange. Obi-Wan was supposed to be a Jedi. He wasn't supposed to have groupies. It wasn't as if he was Ewan McGregor.

“I haven't!” Obi-Wan's voice was higher pitched than normal. “Kimbli says she has a room further along this corridor. Amba is staying with her. Amba is from the Valiant.”

“We met at the Jedi Temple,” grinned Amba. “It's a sex club.”

Buffy blinked and shot Obi-Wan a look. Hoping for an explanation.

“It isn't what it sounds like, Buffy!” The Jedi yanked Kimbli's hand from wheedling under his shirt and slapped Amba's hand away from his belt. “That's the club I went in. I didn't know that it was a... den of iniquity until later.”

~Please believe me! Get them off me!~ he begged down their mind link.

The trip back to the palace in the speeder had been an absolute nightmare, even though he'd expected it and made the women sit in the rear of the speeder. They'd kept leaning over, trying to grab and kiss him as he flew back. Once he'd landed, he thought he'd be free, but they'd climbed out and clung to him. Nails like talons digging into his arms, leaning, pressing themselves against him, hair flicking into his face and their lips hovering dangerously close to his own.  
Without resorting to physical violence there'd been no way to shake them off. Every time he'd suggested they leave, they'd looked at each other, giggled, and carried on regardless. Either his grip on the Force had slipped or the Force persuasion was no longer working due to the alcohol. It had been a nightmare. It was still a nightmare. He needed help

~ Help me, Buffy~ he pleaded through their Force link.

He pulled Amba's hand fingers from his waistband, wrenched free of Kimbli's grasping hand, and he was away. Scuttling through the doorway, past a scowling Buffy, and getting as far from Amba and Kimbli as he could while he'd the chance. Once safely inside his room, he turned around to defend his position.

Amba grinned idiotically at him from over Buffy's shoulder. She lurched forward in her heels, trying to move past the Slayer. “Obi-Wan, you can't escape. We want to...”

“OUT!” said Buffy, blocking the woman. Was there magic at work? Had someone put a love spell on them? She might be small, barefooted, and in her pajamas but she'd a Slayer glare that would make most demons hesitate in their tracks. Since it wasn't working on these girls, it pointed to them being under some kind of enchantment. Whatever it was, she'd had enough of it.  
“No more! You and Feather-brain need to leave now.”

Amba pouted. “I don't see why we should. You only want us gone so that you can play with him by yourself.” She rushed forward, trying to elbow the Slayer aside and slide past into the room.

“OUT, Bondage-Girl!” Buffy grabbed her by her leather braces and gave her a push. Shoving the much taller woman back into the corridor with a touch of Slayer strength. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to show she wasn't one to be trampled over. “Don't come back here or you'll have me to answer to. And the same thing goes for you, Feather-Brain. Obi-Wan is not yours to play with.”

“Spoilsport!” whined Kimbli. “He's ours! We saw him first!”

“We want Obi-Wan!” Amba wailed. “We need him so bad.” She stepped forward once more, looking as if she might try for another run at Buffy.

“Buffy, don't let them in!” yelled Obi-Wan “Quick, close the door!”

“Obi-Wan! We really want you!” begged Amba, becoming distraught at the thought of losing him.

“Tough! You're not having him.” Buffy snapped, hitting the door control with her hand. Once the girls were shut outside she turned slowly, to face the Jedi.

Obi-Wan let out a long sigh. They'd gone. He was free. Buffy had done it. The Slayer had driven them away. He felt like swooping her up, spinning her around, and kissing her. Except, she didn't look as if she'd appreciate it. Also, the room was too small to make dramatic romantic gestures.

“Thank you,” he said simply. “I'm very glad to see them gone.”

There was a loud silence in the room as a stony-faced Buffy folded her arms and stared unblinkingly at him. Obi-Wan noticed the arm-fold was not a stoic one like the one the Jedi used. He got the impression it was more a way of stopping her hands from reaching out and strangling him.

From their bond, he felt nothing. Only an angry buzzing that hurt his head. He eyed her warily. “Er, I have to go to the refresher.”

She snorted. “Yeah, make sure you wash all that lipstick from your neck and other regions while you're in there.

His hand went up to touch his neck self-consciously before he realized what he was doing. Buffy's glare darkened even more. She'd tricked him. Now she believed that he'd actually done things with those two... man-eaters.

Obi-Wan slunk into the refresher, relieved when the door closed on her angry face.


	132. Obi-Wan takes the High Ground

Obi-Wan has the High Ground(unfortunately for him)

Opening the door of the refresher, Obi-Wan looked around cautiously before entering the dimly lit bedroom. Knowing how angry Buffy had been earlier he'd taken his time, hoping that she'd calm down. When she didn't immediately spring out to attack him, he released a breath of relief. With luck, his plan had worked.

The room was only small so when he looked across to his bed he felt... surprise. She wasn't sitting waiting to berate him. She was in his bed. True, she faced the wall and radiated tension, but she made no sign of physically or verbally attacking him. He reached out with his mind, gently probing their link to gauge her thoughts. Their link vibrated with annoyance.  
Still, she'd made the conscious decision to get into his bed. That was a good sign. His shoulders relaxed. It was a very good sign. Feeling much more optimistic about his reception, Obi-Wan's walk took on a small swagger as he approached the bed. He slowly lifted the edge of the sheet and prepared to climb in.

“Don't even think about it, Kenobi,” her voice low, tight, and dangerous.

Confused, he paused, still holding the edge of the sheet. “Think about what?”

“Getting into bed with me. You've lost all rights of sharing my bed. Coming home drunk, with your Jedi groupies.” She didn't turn her face away from the wall.

“But... it's my bed. This is in my room,” he pointed out. “If you don't want to sleep with me, why are you in my bed?” As he spoke, Obi-Wan looked up at the top bunk. He didn't want to sleep up there, it was too narrow. How long was she going to punish him for? It wasn't his fault he'd ended up with... groupies. He felt a wave of apprehension. The Jedi didn't hold grudges or seek revenge, but he knew from experience the same couldn't be said for Slayers. They had evil ways of making your life a misery.

“I'm only here because of a mix up with the rooms,” said Buffy. Not willing to tell him yet what sort of mix up and whose room she'd escaped from. “This is my bed now. You were too busy amusing yourself with those other girls to have a choice. Sleep on the top bunk or the floor, I don't care.”

Obi-Wan felt the undercurrent of pain and betrayal beneath her anger. He hesitated, uncertain of what to say. In the end, he plumped for, “I'm sorry.” He climbed onto the top bunk.

“The only thing you're sorry about is that I was here and caught you.”

“I honestly didn't mean to bring them back,” he replied, letting her know the truth of his words via their bond. “It happened by accident. I literally couldn't shake them off. They kept following me and touching me... inappropriately. It was most stressful.” He lay back on the bunk, staring up at the ceiling.

“Oh yeah? You came across them wandering the streets like two stray bondage dogs and they followed you home? What are you? Some kinda Biscuit-boy?”

“I didn't find them in the street. I found them at the club. It was only Bondage-girl, I mean Amba, I was interested in.”

With no warning through the Force the mattress he lay on bounced, as the irate Slayer below slammed the under-panel with her fist.

“No, not like that!” he denied. “I told you earlier that Amba Kroi is the contact from the Valiant I needed to speak to. It wasn't as if she was a random bondage-girl that I picked up. After I questioned her they pestered me for a ride...” his bed bounced again without warning. The impact came from lower down. Obi-Wan had a feeling she'd kicked it. “...in my speeder to where they lived. I couldn't shake them off. It was... quite frightening for me.”

Buffy snorted skeptically. “You're a Jedi. Jedi don't frighten easily.”

“I... I may have used Force persuasion to make her like me,” he confessed. “I think Kimbli got caught in the cross-fire, but it all got out of hand very quickly.”

Obi-Wan sensed Buffy's shock at his confession and flushed with shame. The bed bounced once more from a sharp hit from her fist, but this time he was ready for it and the jolt wasn't as jarring.

“Ubi, that's bad. You shouldn't use your Jedi abilities to make girls like you.”

“Amba didn't want to speak to me,” he explained, “she said I was weird.” Admitting what she'd called him to Buffy made him cringe. “I only wished her to remain with me until I'd finished questioning her.”

“I don't know what you did, but you made her 'like you' too much,” replied Buffy. No wonder he'd felt so desperate. All the begging he'd done, and the girl's obsession with him, it started to make sense.

“Yes, somehow, it all went wrong,” admitted the Jedi. Never again, would he make the mistake of mixing Force persuasion with alcohol, the effect was highly unpredictable. “However, the good news is that Amba was very forthcoming with answers. She told me that the ship's original security recordings showed Jar Jar in the corridors after the guard died. Then Palpatine requested them from her...”

“And suddenly they became mysteriously damaged or deleted!” finished Buffy. She remembered Obi-Wan's annoyance that so much important footage from that time had interference on the cameras. “I wonder if he knew Jar Jar was alive, well not alive but up and moving, before he accused me of murdering the Gungan and disposing of his body? Or did he find out later, after viewing the tapes?”

Obi-Wan frowned as he considered Buffy's comment. He believed the Sith Lord was working with Jar Jar, but he couldn't discount the possibility he wasn't. “You said that newly made vampires are less able to control their feeding urges than more experienced ones?”

“Yeah.” Buffy pushed the bedcover off her. Who'd have guessed dungeons were so hot? “Newbie vamps tend to be thirsty and put themselves at more risk than experienced vamps do.”

“Then perhaps Jar Jar's feeding urge got the better of him? If Palpatine knew Jar Jar was a vampire, he'd see his lapse as an ideal opportunity to frame you for their murders and then 'rescue' you by providing a cover story. If he didn't know Jar Jar was a vampire, he still made good use of the opportunity. He wants you by his side. By amending the footage and destroying evidence he has you under his control.” Obi-Wan then added sourly, “That's what the Sith are like. Dark, devious, and despicable”

“Definitely despicable,” agreed Buffy. Sid had told her it was time she paid the piper! The only piping he'd been doing was for his own benefit.

“Also,” continued Obi-Wan, warming up to the subject. “Amba also told me that on a past trip she'd had an experience with Jar Jar...”

Buffy snorted. “That doesn't surprise me,” she muttered darkly. “With a cheap outfit like that she must be desperate.”

The Jedi chose to ignore the comment. “She said on a previous trip he caused the ship to make an emergency landing on a Bogden moon. The very place your bounty hunter took his instructions...”

“What?!”

“I was surprised myself,” Obi-Wan admitted. “It certainly fits in with the information Jango Fett gave you. There is more. I know how Jar Jar disappeared from the Valiant.”

Buffy squeaked with excitement, “Go on then, spill!”

Obi-Wan smirked at her reaction and continued. “He used an escape pod. He'd all the codes to make an authorized departure and the pod landed on the opposite side of Naboo to us. Yet again, all information regarding the departure and the landing place were purged from the records after being viewed by Palpatine.”

“The dark side of Naboo,” said Buffy quietly.

Obi-wan frowned at her use of the phrase 'Dark Side' and then his brow cleared. “Oh, you mean on the side of the planet where it was dark rather than daylight.” After a beat, he said, “As a vampire Jar Jar would be aware of the position of the sun but surely he could have stayed on board until sunset. Unless... he realized you knew he was a vampire and became worried in case you...”

“..outed him by dragging him into the sunlight and then toasting marshmallows on his flaming corpse,” Buffy finished.

Obi-Wan winced at the vicious imagery she'd implanted in his head once again. Buffy did relish making creative and violent descriptions of death. Once more she needed lecturing on that tendency. He decided to leave it for now, until she'd forgotten about his groupies.

Buffy went on, “So we know the how and the why Jar Jar escaped. And we know your local Sith-boy is playing his cards close to his chest.”

“On one of the recordings there was an unusual, dark shadow,” added Obi-Wan. “I've sent the Temple a copy for enhancement. I think it may show someone moving at Force speed down the corridor. The best result would be if it turns out to be Palpatine. The Council will also be interested in the way the Supreme Chancellor is misusing his position to amend Republic security footage and cover up a vampire attack.”

“And Bondage-girl told you all that?”

“Yes, she did.” Obi-Wan found himself adding, “Amba Kroi proved very useful to me in all sorts of ways.” His bed bounced again as it was kicked from below. Despite the jolt, Obi-Wan's lips twitched and a knot of worry inside him untangled. He found it oddly reassuring Buffy suffered from jealousy.

“Master Yoda says attachment leads to possessiveness, and possessiveness leads to the Dark Side,” he said smugly. He allowed a wave of amusement to travel down their link so she'd know he was joking. Despite it, his bed bounced again.

“Yodel thinks breathing leads to the Dark Side,” Buffy muttered, not amused. When she'd opened the door and found Obi-Wan in the corridor with two girls she'd been shocked and then hurt to think he'd replaced her so easily. Obi-Wan wasn't that shallow. She guessed she still had distrust issues after being let down in the past by too many guys.

Above her, Obi-Wan once again sensed her feelings. “You know I have no feelings for Amba, or Kimbli or any others. Our bond tells you that.” Knowing more was needed he plowed on, piling it on thick, “None in the galaxy are as beautiful to me as you are. Yours is the only love I want in my life and the only attachment I need. I'm very lucky to have you and I assure you that I would never jeopardize what we have.”

“I know what you're doing,” grumbled Buffy. “You're doing the sweet talk. Do it all you want. I'm still not letting you get in my bed.”

Obi-Wan leaned over the edge of the bunk. There was just light enough to see her. When she turned her head towards him, he caught her eye and grinned lazily. “It was worth a try though, wasn't it?”

She gave a mock shriek of annoyance and tried to whack him with the lumpy pillow. Avoiding it, he grinned even wider, before pulling himself back up and laying back down on his bed, feeling oddly relaxed. Knowing their relationship was back to what it was, even if she was cross with him.

After a few minutes of silence, he asked quietly, “How's your day been? I hope you didn't break the door down to get inside Jar Jar's room?”

“Ugh, it took ages to get in. I had to climb along the outside wall but I used the Force. Not force but The Force,” she replied smugly. She couldn't wait to show him her new Force awareness. “I did find something that looks like a key. It was down the back of the cushions on Jar Jar's sofa. I'll show it to you in the morning and see what you make of it.”

“That sounds interesting. Was there nothing else there of importance?”

“Nope,” Buffy didn't think the stinky shoes worth mentioning. “While I was in there, someone came in.” She shuddered. “Someone dark and very creepy.”

“What happened?” Obi-Wan asked. He nearly added, 'you should be more careful' and thought better of it. He wasn't in a position to lecture her, not after his night.

“My Slaydar told me someone was Force picking their way in through the main door, so I got under the bed. I couldn't see much. Two human-sized feet wearing expensive shoes. Oh, and he wore a dark cloak. Maybe it was Palpatine doing a phantom menace impression?” Buffy kept thinking Palpatine, but she wasn't sure. Long, dark cloaks were de rigueur for the bad guys in this dimension. She continued, “Whoever it was, they knew some serious Force camouflaging. They came in, searched, and left.”

“It was lucky your Slaydar alerted you.” Obi-Wan stared at the ceiling as he mulled over the information. “Has anything else happened that I should know about?”

He felt the bond between them contract down to a thread as she closed herself off from him. A sliver of horror and, unusually for Buffy, a flood of embarrassment still made its way to him.

“Buuffyyy?” he drawled. Why did he have the feeling he wasn't going to like this?

“IwasshownintothewrongbedroomeandIsortofgotengagedtoPalpatine.”

Obi-Wan lay looking up into the darkness, trying to work out what she'd just said to him.

“You've AGREED to MARRY Palpatine?!” he shouted, sitting up. How could she agree? They were in a relationship. He'd broken the code for her. He was a Jedi. Palpatine was a Sith. For Force sake, why?

Buffy hushed him. “Shhhh, keep your voice down. It's not official yet!”

Her response floored him. He pinched the bridge of his nose trying to ease the building pressure in his head. What had she been thinking? Had she actually been thinking? He paused, stopping his pinching as a thought occurred to him. Had Darth Sidious used a mind trick on her? None of the Jedi had bypassed her shielding (a lot had tried and gotten a kick shin for it), but what about a Sith? A Sith might know a technique that had been lost or forbidden to the Jedi...

Then again, if Palpatine had tricked her into marrying him, she'd have been proud to announce it. He could sense her revulsion. It didn't make him feel any better. He'd had a beastly evening, fending off the attentions of over-sexed creatures of all species and genders, only to find Buffy waiting for him with the news she was marrying a Sith Lord.

“What happened Buffy? Why did you agree to his proposal?” he silently congratulated himself on the calmness of his voice. He wished he could kick the bottom of her bed and make her jump into the air from the unexpected jolt.

“Um, it was me who sorta asked him.” She admitted, staring up at the bottom of the bed above her. She'd been hoping to put this conversation off, at least until the morning. Preferably forever.

“You sort of asked him?” Obi-Wan repeated. This was unbelievable. She'd only been out of his sight for a few hours. “Are you crazy?”

“It was an accident!”

“How can you accidentally ask a Sith Lord to marry you?” he began, his accent becoming stronger the more his exasperation and anger grew. “How is that even possible? That's a pathetic excuse! How can you expect me to believe that?”

“Pathetic excuse?!” Buffy snapped back up at him, “You mean like the excuse you gave me for the two over-sexed girls you brought back to your room? What did you say? It was an accident and that you couldn't shake them off?! How's that for a pathetic excuse?”

A thick and oppressive silence filled the room. Neither of them spoke for a while.

Finally, Obi-Wan broke the silence. “Well, isn't this trip proving to be entertaining?” His voice dripped with dark sarcasm and Buffy winced.

“It wasn't my fault!” she burst out. “Those in charge of allocating the rooms had seen the CNN gossip channel and thought I was Sid's girlfriend. I just thought they'd given me a cool set of rooms and went for a bounce on the bed.” Buffy lifted her pillow and smacked it again, trying to get rid of the lumps. “I didn't know he was in there taking a shower. He popped out when I wasn't expecting it and caught me checking him out. I s'pose I was a bit obvious with the staring, but I got a real eyeful as he wasn't hiding it under his bulky robes.”

Above her, Obi-Wan tried to conceal his shock. He tensed, his head tilting downwards towards the bunk below him. Eyes narrowing and listening carefully to every inflection in Buffy's voice as she spoke about Palpatine. Using the sensitivity of their Force bond to work out her emotions for the Sith Lord that she might be hiding behind her words.

Buffy continued, “I've got to say his size and shape was impressive for a guy his age.” She paused, “Wait! Ugh and that sounded much better in my head than it did out loud. This is Palpatine so... double-ewww. Pass the brain-bleach.” She gave a little shudder. “Anyhow, put that in the Palpatine information pack. He works out regularly. He's probably keeping in shape for when he gets into an epic lightsaber battle with Nick Fury and the other Council Masters. You know, for when he comes out the closet and does the dramatic, taa-daa Sith Lord reveal? He'll be bouncing all over the room and the Jedi will be going crazy and trying to arrest him.”

Since Obi-Wan's breathing had gone odd and their Force bond was vibrating oddly, Buffy decided it was a good time to stop talking about how athletic Sid's body was and move on.

“That's when Palpatine got over-excited and chased me. He said it was time to pay him for his piping, but I told him he hadn't done enough piping to be paid for. But he wasn't buying it, so I said I was Amish and we weren't allowed any before marriage, and then he said it would take three months to organize the ceremony. He's going to invite most of the galaxy as he's always fancied a big wedding and it's gonna be a popular event, with the entertainment and a big cake, and everyone will want an invite, that we'll get a lot of presents and become the galaxy's favorite couple.” Buffy knew the guilt had made her Willow-babble. She knew it but hadn't been able to stop. She didn't dare tell Obi-Wan about meeting the twiglet girl and going on about tragic True Love pairings and all the other stuff she'd spouted on the stairs.

Would Obi-Wan freak and go dark over this? It had been bad enough last time. Perhaps she shouldn't have mentioned checking out Palpatine's body? Or being chased around the room? Or Sid asking to be paid for his piping?

There was a long silence. During which, Obi-Wan chanted the Jedi Code and Buffy wondered if she should invite him to share her bed. On the other hand, he'd come home with two scantily clad girls who'd pawed at his trousers looking for beggin' strips. She still hadn't forgiven or forgotten. Even if he'd been kinda terrified and pleaded for help down their mind-link.

“How do you intend to avoid this marriage?” asked Obi-Wan in an amazingly tranquil voice. He was rather pleased with how fast he'd regained his balance and keep his cool after Buffy's incessant chatter about the Sith Lord. The Jedi code chanting must have helped.  
“You do have a plan, don't you?” He was wary of asking. Buffy's plans could only very loosely be interpreted as plans. Mainly they seemed to be a case of 'let's do this and see what happens'. But it was better to know what she was thinking than be surprised.

“Yeah, sort of.” She didn't have any real plan, other than avoiding Sid and hope in the meantime someone would throw him down an energy shaft and the whole problem would all go away. Not that she was going to admit to Obi-Wan she was plan-less.

“And this plan consists of?” pressed Obi-Wan.

Buffy took a deep breath and said the first thing that popped into her head, “I'm planning on... telling him that I've become a lesbian.”

Obi-Wan covered his eyes and sighed deeply. The headache from earlier had returned. Were all Chosen Ones as difficult as she was? He wondered how Qui-Gon was coping with Anakin. If he'd taken Anakin on to train, would he be easier than Buffy? Surely Anakin wouldn't have had the same urge to hang around with the Sith and get engaged as soon as your back was turned?

“And you think by... this telling Palpatine that you've become a lesbian, it will mean he'll no longer wish to marry you?” He probed. Did she believe that would happen? He couldn't see it himself. History showed time and time again that when a Sith wanted something they weren't known for letting anything or anyone stand in their way.

“It worked for Willow,” Buffy explained. “Her boyfriend sorta dumped her because of his lunar hair growth issues. Later on, Oz came back and tried to restart where he'd left off. Willow told him she'd moved on, that she'd a girlfriend called Tara and he accepted it. Maybe if...”

“NO!”

“Whaddya mean no? I haven't asked...”

“Definitely not,” said Obi-Wan. It wasn't going to happen. He didn't care how much she pouted and pleaded with him.

“I don't know what you mean,” Buffy replied. Striving to maintain an innocent voice and not giggle.

“I heard what you thinking down the mind link,” hissed Obi-Wan. “You want me to dress up as a woman and pretend to be your girlfriend.”

“I think you'd make a very pretty...”

“NO!”

“It was only an idea!”

“Well, think of another one. A sensible one. One that doesn't result in me becoming the only bearded bridesmaid at your wedding,” replied Obi-Wan curtly. He banged his pillow into shape with his fist, turned on his side and faced the wall. He'd had enough of today. He could only hope tomorrow would be a big improvement. It wasn't as if it could become any worse.

......


	133. A Prior Engagement

“Thanks, Ubi,” Buffy said softly, as they walked out the building's door and into a pretty palace courtyard. The high walls around them were smothered in climbing vines, their lengths laden with lilac and white flowers. The area was filled with warm sunshine, the scent of flowers and the hum of bees. She looked around her, nudged Obi-Wan's arm with her shoulder and smiled up at the brown-robed Jedi next to her. “You know all the best places to eat and all the prettiest shortcuts to take.”

It was the following morning after Obi-Wan and Buffy had landed on Naboo. After leaving their dungeon bedroom earlier, her pace had slowed and she'd finally admitted to Obi-Wan her plan of avoiding Palpatine. She was worried that she'd bump into him in the banqueting hall where most of the important guests ate. Obi-Wan had given her a considering look and then, without a lecture on the idiocy of agreeing to marry Sith Lords, which she'd half expected, whisked her off through a maze of small corridors to another section of the palace building. There they'd eaten a large breakfast in the staff canteen, completely undisturbed by Sith.

At Buffy's nudge, the Jedi slanted her a glance, his lips tugging upwards at her praise. The strong Naboo sunshine lightened his auburn hair, turning it into a deep molten gold. Buffy ran her eyes over his hair, mentally comparing it to her friend Willow's. Obi-Wan's was definitely lighter, with more blond in his hair than Willow ever had. The lighter color suited him, as it intensified the brightness of his piercing blue eyes. Eyes that made her insides melt. She guessed it wasn't his fault he looked like Ewan McGregor and he'd got groupies. As long as he didn't bring any more home with him, she'd forgive him for making that one mistake. She sent him a rush of love through their bond and flashed him a mega-watt smile.

Obi-Wan responded by moving closer to her and then used the cover of his over-long robe sleeve to curl his fingers through hers. The tingling sensation she got whenever he touched her, ran up her arm and into her chest. Her heart skipped a beat. She'd no idea why he provoked this reaction in her. At first, she'd thought it was because he was Force-sensitive, but since none of the other Jedi caused her to have tingles she knew it wasn't that.  
No, Obi-Wan was special. He only needed to produce a few pink sparkles and she'd find it hard to think, let alone speak. She guessed love was a headier drug than a spiked cake, any day.

Her eyes flicked down to their joined hands. That surprised her. Obi-Wan was normally careful not to touch her or even think un-Jedi-like thoughts when they were together in a public place in case it gave their relationship away. Yet here he was, holding hands and sending her such a heated look that the butterflies began to dance inside her stomach. Buffy reluctantly tore her eyes away. If she didn't, she'd give in to the urge to drag him off for a full-scale smoochy session.

Obi-Wan's fingers tightened on her hand. Buffy realized why and went pink. She'd just broadcast her naughty thoughts down their link. Having an open mind-link was sort of mortifying and exciting at the same time. She could feel his emotions and he could sense hers, and then they were echoed back and forth until they became intoxicating.  
But that only made it more frustrating. She didn't want to hide her feelings. Why did the Jedi Order ban attachments? Being in love wasn't something a person should be ashamed of. It was natural to want to be with someone special. Life was too short not to seize the opportunity if it occurred. Buffy wanted to announce it to the galaxy, and celebrate the fact they'd crossed dimensions to find one another. But she couldn't. Not unless she wanted to destroy Obi-Wan's entire future in the Jedi Order.

“We have a busy day ahead of us,” Obi-Wan said firmly. The firmness was as much for his benefit as Buffy's. He forced his mind to think of the tasks ahead of them and tried not to allow his thoughts to veer off in the direction Buffy had just suggested down their mind-link. “We need to examine the sites where the victims' bodies were discovered and the key you found in Jar Jar's room needs to be investigated. Hopefully, that will unlock something interesting.”

Beside him, Obi-Wan felt Buffy wavering. Believing her mind to be still dwelling on the ideas she'd sent him, he plowed on. Determined to continue with the investigations and not be sidetracked.  
“I also need to contact the Temple at some point and arrange to speak to the Council regarding Amba Kroi's information. You'll need to be present. The masters asked where you were. Master Windu asked several times, in fact.”

Obi-Wan knew the last thing he needed to become was a territorial male, but the look in Master Windu's eyes whenever he spoke about or looked at Buffy was beginning to annoy him. The man was almost twice her age and he shouldn't be thinking about a Slayer in that way. He was supposed to be a Jedi master, a member of the High Council, and he should remember his position as a role model for the younger generation.

“I can't do this morning,” Buffy replied. She kept her voice matter-of-fact as if it was no big deal. “I've got something on.”

Obi-Wan stopped, released her hand, and turned to face her. A scolding eyebrow already raised, ready to lecture her. “Something more important than the Jedi High Council? More important than a murder investigation? More important than hunting vampires?”

“Yeah, I need to do this thing and I can't get out of it,” Buffy squirmed under his scrutiny. She knew he wouldn't understand this, but she'd high standards to maintain. She couldn't let them slip because she was hanging out with the Jedi.

“What is this thing you are unable to get out of?” asked Obi-Wan suspiciously. She was being evasive. He watched her pretending to admire a large cream flower with a bee buzzing around its yellow stamens. This was going to be something he'd disagree with, he could sense it. Why hadn't this been mentioned before if it was so important? His eyes narrowed. “Are you meeting Palpatine?”

“No!” Buffy yelped. Eyes on him now and not the flower. She was flabbergasted that he'd suggested it. “Ugh, why would I go meeting Sid when I'm doing my best to avoid him?”

“Shoes,” replied Obi-Wan, hands on hips now, giving her a disapproving look. “He uses them to lure you. That's why he promised to take you on a shopping expedition as he knows you're a shopaholic.”

“I'm not a shopaholic! Just because I like going shopping occasionally does not make me a retail junkie.” Buffy tutted. “And I'm not going with Sid!”

Both she and Obi-Wan stopped to look over at the building as both received a warning through the Force of someone's approach. Two Gungan males walked out the door and into the courtyard. As neither Gungan gave them more than a casual look and loped past to a doorway on the opposite side of the courtyard, Buffy decided to continue where she'd left off.

“When I was sat with the officials yesterday, Palpatine said he and Padmé had a lot of official visits scheduled for today. They're inspecting museums and art galleries that suffered blaster damage during the war and they've just been rebuilt. Sid's donated money to one of them and some of the exhibits are coming from his own collection.” Obi-Wan's face darkened as she spoke of the Sith Lord. Buffy noticed and added, “He went on and on about it as we watched the flower parade. It was really boring.”

“If you aren't going with Palpatine, where are you going?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Not far. I'll be done in a couple of hours and we can start investigating then.”

He sighed at the continued evasiveness.“Where exactly will you be and what will you be doing whilst you are there?”

Buffy tutted once more. “Jealous boyfriend, much?”

“I'm not jealous,” said Obi-Wan, thinking it was unfair to call him jealous. It was only yesterday that she'd become engaged to another man (a Sith!) as soon as his back was turned. He was bound to become suspicious when she claimed she was going to disappear for a few hours. “I am merely curious about this mysterious appointment that I knew nothing about until now.”

“If you must know I'm getting my hair done.” As her confession had rendered the Jedi momentary speechless she continued, “I was lucky enough to get a last-minute cancellation at a prestigious salon called Hair Trix. It's not far from the palace and Padmé, Eirtae, Rabe, and Sabe all go there.”  
Her mouth curled in disgust as a thought occurred to her. “Not that I want Queen of Naboo hair because that's...” she shook her head in silent horror, “well, you've seen for yourself how bad it is.”

She gave Obi-Wan a reassuring smile. “I'm only booked in for layers and highlights, nothing too weird. Trix, the guy who owns the salon, is supposed to be a genius with coloring ladies' hair and everyone says I'm very lucky to get this appointment with him. Normally, there's a waiting list just to get in there, but Padmé personally commed him for me. She told him Lord Vader desperately needed her hair doing and he fitted me straight in. You'll need to tell the Council I couldn't make it, as I'm having a cut and color.”

“You want me to explain to the Jedi High Council that you're too busy to speak to them or investigate murders as you're at the hairdresser's?” he asked, incredulous that she'd asked this of him. “Can't this be done at a better time?”

“Tonight then,” suggested Buffy. “After my hair is sorted and we've snooped about a bit.”

Obi-Wan's mouth folded into a tight line of disbelief. “I meant a better time for you to visit a hairdresser not reschedule the Temple call.” He looked at Buffy's hair. She wore it piled on top of her head with loose sections hanging down to frame her face. He wasn't an expert on women's hair but it looked fine to him. “Your hair is perfect as it is and doesn't need a cut or a color.”

Green eyes regarded him steadily, with a mutinous and slightly dangerous expression. Remembering his lessons with Qui-Gon on interplanetary negotiations, the Jedi turned on a charming smile and compromised. “If you still feel you need a change of hairstyle when all this is over, you can visit a hairdresser then. I am sure this Trix will find time to style Lord Vader's hair.”

Buffy smirked at his attempt to negotiate a delay in hairdressing. “Nope, no can do. If I knew there was an apocalypse on the horizon in my dimension, I'd always visit the hairdresser and pick out a nice outfit beforehand. You've got to look your best for things like that. What kind of Slayer would I be if I went into battle against the Sith with split ends and my roots showing?”

“I doubt the Sith will notice,” replied Obi-Wan tersely. Knowing it would be futile to argue further he decided to delay the Temple call. “Since you're going to be busy preening this morning, I'll make inquiries regarding the key you found in Jar Jar's room. It shouldn't be too difficult to track down the owners of the logo and find out what it unlocks.” He grinned smugly. Knowing it would annoy her if she thought she was missing out, he said, “The Force tells me I shall make remarkable progress and you'll miss out on everything while being pampered.”

Buffy snorted, unimpressed. “I don't believe the Force told you that at all. You've made it up to annoy me.” She lifted a finger in warning as Obi-Wan opened his mouth to make a retort, “And don't you dare say it's the truth, if viewed in a certain sort of way. That one won't work with me.”

“I wasn't going to say that at all,” replied Obi-Wan, giving her a cross look. “I've no idea why you'd think I'd ever say anything as stupid as that. I was going to offer to take you to the salon in my speeder. Once you've finished, message me, and we'll have lunch before continuing our investigations.”


	134. Ominous Feelings Of Doom

Calling goodbye to those inside, Buffy walked out of the beauty parlor and into the midday sun. A few steps from the door she came to a standstill, pausing to admire the picture-postcard view in front of her. It really was beautiful. Trix's salon occupied a prime site, its main entrance opening directly onto one of Theed's many plazas. Around her, the Greco-Roman style buildings with their domed roofs, arched doorways, and cloistered walkways thronged with galactic tourists. Buffy ran her eyes over the many different species she could see. A lot of them looked like they should be demons but her Slaydar told her they weren't. They were simply tourists, here to relax, enjoy the best of Nabooan culture, and see the planet's famous Flower Festival.

Shifting her multitude of shopping bags into an easier carrying position, she flicked her freshly styled and artfully colored hair, before walking into the busy quadrangle. The hairstyling had been expensive but worth every credit. Especially since she'd taken advantage of Palpatine's generous offer and used the Darth Vader expenses account. Being this dimension's version of Vader definitely had its benefits. Mainly the financial side, not Darth Sid wanting her as his wife/dark accomplice. If there was one thing you'd never see was in any dimension, it was Darth Vader flipping burgers trying to keep the wolf from the door and by wolf, she didn't mean Oz. Yeah, Vader wages beat a Slayer's any day.

As she crossed the plaza there were a good few appreciative and speculative looks cast her way. Most just saw an attractive human girl in an expensive dress, some recognizing Lord Vader, and a few wondered if she really was Palpatine's intended. Buffy ignored them all. She'd a Jedi waiting for her. She left the sunlit square behind, walking through the cool shade of alleyways until she reached the speeder park that lay hidden away between buildings. She turned right and walked past a row of tall delivery vehicles to where she sensed the Jedi waited.

Obi-Wan sat on his speeder hood, his head turned in her direction, watching her walk towards him. Buffy waved. No doubt he'd claim his superior Jedi senses spotted her before she spotted him. She doubted it, her Slaydar was so attuned to him now that she'd sensed Mr Bright and Shiny almost as soon as she'd left the salon.  
As she grew closer, she noticed his face was set in a judgmental expression. He'd seen her shopping bags. She'd probably get a lecture on being a retail junkie again. Okay, she had done a little shopping in the shops surrounding the plaza before her appointment time, but she'd only bought important necessities. Things like comfy boots for slaying in, a pack of socks, underwear, two pairs of cute shoes, three dresses, a top, make-up, special hair styling products. That type of thing. It wasn't as if she'd bought anything unneeded or frivolous.

She gave him a cheeky grin and forestalled a lecture by saying, “I see you've really gotten into doing the incognito thing. You know, with you wearing your Jedi robes. No one looking at you would ever guess you were in the Jedi Order.”

Ignoring the jibe, Obi-Wan took the bags from her. “It's taken almost an hour longer than you said it would take. Is there anything left to buy in the shops?”

“Be careful with that one.” She pointed to the bag. “There's a cake in there for later.”

Since she'd left Obi-Wan doing all the leg-work, she'd decided to sweeten him up with cake. He had such a sweet tooth he was bound to give in to the temptation and bribery. Once he'd placed her bags into the back of the speeder and arranged them in the order she demanded, he turned to look at her. His expression had changed from slightly irritated to... downright crafty.

He ran his eyes over her. “Buffy, you look gorgeous in your new dress. That sundress is so pretty. The shoes are new as well, aren't they? An inspired purchase. And the hair...” He flashed her a wide and charming smile. “I had my doubts that any stylist could improve on perfection but Trix has surpassed all...”

“Cut it, Kenobi. What have you done?” Buffy folded her arms, giving him a hard look. He couldn't fool her. He'd done something. She scanned the area. It was busy with people walking to and fro vehicles but there didn't appear to be any groupies waiting, ready to leap out. She eyed Obi-Wan suspiciously. “I know you've done something, you're being over-heavy on the compliments.”

Obi-Wan opened the passenger door for her and keeping his voice low, said, “It's all true. Can't a man pay a sincere compliment to the woman he loves?” His eyebrow rose. “And please don't address me as Kenobi. I know it's my name, but the way you say it makes it sound cold and impersonal, almost like an insult. I haven't done anything wrong.” He sprinted to his side of the speeder, jumped in and grabbed the steering paddle. No doubt worried in case she shuffled across and took the driver's spot

Buffy gave him a knowing look. “If you haven't done anything wrong, then you must want something. Come on, Ubi, what's the what?”

He gave her a shameless grin. “Since you've asked... I need a small favor.” The speeder lifted into the air, turning almost 180 degrees before engaging the thruster. “I've not had a successful morning.” He admitted ruefully. “I've been to countless agencies all across the city, trying to find a lead on the key you found. No one seemed to know anything about the logo. Finally, I came across a man who hinted he'd the information I needed. Possibly he expects a bribe, but as a Jedi that option is not open to me, nor would I encourage such behavior. I want you to distract him while I sneak into his office and attempt to slice into his computer.”

Buffy leaned against her door so she got a good view of Obi-Wan's face. “Why don't you go mind-bendy on him?” She'd a good idea why, but it was fun to see the Jedi squirm.

Obi-Wan purposely didn't look at her, but the tinge of red to his cheeks told her everything she needed to know. “Force persuasion works best on the weak-minded. Also some species and...” he shot her a sheepish glance, “...some people, are resistant to it. Unless we go further than the Jedi Order allows that is.” His cheeks flushed. “From your amusement, it is obvious that you've guessed I'm rather wary of using it after last night.”

Buffy snorted. “I can't say I'm surprised. I bet it's not every Jedi that comes home with a bunch of groupies attached to him.” The Jedi went even redder.

“So you'll help me by providing a distraction?” asked Obi-Wan once he'd got his composure back.

She looked down at her nail polish as if admiring her new manicure, and waited, watching for Obi-Wan's reaction from under her lashes. “No.”

Taken aback, the Jedi frowned at the outright refusal. He'd been positive the skulduggery would not only appeal to her, but that she'd be eager to help him on this. “No!? Why are you refusing?”

Knowing their bond might betray her, Buffy smothered every hint of amusement. Keeping a bland expression on her face, she replied, “I can't be bothered.”

She'd no idea why she loved teasing him so much. Probably because he was so serious and fell for it almost every time. To her delight, Obi-Wan took the bait.

“Can't be bothered?” he repeated, his voice higher than normal. Then he went off into one of his lectures. Buffy guessed he was probably confusing her with being a padawan again.“Buffy, I am shocked and disappointed in your poor attitude. You really do have a lot to learn where conducting investigations are concerned and it only proves to me that there is a great deal you need to learn. Even the youngest padawans in the Temple know that gaining information from contacts is one of the most important and delicate part of any operation and should never be neglected. When you say 'can't be bothered' is that because you'd rather go off doing more fun activities? Activities such as shopping or slaying?” He scowled at her reprovingly. “Who knows, this could give us important clues to the whereabouts of the Sith vampire lair. It could stop the deaths of more innocent victims and also we-ghhhh...” his words came to an abrupt stop when Buffy placed her hand over his mouth. He glowered at her.

“Shush, no more. You need to remember I'm a Slayer and I'm far more...” she smirked at him, “...devious than any Jedi. The reason I can't be bothered distracting some stupid guy is that I already know what and where the key unlocks. I've also got a good idea where the main Sith vampire lair is.”

Obi-Wan stared at her speechlessly, while Buffy smirked back at him.

“Watch out!” she screeched, noticing a moment before he did that they were heading straight for the side of a building. He twisted the steering paddle to the left and the speeder turned 90 degrees. Buffy squealed, turning in her seat to grab her bags as her purchases threatened to fly everywhere.

Once they'd righted themselves, Buffy continued her smirking. “Wow, that was close. Did you see that building? It sprang out of nowhere and nearly got us.” She snorted. “Keep your eyes on the road, er, airspace, Jedi-boy. And never, ever, complain about my driving again.”

From her wallet she took out a business card, the words 'Hair Trix' printed in holo-font on the side and flipped it over to show a handwritten address.

“While my highlights were being done... I chose the color Moonstone and Sunshine. They're called that as they're supposed to have luminous shine. I nearly went for Fiery Sunset as that's the nearest to your hair color. I've always liked your hair color, but I didn't want us to look as if we were related so went for something different.”

Buffy hid a smile, she knew Obi-Wan was champing at the bit waiting for her to get to the good part. And the good part to him was not a discussion of shades on a hairdresser's color chart.

“Anyhow, I showed the image of the key's logo around the salon while I was there. I said it belonged to a friend of a friend and I'd promised to drop something off there while I was visiting the planet but had lost the address. One of Trix's other client's recognized the logo straight away. She told me it belonged to her husband's boss. He owns a lot of buildings, mainly offices but a couple contain private accommodation. She sent her husband a message, who got in touch with the boss's secretary and he came back almost straight away with the information.”

She waved the card around enticingly under his nose. It proved too much for Obi-Wan, he pulled it from her fingertips, causing her to grin even wider at him.

“Oh, and see the code written at the bottom?” she added. “That's the door code to enter the building. She got that for me as well. It was really kind of her.”

“I can't believe you've obtained this information so easily,” Obi-Wan said. He excitedly began punching the address into the speeder's navigation system. “The Force must be on our side.”

Buffy suppressed an eye roll. “That's right, the Force told me I needed a trip to the hairdressers when I looked in the mirror.” She flipped her hair. “The Force always finds a way, huh?”

“Indeed it does,” Obi-Wan agreed, hardly listening to her, his attention on the speeder. The address was close by. The auto-pilot switched on and they began to move smoothly in the opposite direction to where they'd been headed.

After a few moments, Buffy asked, “Don't you wanna know where the vampire lair is?” She felt a bit peeved that he'd not asked her.

He shot her a startled look. All wide baby blues and enough shocked disbelief on display to make her feel smug. He'd thought she'd been joking.

“You know how Amba told you that Jar Jar's escape pod was heading for the dark side of Naboo?” He nodded and she went on, “When I was under the dryer, I looked on the datapad map. He must have come down in the Lake country. Yeah, I know, it's like this huge area and even if we narrow it down to where the Crystal Caverns are...” Buffy held up a finger to shush the Jedi. “The Jedi think I've got a bee in my bonnet about those caverns, fuelled by my compulsion to visit bespoke shoemakers.” She gave a sigh. “Nope. That's so not the reason I'm bringing the Crystal caverns up. Yesterday, Shmi told me a young blonde girl went missing in the Lake country. They found her body in one of the lakes. Nothing said about blood loss but her neck bore teeth marks that were put down to a wild animal attack.” Buffy gave a derisive snort, “Even Shmi didn't believe it. I think the only wild animal she met was a vampire.  
Anyhow, the lake they found her in is located right in the heart of the Crystal caverns and not far from one of the larger Sith tombs. I think we need to book a trip out there. Let's see if Jar Jar's boss is lurking in the area and if he is, we can stake him. What do you think?”

She'd surprised him, she could tell by their shared bond.

“I believe you're right.” He reached out a hand to touch her arm and Buffy felt his apology and regret. “We all doubted your abilities, myself included. I'm sorry we did so.”

Her smile widened and she leaned across to bumped his arm.“That's okay. I wasn't totally sure back then myself and this isn't Sunnydale. The Outer Rim is a long way from Coruscant to go on a hunch. Hey, why are we dropping?”

The speeder continued to drop and Obi-Wan checked the coordinates. “We're almost at the address you gave me.”

The Jedi guided the craft towards the private parking spaces directly in front of the building. Once they landed neither of them moved. Both Slayer and Jedi stared at the front of the apartment block, comparing it to the others in the area and making a mental note of possible escape routes in case they needed to leave quickly. Buffy wondered why Jar Jar had chosen it. There was nothing about the place that made it stand out from the others on the street. It wasn't the prettiest building on Naboo, but it definitely wasn't the ugliest. It was just... ordinary. Perhaps that had been his motive for choosing it all along.

“This is it,” Obi-Wan's words sounded hollow. There was no trace of his earlier excitement.

Buffy almost quipped back 'I'd never have guessed, Captain Obvious,' but found she couldn't muster the enthusiasm.

Despite being in full sun, a shiver ran through her as she examined the building. Why did she have a bad feeling about this? She felt anxious. If they entered the building would something go badly wrong? Would it be something so life-changing that they'd never be able to go back from it? The longer she sat looking at the building, the stronger the feeling of doom became. Her legs were jelly and she didn't want to leave the speeder. She'd got a crazy urge to tell Obi-Wan to fly away and pretend they knew nothing about the place.

Next to her, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and began to do his Jedi meditation-thing. She watched him concentrate, strengthening his Force connection and preparing himself for whatever lay ahead. Buffy's focus went from the Jedi to the building, her nose wrinkling as she analyzed her emotions. They felt... wrong.

Obi-Wan's idea of immersing himself in the Force wasn't a bad one. A memory flitted through her mind of Giles. He was stood beside a much younger version of herself in the Bronze, telling her to focus on her powers and sense the vampires in the club. She'd been so young and she'd come along way from then. Literally.

Taking several deep and steadying breaths, she concentrated. Not on the Force, but on her Slayer abilities. Slowly, as her connection to Sineya grew stronger, the feeling of dread began to ease. Her strength returned and she even got a buzz of excitement. So what was with the sense of impending doom?

Oh! She opened her eyes in surprise. It was Obi-Wan's fear she'd sensed.

Confused now, Buffy took in the man sat next to her. His focus was wholly on the building in front of them. To any passing stranger, they'd look at his face and think he was the epitome of Jedi serenity, but Buffy knew Obi-Wan better than that. His face was pale, there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead and around hands still gripping the steering paddle, were moist patches from sweaty palms. He was a Jedi, they didn't react like this. This wasn't normal. What was causing it?

Her attention went back to the building. Brow furrowed, thinking furiously. Her Spidey sense wasn't picking up vampires but it did tell her there was something icky about the place. Something left behind... It felt like... Magic? Dark Magic?

And then, she knew.

It was the Dark Side. Jar Jar's secret apartment radiated the Dark Side of the Force. Through their bond, she'd got an inkling of what it felt like to a Jedi. For Obi-Wan, who'd become attuned to the Light Side of the Force since a baby, it must be a thousand times worse. No wonder he was so wigged out.

She reached out to him, unlacing his fingers from the speeder paddle, taking his hand and holding it in hers. Through their link, she sent wave after wave of soothing reassurance and gave him a small smile. ~Don't worry. I've got this.~

Out loud she said, “Jar Jar has Dark Side stuff in there, doesn't he?”

Obi-Wan nodded gravely. “Something bad.”

It made sense. As soon as Jar Jar came near her on board the Valiant she'd known his true nature. Her Slaydar had warned that he wasn't simply a vampire but a Sith vampire. One who participated in the darkest rituals.

“You stay here,” she said. “I'll be fine going in on my own. The Dark Side doesn't bother me the way it bothers you.”

Her words galvanized the Jedi into action. “No,” he replied. “I shan't let you go inside on your own.”

Releasing her hand, Obi-Wan climbed out of the speeder and swept off his brown robe with an artistic flourish. He threw it into the back of the craft. “I have no fear of the Dark Side, nor am I in any danger from it. We shall go inside together.”

He flounced off towards the door and Buffy, trailing behind watching him, wondered who he was trying to convince? Her or himself?

........


	135. Dangers Untold

Obi-Wan stood at Buffy's side, watching the numbers on the elevator's display panel change as the turbolift rose towards the Gungan's floor. The Jedi projected an appearance of calm, but his mind was filled with anxiety at what they might discover. Something dark and vile lay hidden in this building. Something so at odds with the Force that it sent Obi-Wan off balance, causing his fear of falling to the Dark Side to resurface.

Outside as he'd sat in the speeder, his mind had become clouded by fears and doubts. He'd fought back. Using his connection to the Light Side, first to re-balance himself and then, once his emotions were under control, to shield himself from Dark Side influence. Yet even now, with the shielding firmly in place, the sensation of the Dark Side was akin to having a broken tooth. No matter how hard he tried to avoid it being in contact with it, the wrongness of its presence made him constantly aware of it.

It was there and he'd reason to be wary. Past experience had shown he wasn't as centered in the Light Side of the Force as he'd once believed. Had the Dark Side lulled him into complacency? Or his own inflated vanity and pride? Whatever the cause, he must never forget how easy it was to fall under its influence. His attention went to Buffy. Their fight wasn't something he'd easily forget. Especially since the large crack on his living room wall served as a daily reminder of how close he'd come to losing everything.

He looked at her face, wondering what she was thinking. Her face was set in a determined expression, but apart from that, it didn't give much away. She seemed to be dealing with this remarkably calmly. He concentrated, reaching out through their bond, trying to work out if she was hiding her nerves. If anything, it wasn't anxiety but eagerness he sensed as she studied the changing numbers on the display across from her.

She'd known he'd been having doubts. He hadn't said anything on landing, but she'd known his internal struggle and felt his weakness. She'd even offered to explore the Sith's apartment without him. A selfless offer made from compassion, but he'd instantly been affronted by the suggestion. What sort of man would that make him? Waiting safely, while the woman he loved faced untold dangers all by herself!

Sensing his brooding, Buffy nudged him gently. “It's going to be fine. The Slaydar says no vamps nearby. We can sneak in, snoop, and sneak out again. Job done in no time at all.”

“Yes. Of course. We shall...be... fine.” He'd wanted the statement to sound confident. Instead, his words were pathetic.

Buffy gave him a sideways look but didn't comment. For which Obi-Wan was grateful. If she asked him how he was feeling, he was afraid the dam inside him would burst. That he'd break down and admit his fear of losing control and letting her down once again.

She sidled closer, until her side pressed against him, providing him with the comfort of physical contact. Nothing too open. Nothing too obvious. Like him, she was careful not to bring attention in any way to their forbidden relationship. There was a security camera in this lift. They'd both spotted it as soon as they'd walked in.

Buffy then sent wave after wave of reassurance through their bond. Her faith in him not to repeat past mistakes. Her confidence that he'd know right from wrong and not be lured. Her love for him was not misplaced. The knot of worry inside him eased, and his shielding and balance with the Force became steadier. She'd far more experience in dealing with the Dark Side than anyone he knew. If she was confident he could handle it, he must be.

Across from them, a shiny metal plate covered part of the turbolift wall. Obi-Wan stared at their reflection, comparing himself to Buffy. The distorted image showed an elegant Slayer with immaculate hair, standing alongside a sweaty Jedi with an unshaven face and untidy hair. Obi-Wan quickly ran his hand through his hair, smoothing it back into place. He glanced sheepishly at Buffy, but she was fiddling with her bra shoulder strap. Obi-Wan found himself staring at her in the reflection as she busied herself. Marveling at why she'd fallen for him and not someone else.

He knew it wasn't because she was in awe of his Jedi powers. There were others with more amazing Force abilities. Nor did he have a charismatic and easy-going personality. Even Qui-Gon used to say he was over-cautious, pedantic, and had an annoying tendency to stubbornness. He wasn't as good looking as Quin either. Quin with his rakish looks and facial tattoos always caused excitement wherever he went. So why him? He frowned, he still couldn't figure it out.

She looked up, met his eyes in the reflection, and the special smile she used only with him appeared. Her fingers touched and then trailed across the palm of his hand and he closed his hand around them. Unable to help himself, the corners of his lips tugged upwards into an embarrassingly goofy grin.

The grin seemed to encourage Buffy. His eyes widened. She was sending graphic images through their link. Smoochies in the Jedi Temple High Council turbolift? Yoda's face if he caught them? He bit his bottom lip, trying to stop the bark of explosive laughter. All thoughts of the Dark Side driven away by the force of her personality. He was still thinking about Buffy's images when he came to stand in front of the Sith vampire's door.

…..

The door of Jar Jar's secret hideaway slid open with a soft hiss. Normally, both the Jedi and Slayer would have darted inside, but neither Jedi or Slayer moved. Instead, their expressions went from curiosity to astonishment to gloomy.

“Poo! This place stinks like a dead zombie cat,” complained Buffy, holding her nose. She'd tramped through a lot of sewers during her time in Sunnydale, but this was much, much worse. What had Jar Jar been doing in there? “Have you got a peg for my nose? Otherwise, I'm gonna have to hold it with one hand all the time I'm in there.”

Obi-Wan didn't answer. He listened to her silently, part of him wondering when she'd encountered a zombie cat while the rest of his brain took in the mess that was the Gungan's living room. She was right about the smell. His eyes were watering and he'd got a foul taste in his mouth. It appeared Jar Jar didn't believe in housekeeping. Or tidiness. Every surface area in the room was covered trash, broken furniture, electronic parts, dirty plates, and take-away food wrappers. Food had been trodden into the floor and insects flew or scuttled through the debris.

Trying to avoid the larger mounds of trash, Obi-Wan gingerly stepped inside and took a good look around him. It didn't look any better. In fact, it felt worse. A large bug ran across his foot and his lip curled. The place was filthy and bug-ridden. It would be like searching the trash heaps in the lowest levels of Coruscant. Even with several people helping them search it could take days to find anything.

He turned his attention from the rubbish to the doorways leading off the room. Most likely they'd be a kitchen, refresher, and bedroom. Would the rest of the rooms be in this state? The thought of sifting through the mounds of decay looking for hidden clues was repulsive.

“This place looks like something from an episode of Extreme Hoarders,” said Buffy, having abandoned holding her nose and picking her way into the room. “I don't think he'll get his deposit back.”

She pushed the bottom of a towering pile of Senate papers with her toe. The tower teetered, collapsing towards her. Buffy's fast leap back avoided the avalanche but caused her to step into a moldering pool of food. She stared down at her shoes in horror.

“Try not to make a mess while we're in here,” Obi-Wan scolded.

“Huh?” Shocked, Buffy pulled her attention from her shoe, gaping at him until she spotted the sparkle in his eyes. “Oh, nice one, Ubi. You definitely had me then. That's because you took advantage of the fact my brain's sorta stuttered to a halt. You know, seeing as my BRAND NEW fashionable shoes have become smothered in...” she twisted her head so that she could read the upside-down label on one of the takeaway containers. “Extra Crunchy Russa Snails in delicious sea salt and drelt weed sauce. Ugh. Yeah, that. The shocks killed my brain activity off.”

“That shouldn't have been too difficult for it,” snarked Obi-Wan, his grin teasing as he shot her a look from over his shoulder. He strode off towards the furthest doorway, trash squelching out from under his boots.

“Hey!” her objection only softly made. Relieved to see him back to his sarcastic self after all the dark broodiness.

“I'll search his...” Obi-Wan paused in the doorway, eyeing the room in front of him, “...bedroom,” he finally finished. He wasn't able to see the bed, but he supposed if he dug deep enough he'd come across it. There was a large mound of stained clothing, papers, pillows, and twisted bedding in the center of the room, the bed most likely lay hidden beneath it all. He grimaced, then entered the room.

Buffy stared around her, then focused her attention on the doorways on her side of the room. They'd probably be the refresher and the kitchen area. Deciding which to explore was really no contest. “I'll take the kitchen,” she called out. “Hoping for less oozy food waste in there.”

She didn't feel up to exploring the Gungan's bathroom. Uh-huh, no way. She wasn't paid enough even as Darth Vader to face any of the dark relics he might have left behind in there.


	136. The Road To Hell

“Buffy!”

Buffy heard the squeak of excitement in Obi-Wan's voice and felt the tingle of elation down their bond. The sneaky Jedi must have sniffed out the Dark Side or found something interesting. She stopped prodding the weird green lump growing from a pile of paperwork and walked out into the living room.

“In the bedroom,” directed Obi-Wan. Not that she needed directions. It wasn't as if she couldn't sense him or hadn't seen him go in there five minutes before.

Carefully tiptoeing through the midden that was Jar Jar's living room, she came to a surprised halt at the bedroom door.

“Oh!” That was unexpected. To her left, behind a mirrored door forming part of a built-in closet, a secret room led off from the main bedroom. From where she stood, she wasn't able to see very far into the room, but it looked as if Ubi-Doo had hit the Sith vampire jackpot.

She hurried past the heaps of dirty clothes, smelly shoes, and stained bedding. Stepping through the closet and into the hidden room. Taking a good look around the large and relatively trash-free room. Most likely, this was supposed to serve as a second bedroom, but the layout had been altered and now this room was being used for a very different purpose.

Someone, she was assuming Jar Jar since it was his apartment, had painted a large magic circle onto the floor in white paint. The main caster's circle was surrounded by intersecting smaller circles. Each of the smaller circles contained arcane symbols and chicken scratch marks which she supposed was writing. Buffy had no idea what they translated to but she bet their purpose was for creepy dark magic.

Surrounding the main circle, lay a ring of tall gutted candles, while small piles of ash from a burnt substance were spread around the area intermittently.

She looked back to the caster's circle. Buffy had seen these in use before but this one contained something different. Back in her own dimensions a lot of magic spells used the pentagram symbol. Willow had explained its importance to her many times. Yet here, a very different symbol was in use. A hexagon. A linear six-pointed star lay inside the hexagon and placed at the very center, was a shallow bowl. A bowl containing a pale-colored, coarse substance. Sand? Or roughly ground bones?

“It doesn't matter what dimension you're in,” Buffy remarked to the Jedi who was crouched beside the circle, “a creepy dark ritual place always looks like a creepy dark ritual place.”

Obi-Wan hardly heard her. He stared at the Sith Order symbol painted inside the circle, his face grim. This was more than he'd expected to find. As a Jedi, he felt out of his depth and floundering when confronted with ancient Sith rituals. Unclipping his datapad, he began recording images of the area, paying particular attention to the hieroglyphs that were written into the smaller circles. The Jedi Council needed to see this.

“Ugh! I always thought the guy was a creep but I never thought he'd stoop so low,” Buffy continued, moving away from the circle and crossing to the other side of the room.

Her words made the Jedi pause his recording. In the past, Obi-Wan had joked that Jar Jar was a pathetic life form, but he'd never have expected him to fall so far from the light. “You're correct. It does appear that he's conducted the basest Sith rituals in here. That explains the feeling of revulsion I felt when I first sensed it through the Force.”

Buffy frowned and tutted. “I didn't mean the summoning circle! That's a totally normal thing for the Creepies to do. You see it all the time. Heck, even Andrew was good at summoning stuff when he went through his weird phase. Anyone can summon demons. It's getting rid of them that's the problem. No, I'm talking about all these photos of me pinned up on the wall. Look.”

The Jedi's head jerked up. He'd not even noticed the far wall, the Sith circle had taken up all his attention from the moment he'd laid eyes on it. Obi-Wan rose swiftly to his feet and crossed the room to see what was upsetting her so much.

On the wall furthest from the door, was pinned holophoto after holophoto of Buffy. They'd been taken from a distance and over many months. Obi-Wan noticed some had been shot during the fight with Jango Fett on top of the Jedi Council Chamber roof. He narrowed his eyes at that. Disliking the fact someone had been wanting to capture the moment of her kill or capture for future viewing.

“You just never know when some weirdo is out there, taking photos of you, do you?” Buffy leaned across the cabinet that lay below the holopics, peering at a row of pictures of her and Palpatine together. It seemed Jar Jar also liked downloading pictures from news sites as well as doing his own stalking.

Obi-Wan scowled at the photos. Then his attention was caught by something else. On top of the cabinet Buffy was leaning against, was a holoprojector. It was preloaded with a datachip. What had they been looking at?

“Ugh, why has he got so many of me and Palpatine together?” Buffy continued, annoyed. She didn't notice the Jedi's attention had moved on to something else. “I think most of these have come from CNN's gossip channel. It's been forecasting me marrying Palpatine for months. There's been a regular feature. It keeps showing wedding dresses, talking about honeymoon destinations, and making out we've been looking at family homes together. As if we want to start a big family! I think Palpatine is behind it all. He thinks that by putting me under a lot of pressure I'll...” She trailed off as a sudden whirring noise came from beside her.

She blinked. A shiver ran up her spine as a strong sense of deja vu hit her. Obi-Wan was standing inside a projected star map. She'd seen him do that before somewhere.

The Jedi walked to and fro within the galaxy, projected stars and planets moving across his face. Every so often Obi-Wan stopped, raised his hand to make an expanding movement and took special note of planets or moons that had a notation made against them. Buffy could almost see his brain working, taking in the information, making connections, coming up with theories...

“What's the what, Starman?” she asked chirpily, after watching him for another minute or so. “You know I'm not very good with astro-ography. It wasn't my strong point at school either. Not that we had much space exploration going on. It was more like China or Ottawa.”

Obi-Wan rubbed his unshaven face, stroking the bristles on his chin thoughtfully. “These planets that have been highlighted... They all currently have a strong Jedi Service Corps presence.”

“What's the Jedi Service Corps?” Buffy asked. She was surprised he'd not pulled her up and given her a lecture on astrometrics and the use of star maps in this dimension. He must believe he was onto something important to forgo a lecture.

Obi-Wan's brow wrinkled in confusion. “I thought you knew about the service corps?”

She shook her head. “You need to do the splainy.”

“The Jedi serve not only as knights and ambassadors of peace in the galaxy but also in the service corps. The service corps is divided into agricultural, medical, educational and explorational.” Buffy noted the sour inflection on the word 'agricultural' but didn't interrupt him. “Some members of the Jedi have an interest in these areas, so they serve either permanently or temporarily. The corps also house padawans and initiates who either fail their trials or those unable to find a master to continue their training. The Council of Reassignment is responsible for their placement within the corps.”

“So those who bomb out at schoolwork get shipped off to serve elsewhere?” asked Buffy. Feeling Obi-Wan's wince through their bond, she continued slowly. Feeling her way, not wanting to upset him, “The Council of Reassignment... they sent you to one of those places didn't they?”

He nodded, not looking at her. Instead, his eyes remained on the star map. “Since I was without a master by the age of thirteen they sent me to Bandomeer.” He raised his hand and touched the planet. “As you can see it's been highlighted on this map. It's primarily an agricultural and mining planet-.”

“Those Jedi Temple idiots!” snapped Buffy, outraged for him. She could imagine him as a young boy, most likely like a shy Willow, too nice for his own good. Obi-Wan would have assumed he wasn't good enough for them and taken it to heart. “Freakin' know-it-all councils are all the same. How could anyone look at you and think you weren't special?” She didn't wait for an answer. “You're their best Jedi, ever. That Yoda, he thinks he's so smart he can write fortune cookies. Ha! This shows he doesn't know his...”

“Hush.” Obi-Wan held up a finger to shush her. Pleased at the speed she'd leaped to his defense, yet not wanting her anger. Anger was one of the ways the Sith drew on the Dark Side, and it was important not to let a new Force user like Buffy to do anything to endanger herself. Although Obi-Wan had a feeling her status as the Slayer gave her a degree of immunity that a Jedi didn't have.

Looking into green eyes, bright with fury on his behalf, he considered his own feelings. The memory of his failure to impress the knights and masters at the Temple had always stung and embarrassed him. Until now.

“I admit it upset me at the time, but it's passed. The Force forged a different path for me and brought me to where I stand this day.” He tilted his head and gave her a warm, almost shy smile. “Which is here with you. I don't regret it.”

Buffy's anger died away. There was truth shining in his calm blue eyes. She felt the soft brush of reassurance followed by the intoxicating rush of love and desire through their bond. Jar Jar's apartment seemed to vanish, the Dark Side no longer registered on their senses, and there was only to the two of them embraced inside the Force. Their Force bond binding them tighter and tighter, before reality hit and they remembered where they stood.

Obi-Wan focused on the here and now. He'd forgotten to ask Buffy something important. “Do you think, the...” what had she called it? Ah, yes. “ … the 'summoning circle' is the cause of the disturbance in the Force? Or is there something else we've yet to uncover? The Dark Side distorts all. It feels akin to walking inside a thick fog when I try to pinpoint its origin. What does your Slayer sense tell you?”

“I'll see what the Slay detector says.” Buffy closed her eyes and concentrated, slowly turned in a circle. Her Slaydar was more attuned to find vampires and demons than Sith artifacts, but if there was something icky nearby, there was a good chance she'd be able to locate it.

Opening her eyes, she pointed at the cabinet. “There. We've not looked in there. The spidey senses say go for the obvious place if you want dark relics.”

The doors were locked but she knew that wouldn't bother Obi-Wan, not with his expert lock picking skills. Sure enough, the Jedi flicked his wrist in the cabinet's direction, there was a loud click, and both doors swung open. Buffy crouched down to look inside. As far as she could make out, there was only one thing in the cabinet. It was a large plastic box, around three feet in length.

They both moved at the same time. Each taking hold of one side of the box, sliding, and lifting the container. Placing it onto the floor, they took a step back. Obi-Wan wiped his hands on his long tunic, unconsciously trying to remove the sensation of contamination from his skin.

Buffy stretched out her leg and prodded the box with her foot. “There's gonna be something nasty in there, isn't there?”

“Very much so,” he replied. When he'd touched the box he'd been hit by an icy blast of the Dark Side. He knew without examining the contents the Jedi Temple needed to be contacted urgently. He wondered what time it was on that sector of Coruscant and if there'd be anyone around senior enough to take his message. “I suspect it contains a very dark Sith artifact. Items like this have been discovered before and the Jedi have a specialized team in place to deal with them.”

“Deal with them?”

“To collect and neutralize, in one way or another,” he elaborated.

“By neutralize, do you mean like they did to the sparkly lightsaber I found in the Sith's coffin drawer?” asked Buffy. She eyed the box. It felt too heavy for a lightsaber but there might be other stuff in there as well. She wouldn't mind another lightsaber to add to her growing collection. As far as she was concerned, you could never have too many lightsabers or too many shoes to choose from. Last time they'd found a lightsaber they'd fobbed her off. Telling her she'd end up with metal legs if she kept it. If Jar Jar had a fancy lightsaber inside that box, she wasn't going to give it up so easily again.

Obi-Wan considered her question, his focus on the box and its mysterious contents. “Darth Desolate's lightsaber was dismantled and it's crystal destroyed. I'm not sure what methods they use to neutralize ordinary items.”

Qui-Gon had told him that the Jedi had ways of removing the effects of the Dark Side of the Force from contaminated objects. He'd only been young at the time and hadn't been interested. Obi-Wan did know that the Sith holocrons were never destroyed, instead, they were placed into a special room inside the Jedi Temple where only the masters could go.

He looked at Buffy's hopeful face. She'd had sulked for a long time about Darth Desolate's lightsaber. She'd claimed she wanted to keep it and start a collection. Well, that wasn't going to happen! “We aren't keeping any more Sith lightsabers! One Mr Sparkly is quite enough for anyone!”

“Spoilsport!” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Why do the Sith have all the cool stuff? I think I've got an affinity for the Sithy stuff. And it seems to like me.”

“You'd better not have,” muttered Obi-Wan. “I've already noticed the Sith like you far too much for my comfort.”

She grinned at him, unchastened.“What can I say? Demons, vampires, and now the Sith wanting me. I guess I'm just lucky like that.”

Deciding she was teasing, Obi-Wan ignored the comment and considered the box in front of them once more. “Now the question is, shall we open the box ourselves or leave it for the High Council? Letting the Council deal with it is by far the safer option. Perhaps we should contact them before proceeding further? We can wait for their decision.”

“I don't see why they should have all the fun. We do all their dirty work...” she wrinkled her nose as she thought about the filthy apartment, “...then they march in, snatching the good stuff from under our noses.” Without warning, she darted forward unclipping the lid. She threw up the lid, springing backward in case something dark and creepy jumped out at her.

Nothing pounced from the box and a deep silence fell over the chamber.

The box contained three grinning human skulls, their empty eye sockets staring sightlessly at the Jedi and the Slayer.

Obi-Wan brought up in a culture where the dead were cremated, swallowed back the uneasy feeling the sight caused him. To Buffy, they were nothing to get excited about. She'd grown accustomed to seeing skeletons regularly when she'd patrolled Sunnydale's graveyards.

To Obi-Wan's annoyance, Buffy whispered dramatically, “I see dead people.”

Obi-Wan folded his arms and gave her a reprimanding look. “There's nothing to joke about here. What you did, rushing in and opening the box, was very foolish. Jar Jar could have placed a booby-trap inside it.”

She gave an unconcerned shrug. “It saved waiting around for the Council's permission.”

They both stared thoughtfully at the skulls once more.

“I wonder if Jar Jar had any close friends who've gone missing?” Buffy mused. “Or do you think these are random skeletons he's found lying around...Wait! Don't most planets cremate their dead?” She stepped over to the skeletons to examine them.

“These are old ones,” replied Obi-Wan. He put his revulsion to one side and coming to stand alongside her. “Most likely stolen from Sith tombs for use in Dark Side rituals or to try to tap into the power of their original owners.” He looked across to where the circle was drawn onto the floor. “Do you think he was trying to resurrect them?”

Buffy followed his gaze. That bowl she'd first assumed was full of sand. She'd a feeling her second guess was right. “I think that bowl in the center is full of pulverized bones. He might have been using it to try to summon their spirits. Maybe he thought he'd be able to control them? Could he control a Force ghost?”

“I'm not sure.”

Neither she nor Obi-Wan spoke, both thinking of the mayhem Jar Jar could create with an army of Force ghosts at his disposal.

“He might have been trying to raise their ghosts and gain long lost knowledge,” said Obi-Wan. “My research in the Archives showed the Sith were fanatical in their search for power. They would let nothing stand in their way.”

“Talking of knowledge, is that one of those Sithy holocron?” she asked, pointing to a pyramid-shaped object that lay right at the back of the cabinet. Neither of them had seen it when they'd pulled out the bone container. It was only the light reflecting off its surface as they talked that made her notice it.

Obi-Wan reached in and withdrew the small object. Opening his hand he looked down at the pyramid-shaped device. It appeared to be made of the same material as the more familiar Jedi holocrons. Obi-Wan rubbed the crystal and dark metal with his thumb, feeling the intricately worked ornate hieroglyphs that were carved across its surfaces. From deep within its depths a blood-red glow flashed sinisterly before fading. A trick of the light? Obi-Wan turned the pyramid-shape over, and over, fascinated by the holocron and the unfamiliar writing. He didn't feel any lingering remnants of the Dark Side attached to it. If anything its aura felt similar to the holocrons contained in the Jedi library, only its shape and hieroglyphs were different.

“Andrew told me the ancient Sithy ones are often pyramid-shaped,” Buffy explained to him. “He says the Sith placed all their darkest secrets inside them and only certain people can access them.”

She watched the Jedi turning the object around in his hands. The archaic writing on the sides clearly had him spell-bound. She hoped he wasn't going to go Gilesey on her and start making a habit of collecting old demon books, manuscripts, and relics.

The Jedi lifted the holocron up to the light and peered into its depths. “Anything Sith related needs to be turned over to the Jedi High Council.”

The thought of relinquishing the holocron caused a flash of resentfulness in Obi-Wan. The small device felt warm and solid in his hands. It might have been created by a Sith, but it certainly didn't resonate with the Dark Side like he'd been told it would. Was that because it was only a simple recording device? If he gave this to the Council, they'd most likely go into a huddle, lock it away, and he'd never have a chance at discovering its secrets. Knowledge was power, and with that power they could free themselves from the Sith vampire threat. He slipped the holocron into a pocket on his utility belt. He'd like the chance of examining it further, before handing it over to the Council.

“What about the dead bodies?” asked Buffy, gesturing to the skeletons. “Do we take them with us?”

Her words jolted him from all thoughts of opening the holocron. “We are certainly not taking those skeletons back to our room!”

He shot her his most repressive glare. She'd better not try to argue. He'd not forgotten how she'd collected Troglodyte body parts, took them back to the Jedi Temple disguised in shopping bags, and then asked to store them inside his fridge. He wasn't sure which was worse, oozing body parts contaminating his food or Sith Lord skulls grinning at him during the night.

He looked around the room considering the best course of action to take. The apartment needed to be secured before Jar Jar came back and took things away. “I'll send a message to the Jedi Temple as soon as we get back to the palace. They'll arrange for the apartment to be placed on lockdown and no doubt send the Jedi Archaeology team out to secure these items and search for others.”

“Good idea,” said Buffy. “They probably need to do an archaeological dig through all Jar Jar's junk. It should keep them busy for months.”


	137. Jedi Milkshake

Once arriving at the palace, Buffy and Obi-Wan had gone straight to Communications Room. They'd contacted the Jedi Temple and been put on hold by the person taking their call. Forced to wait their turn to speak with Jedi High Council.

Since getting through, to what Buffy presumed was the Jedi Temple switchboard, they'd been subjected to a musical selection. First of all 'Rainfall in an Alien Forest', followed by 'Song of the Serenno Robin', and now playing was a repetitive noise that sounded like a bell underwater. It was slowly but surely was getting on her nerves.

“What's the what with the strange donging sounds?” Buffy asked, puzzled by the noise broadcast through the Temple connection.

“It's a form of meditational music,” replied Obi-Wan. “I think this one is called Chimes from an Outer Rim Planet. The Temple always play it when you're put on hold. It's supposed to calm and clear your mind so you'll be able to make a clear and concise report.”

“You mean, it isn't meant to drive you insane and cause you to strangle someone?”

“No!” The Jedi folded his arms and shot her a cross look. “Please don't tease me. Or put strange ideas into my head. You know how much I dislike being interviewed by the Council.”

He didn't say anything further, but Buffy knew facing the Jedi Inquisition made him nervous. She also knew why. Obi-Wan worried in case they delved into his brain, saw that he had a love life, and threw him out the Order for having more fun than them. Since destroying his career was the last thing she wanted, she decided to distract him. A song may help take his mind off his worries.

After taking a moment to decide on the best song, Buffy began to sing, “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like, it's better than yours.”

Obi-Wan eyes slid over to her, and she smirked back at him. She raised her voice, getting into the song, “Damn right it's better than yours. I can teach you, but I'd have to charge.”

Obi-Wan tutted loudly. Deciding that her singing might be a cover for her nerves, he thought it better to ignore her. He needed to continue making a mental list of points that needed to be raised in the coming interview. It was difficult enough keeping everything straight in his head without the noise of her singing and the donging.

“I know you want it,” Buffy nudged him, trying to get him to look at her, but the Jedi ignored her, staring stonily straight ahead. Undeterred, she sang on, “The thing that makes me. What the guys go cra-zy for.”

Her words reminded Obi-Wan of the Sith Lord. He broke in, “I don't think it's worth mentioning to the Council how you accidentally got engaged to Palpatine.”

Buffy nodded, but continued to sing, “They lose their minds, the way I wind, I think it's time.”

“Also remind me,” Obi-Wan continued as if he couldn't hear the singing, “to ask about the dark shape caught on the security recording on board the Valiant. It's playing on my mind. They've had time to enhance it and it's something I'd like your opinion on.”

Buffy nodded again, “ La la, la la, la, Warm it up, The boys are waiting, La la, la laaaa.....” her song trailed off, as she realizing the donging had finished.

They were now surrounded by holoimages of the Jedi High Council. Each master sat in his or her respective chair, their faces dour, staring at them. Not that most of them had happy faces to start out with.

Obi-Wan bowed low. To show she wasn't entirely without manners, Buffy turned slowly and gave each master a wave. Some loosened up enough to wave back, others nodded or smiled. Yoda scowled. She guessed he must be having one of his bad days. His joints might be aching or else someone had sneaked in and peed in his swamp.

“Knight Kenobi and Buffy Summers,” Yoda intoned grimly, as if a judge about to pronounce a death sentence.

They were obviously not his favorite power couple. To show she still didn't care, Buffy called out, “Not Guilty!”

Horrified at her lack of respect, Obi-Wan openly prodded her arm and shushed her. Buffy smirked. Well, at least he no longer had any concerns the Council would pick up on his love for her. If the masters probed his brain they'd only find exasperation.

“Did you hear my song?” she couldn't resist asking the assembled Jedi. “If not, I can sing it again for you. It's about... erm, milkshake.”

“We heard a small part,” admitted Mace Windu. As soon as he'd noticed Buffy with Obi-Wan, he'd smoothed the skin back on his bald head, straightened his robes, and leaned forward in his chair. “It was enough to show us you have a voice like a siren's call.”

Buffy shuffled uneasily, unsure if he was insulting her. She'd sung to demons in the past and no one had ever complained or said her voice sounded like a screechy alarm system. She eyed Nick Fury, who was smiling warmly at her. “Oh, you mean like a Siren! The mythical creatures that lured travelers to their deaths with their songs. Awww, thanks, Nick. That's very sweet of you to say so.”

She gave him one of her widest smiles and the Jedi master blinked, feeling dazzled.

“Here to make a report she is, hmm? Sending Jedi to death with her song, she is not.” Yoda's ears hung down, his expression distrustful as he looked from the Slayer to his befuddled second-in-command.

“Yeah, that's right,” replied Buffy breezily. “Reporting are us. We've both been looking forward to it all day. Obi-Wan was that excited he had to take a tablet to calm himself down.”

“A joke, Masters,” retorted Obi-Wan. “I haven't taken any tablets.” He gave Buffy the evil eye and told her to shush once more. The last thing he needed was for her to start asking if he'd starred in any movies about drug addiction or trainspotting.

Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, put a hand to his mouth and disguised a laugh with a covering cough. “Buffy, have you any further information regarding the Naboo victims killed by the vampires?” he asked. He crossed his legs, showing off his best pair of boots. “You were asked to investigate in your capacity as Lord Vader. It being part of your official Republic duties to hunt them down.”

“I've got all the info, but I've not had a chance to check out the locations yet,” replied Buffy. She pulled an apologetic face. “I'd a busy day yesterday. There was a mix-up in the rooms that caused...” she trailed off, next to her Obi-Wan tensed. She wasn't supposed to mention her entanglement with Palpatine in his bedroom and their accidental engagement.  
“ Ugh, yeah, a mix up that needed sorting out. Anyway, it was a stressful day. Then I couldn't go this morning as I'd a hair appointment. Padme pulled a few strings and got me a cancellation at Hair Trix. I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but it's an exclusive hair and beauty salon. Trix did all the layers and highlights himself.”  
She turned in a slow circle and flicked her hair to show off the cut. “You probably can't tell in this lighting, but the guy's a maestro with the hair dye. If I wasn't Lord Vader and the Queen of the Naboo hadn't commed him directly I'd never have got an appointment.”

There was silence in the chamber as the Jedi master's digested this unusual information.

Obi-Wan shuffled his feet and looked at the floor. Hoping, he wouldn't receive a lecture in the future for allowing Lord Vader to go off to beauty salons when she should be working. Then again, he didn't see any of the masters rushing to tell her off. They were all amazingly quiet. Obi-Wan wondered if she'd managed to paralyze their brains with the subject of hairstyling. The thought almost made him laugh. Knowing the masters might sense his amusement he smothered it and tried to think of something more serious. It would probably be a good time to make his report.

Obi-Wan bowed once more to Master Yoda and began. “Masters, Buffy and I intend to search the vampire attack sites later tonight, after dark. Buffy says that's the best time to look for vampires.”

Besides him, Buffy nodded but didn't interrupt.

He continued, “We've made great progress in our investigations so far. Since my last report, I've tracked down and questioned the crewmember from the Valiant. You will remember my concerns regarding the timing of the interference on the security recordings?”

None of the masters answered him or asked questions, so he plowed on.

“Amba Kroi was on duty at that time and is positive the surveillance system was working perfectly. She even reviewed it before sending it to Palpatine when he requested it from her. It showed footage of Jar Jar on the corridors and she also knew he'd left the ship before we landed. He'd the relevant official codes to use an escape pod and his trajectory showed he was headed to the opposite side of Naboo. I believe that, since later recordings had this information deleted, the Supreme Chancellor is the one responsible for its removal.”

“Palpatine could be working with the other Sith vampires,” mused Mace Windu. Elbows resting on his knees, he steepled his fingers in front of his face and rubbed his hands slowly against one another as he considered the matter. His dark eyes slid across to the Slayer, for the moment quietly standing by Obi-Wan's side. “Or, he may well be using the opportunity to place the blame on Buffy. He obviously wants her in his clutches, one way or another.”

“He might be investigating the vamps himself,” said Buffy thoughtfully. “Last night, I broke into Jar Jar's rooms in the palace. Not because I'm a thieving cat burglar by nature,” she explained quickly. “I was there looking for clues. While I was snooping I got an odd tingle on my Slaydar. Someone Force-jiggled the lock and came in to search for something. It wasn't a vampire tingle, but they'd done some something icky to hide their...er, Force presence. I don't know who it was, it could have easily been Palpatine. If he was in the dark about it and then found out Jar Jar is another undercover Sith he's not going to be a happy bunny.  
Anyway, I stayed under the bed until the creepy left. All I know is, he wore a long dark cloak and good quality footwear.”

“The Sith, good at masking themselves they are.” Master Yoda announced. to no one in particular and all in general. “Even from one another, it seems, hmm?”

Sensing Buffy taking offense, she'd begun to bristle with indignation next to him, Obi-Wan quickly asked, “The dark shadowy figure that appeared on the footage from the Valiant? Has it been enhanced? We thought it might show someone moving at Force speed.”

“It's not Palpatine.” Mace Windu looked glum. They'd all been hoping that the dark shadow would prove to be the Supreme Chancellor, then they'd have proof he was a Sith Lord. Windu pressed a button on his chair and the enhanced dark shadow was projected.

Obi-Wan was disappointed to see the tall, thin humanoid shadow looked nothing like Palpatine. It not only didn't have his face, but it also didn't appear to have any feet either. It seemed to be mainly an upper torso and the suggestion of a masked face, floating in midair.

“Eww, creepy demon manifestation alert,” Buffy said quietly. “It could be something Jar Jar's summoned.”

Obi-Wan shot Buffy a horrified look. It hadn't occurred to him that Jar Jar had completed the ritual. Was it a demon, Force ghost, or a resurrected Sith? What in the Force would they be dealing with now?

Buffy looked steadily back at him, her expression resigned. She'd gone from being the Chosen one to kill vampires and demons in one dimension and traded it for a similar destiny in another. It seemed the Powers That Be were playing with her.

Tugging his eyes off Buffy, Obi-Wan looked back to the masters. “Buffy found a key in Jar Jar's palace rooms.” He then explained how they found Jar Jar's secret apartment. How they'd discovered signs of a Dark Sith ritual and the skulls and bones they'd found. He transmitted all the recordings he'd made of the circle and hieroglyphs. And then, while they were looking at those, he told them of the star map and how planets with the Jedi Service Corps stationed on them had been highlighted by the Sith vampire.

The Council sat in deep silence as Obi-Wan's images and information unfolded in front of them.

“Uncovered much, you have. Good news for the Jedi it is not.” Yoda's voice was heavy with a deep sadness. He watched Mace Windu replaying the images of the summoning circle once again. “Service Corps will be alerted. Danger they may be in. Balance in the Force lost if Sith raise the dead.” His thoughts and gaze rested on Buffy. “What says the Slayer, hmm?”

“I don't know anything about the Sith,” replied Buffy. “I'm mainly trained in vampire and demon disposal. My instincts are telling me that I need to go to the Lake County and look for Jar Jar and his Big Bad boss there. Shmi told me there was an unusual death in that region, plus there are all the old Sith tombs and crystal caverns. Dark, creepy places are important for vampires.”

Buffy stared at the images of the summoning circle and the shadowy Force figure, projected in front of them all. “I think the Gungan's summoned something nasty. I'd like to know why? What for? Is it linked to one of the skeletons we found? Who were they? We need to find out what the spell is, reverse it or find a way to slay it. This is the part when the Slayer's Watcher normally gets involved. They do the research and the Slayer does the slaying.”

For some reason, she thought of Kendra. The Jedi would have liked Kendra. Her work was her life and she embraced it fully. Buffy added sadly, “Or they die in the process. Slayers tend to do that a lot.”

Pulling herself from her maudlin thoughts, Buffy looked around at the circle of masters. They were well out of their depth. She couldn't believe she was actually going to say this, but it really was a case of dire need. Taking a deep breath, she said the words she'd never thought she'd utter.  
“You need to bring Andrew in on this. He's had experience summoning the Dark Side and he'll be able to help you. Don't worry about the vamps. I'll dust those. I don't slay humans...”

She noticed Ko Ploon sitting across from her. The Kel Dor male watched her from behind his mask. If she'd met him in a Sunnydale alleyway, she'd have most likely killed him without thinking, but he was one of those in the Temple who'd always been kind to her. She continued, “Or non-demons in general. That means even though he's creepy and a Sith, Palpatine is your problem. Ugh, I don't want his blood on my stake.”

“The Jedi will deal with Palpatine,” said Mace, his face grim. “I'd like to be the one to arrest him.”

“Watch him for chucking people out of windows, Nick” replied Buffy, suddenly. “And zapping people with electric. Er, I've heard the Sith enjoy doing things like that.”

“Thank you, I shall bear it in mind,” said Mace.

“Masters,” Obi-Wan swished his robe and drew himself up. They'd all seemed to have forgotten the importance of this but him. “I feel it important Jar Jar's apartment is secured and a more intensive search is made in there. I didn't want to disturb the site too much, as-.”

“Obi-Wan was squeamish about bringing the skeletons back to his room,” broke in Buffy helpfully. She smiled at him and gave him a small nudge. “He thought they might come to life in the middle of the night and attack him with their teeth.”

To the Obi-Wan's embarrassment, the masters believed her and gave him an astonished look. Despite Obi-Wan being on his best non-emotional behavior, he muttered crossly, and through gritted teeth, “I did not.”

“You did so,” insisted Buffy. “You also insisted on closing the lid before we left the room. You claimed their eye sockets were watching you.” She smirked at the bemused masters. “But we couldn't have taken them with us anyway. We're booked on a shuttle to the Lake country tomorrow. It's no use taking excess baggage with us. You know what spaceports are like, they'll only charge us extra if we are overweight.”

Obi-Wan found himself rubbing at the back of his neck. He could feel the muscles cramping up under the stress.

Master Ki-Adi-Mundi's voice, was filled with amused sympathy. “Knight Kenobi, be assured we'll send a team to secure Jar Jar's apartment and explore it further. In the meantime, I'm sure you'll have fun in the Lake country and we'll all look forward to hearing both your next reports.”

Sensing a dismissal, Obi-Wan quickly bowed, and the connection cut. He didn't speak to Buffy as they turned and made their way to the exit. Out the corner of his eye, he could see her smirking. He eyed her warily.

“See,” she said, as they came to a halt at the chamber door. “With my crazy antics and your put-upon expression they'll never guess we've got a thing going on between us. There's no need to rush and thank me.”

Obi-Wan stood with his hand hovering over the control panel next to the door. He wasn't sure that being made a mockery of in front of the Jedi Council was the best way to divert attention from their forbidden attachment. He scowled and replied, “I wish you'd warned me.”

Buffy shrugged, “I didn't want to brain-text you. They might have picked up on it. Plus, it worked much better this way. Your face gets all contorted when you're exasperated with me. It gives them guilt for forcing me on you and they feel sorry for you.”

“I feel sorry for me,” said Obi-Wan, still cross. “I felt like an idiot in there. They'll probably dismiss me from the Order for being an imbecile.”

Buffy reached over and planted a kiss on the side of his scowling lips. “Come on, I'll make it up to you. Shmi sent me a message. One of the guests left early and she's got a nice room available with a balcony and everything. We can pick up the key and check out the room. I might even let you stay there tonight, if you're good.”

The Jedi sighed and hit the door release mechanism. As they walked out into the corridor, he swished his robe and protested, “I'm always good. I've got a reputation in the Temple for being good at being good.”

“Yeah, well, none of them know you as well as I do,” replied Buffy smugly. “And you're also good at being bad.”


	138. Knight At The Museum

Knight at the Museum

Buffy raced towards the dark spot between the two buildings, instinct driving her and spidey-sense demanding she go in that direction. She turned into the narrow alleyway, her pace hardly slowing despite the darkness in front of her. The only sounds were her own footsteps and those of her pursuer's behind her.

The area was silent. And it was the type of silence that worried her.

She and Obi-Wan had been following the information Shmi had given her. They'd come to the Cultural center of Theed, and been examining the site where a drained victim had been found when a distant scream reached Buffy's ears. She'd set off running, following her instinct and tuning into the screamer's direction, but there'd been no further cries. That was not good, especially since she knew she was getting close to the screams location.

It hadn't been a particularly desperate scream. Most people hearing it would have shrugged it off, maybe putting it down to a noisy party goer passing through the area. Buffy knew differently. There were fake screams and there were real ones. It had taken her a while to learn the difference, and she'd occasionally gotten red-faced bursting in on couples fooling around, but she'd learned. She had no doubt this one was the real deal. It was the scream of someone badly in need of a Slayer.

Would she get there in time? It had been her first thought. She was a fast runner, but the twisting Nabooan streets were new territory to her and she'd lost valuable time making mistakes. She'd only been running a few minutes when she'd hit a dead end and had to backtrack. Next, she made the mistake of climbing over a high wall, only to find out she had to wade through ankle-deep water to get back onto the main route. Both mistakes made Buffy feel stupid (not helped by Obi-Wan's irritated tutting down their bond), but it wasn't as if she knew the area. She knew Sunnydale like the back of her hand, but all she had here was her inner compass. It wasn't her fault someone had put buildings, walls, and watercourses in her way.

The passageway she ran through became darker the further she went. The moonlight wasn't penetrating far into the narrow space and there was no artificial lighting to light her way. Most humans would have crept cautiously along in the darkness, afraid of colliding or losing their footing. Buffy kept up her pace. Slayer night-vision helping her to see the twisting narrow path in front of her, while the Force assured firm footing as she ran.

In the dark, an abandoned shop advertisement board lay half propped against the wall. Buffy saw it and jumped. She seemed to hover in mid-air, before stretching out, landing gracefully and running on, following the sharply twisting alleyway winding between the buildings. As she rounded the next bend, the end of the alley came into sight. Her senses told her there was a large open space ahead and from the glow at the alley's mouth, it was well lit. She quickened her pace, keen to get into the open and continue her hunt.

This run reminded her of similar sprints during her teenage years. She'd be on her way home from the Bronze and a scream would set her off running. Of course, there were big differences between Naboo and the back alleys of Sunnydale. Less litter to start. Here she'd not come across a single stinky dumpster containing rotten food or had to jump over a row of overspilling trash cans.

Perhaps it was the lack of people that made her think of Sunnydale? In Sunnydale, if you'd any sense and wanted to live, you didn't venture out of doors at night. Here in the Cultural sector of Theed, everything was closed for the night and the tourists were long gone. There were no clubs or bars around here. Theed's nightlife was located in a section of the city closer to the spaceports and the downmarket hotels. The higher-end, more refined, entertainment such as the theatres and opera houses, were located nearer the palace.

The ginnel was getting brighter again, she was getting close to the entrance. Buffy slowed and, keeping in the shadows walked towards the opening.

A large boulevard opened before her. Large, classical-style buildings surrounded the space. Broad walkways lay in front of the public buildings, while at its center there was a park with trees, shrubs, flowers, and winding decorative pathways. From somewhere beyond the foliage, hidden in the darkness, came the tinkling sound of water as it cascaded its way over a fountain.

Back in her own dimension, it would have been the sort of place she'd have met up with Willow. They'd have sat on a bench, gossiping about school, their love life, and the latest demon problem. An ache of nostalgia hit her; the pain of losing good friends and family.

Fighting off the emotions, Buffy pulled herself back into the present and looked at the park more objectively. The surrounding street lights did little to light the place. The meandering pathway might be inviting during the day, but now was surrounded by menacing shadows. It looked like the sort of place you'd be mugged, either by the living or the dead. She probed the area with her senses. There were no vampires or demons in there now. It felt empty.

She turned her focus on the surrounding buildings, the museums, and the art galleries. All unlit, empty and shut for the night. Using her Slayer ability she felt out through the night, searching, searching, searching...

“Come on, come on,” she whispered. Where had the tingle on her Slaydar gone? The Sith were good at hiding but even they gave out the odd vibe she could usually detect.

She strained, listening for any sound. Nothing came from the area directly in front of her, and all she could hear from the ginnel was the sound of her pursuer's footsteps drawing closer. He'd be on her at any moment. She leaned back against the wall, waiting for him to make an appearance, while at the same time switching to the Force to check for nearby disturbances.

Obi-Wan came into view, his long robe flowing out behind him, slowing to a jog. He stopped next to her with an annoyed flick of his robes. “A little warning next time, Buffy,” he said smoothing his hair back into place.

She couldn't blame him for being cross. She'd been so intent on finding the owner of the scream and hunting the vamps that she'd taken off without saying a word. Obi-Wan wasn't a Slayer, he didn't have acute hearing nor did he have an inbuilt demon detector. Yet she knew through their link the Jedi wasn't completely in the dark. His own Force sensitivity had told him darkness and evil were afoot tonight.

“Sorry, I heard a scream and got a vampire blip.” She didn't say any more. Obi-Wan would know that once something triggered her spidey sense, she'd be off hunting. Speaking of which...

She stepped forward, her focus to their right and much further down the boulevard. “That way.” Buffy was about to take off again when Obi-Wan put out his arm and stopped her.

“Over to the center first.” He nodded to the park and the tree-lined walkway. “The darkness will provide us with cover.” Obi-Wan didn't wait for her to agree but took off without warning.

Buffy rolled her eyes at his move. She supposed now wasn't the best time to start arguing over who was in charge of vampire hunts. There was nothing wrong with his plan, but she was The Slayer. With a capital 'T' and a capital 'S'. Okay, he was a Jedi knight and this was his dimension but still...

She darted across to where he waited for her amongst the trees and together they took off down the path. The Jedi zoning in on the Force and the Slayer using her spidey senses.

This time they both heard the scream. Even Buffy felt the ripple of violence through the Force and besides her, the more sensitive Jedi tensed. Her Slaydar was going crazy so when Obi-Wan yanked her to a stop she could barely control her irritation.

“What now?” she hissed. There were vampires close by. They'd a victim. They hadn't time for this.

~ We'll come from behind and take them by surprise~

Obi-Wan took off, crossing the open walkway and heading for a gap between the buildings. Buffy restrained an eye roll. How did he know the layout of the streets and alleyways so well? She chased after him. After an early supper, he'd spent half an hour or so looking over the information she'd been given about the drained victims. They'd been found in this section of the city and there'd been a map, but even so, did he have a photographic memory or something?

Most of the Jedi knights and masters she'd met were intelligent and well educated. Was it a Force thing? Did it boost their intelligence? Or were they all natural grade A students?

Picking up her pace, she chased the blurry brown robe that was Obi-Wan. He was going fast. She decided he must be showing off. It was the sort of thing Obi-Wan would do. He'd preen himself, and proclaim smugly that showing off and getting revenge was beneath a Jedi, then sneakily do it anyway.

Running hard on his heels she followed him around the corner. Then almost collided into his back. The Jedi had stopped without warning.

~Gee thanks, Obi-Wan.~ she snarked, veering to avoid him. The bottom of her shoe skidded and her foot slipped. With an embarrassing flail of her arms and an undignified squeak, she crashed into the side of the building opposite.

Then, weirdly was thrown back off it. She almost overbalanced and it was only her catlike reflexes that enabled her to remain on her feet. Buffy blinked in surprise. That was strange. It almost felt as if she'd hit a crash mat not a stone wall.

She took a closer look at the building she'd collided with and realized the answer was staring her in the face. Covering the side of the building was an opaque, padded membrane. Buffy decided most likely it had another purpose other than a vertical crash mat. Underneath the thick membrane, she could make out scaffolding and building supplies. It looked as if it was being used to cover up the building work going on underneath it. The membrane would protect the wall and the construction team from bad weather and stop dust from the construction messing up the surrounding areas. It made sense. The Nabooans were very keen on keeping the place looking clean and pretty.

“Are you injured?” Obi-Wan asked looking over his shoulder. When she shook her head he added reprovingly, “Be mindful. Always use the Force to discern your surroundings and the positions of others. Don't let your need to always be first get the better of you.”

She was just about to make a sharp retort when he turned his back on her, examining the dark shape lying on the ground in front of him. Buffy took a step forward, to see around him, and stopped sharply. The low lighting in this narrow side passage helped hide the finer details, and for that she was thankful. Nothing hid the smell though. She'd no idea how she hadn't noticed it before.

It was the metallic smell that came from blood, a broken body, and violent death. Blood was splattered up the walls of the alley and across the paving beneath her feet. And the thing her foot had skidded on? Despite her experience with the grisly side of life, Buffy almost gagged. It was a coil of fresh intestines.

The body lay on its front in the alleyway. A human male dressed in security clothing, the tag on the back of his vest proclaiming he'd been a guard at the Jafan Museum. It was hard to see any more, even with her enhanced night vision and Buffy felt glad of it. By the look of him, he'd already had horrendous injuries before he'd fallen. Then, after hitting the ground, several large blocks had fallen onto him. But the question was, had he fallen or been thrown?

Buffy took a few careful steps back, making sure she didn't step in anything else, before looking upwards. Towards the top of the building, the covering membrane was torn. He must have been thrown from there with enough force to tear the thick membrane. As she stared at the cover, the torn sides rippling in the night breeze, the clouds covering the moons moved. Moonlight hit the building and behind the tear, she could see a gap in the structure of the building. Damaged during the Nabooan conflict? She'd heard Padmé, Sid and the other politicians discussing the rebuilding work that had been going on ever since the invasion.

Then, from high up and just inside the building came a whimper, quickly muffled. The hairs rose on Buffy's neck and arms as she felt the tingle on her spider senses.

“Up there,” she whispered and moving forward, “vampires.”

She pulled out a dagger from inside her coat and sliced a large hole in the covering membrane in front of her. Squeezing into enclosed space she looked about her at the scaffolding. Obi-Wan followed her through the gap.

“She's still alive,” he said quietly to her. “ I feel her terror but she isn't badly hurt.” She sensed rather than saw his shudder, “The Dark Side of the Force is in there and it feels repulsive. Do you feel it?”

She shook her head. “No, I just got the vampire tingles.”

He looked up through the scaffolding, considering the climb. “How many vampires are there?”

Her spidey senses weren't an exact science, but Buffy made a guess. “A few. Less than ten, more than three. It's hard to tell, especially since some weren't human to start off with.” Next to her was a ladder. She began to climb.

“This place should have more security than the single guard we found in the alley,” Obi-Wan kept his voice low as he climbed behind her. “Even if the building is closed to the public, there should be security droids and a good quality alarm system monitoring the building. Since no droids have come to investigate the death and no alarms can be heard, the vampires must have disabled the entire security system.”

“Great,” she replied, reaching the first level and turning to climb the next ladder. “Smart vampires. I hate that type. Give me the dumb ones that impale themselves on your stake any day.”  
She pulled herself onto another ladder. “This is a museum, something old has drawn them here. Some artefact promising dark power or someone dead they want to resurrect. They've not brought their kids here for an after school trip.”

“Why take a hostage? And what sense was there in torturing the guard and throwing him off the building? What did they gain by it?”

Buffy knew vampires didn't have the same kind of morals normal people had. They often had 'fun' with their victims before killing them. Some of them, like the vampire Angelus, made an art form of it.

“They're demons. Evil, cruel and probably soulless. My guess is they weren't hungry and thought it amusing to cut a guy open, throw him off a tall building, and then throw rocks at him.” She sighed as she reached for another ladder. “The one they've kept alive isn't a hostage. She's useful to them. Once she's served her purpose, they'll play with her, and then they'll kill her.”

They'd reached the level of the damaged outer wall and ducked inside the circular building, crossing to an inner door. Buffy felt oddly pleased to see it was made of wood and had hinges. Sliding doors were all well and good, but there was nothing like a hinged door for slipping through without someone noticing. Buffy leaned her shoulder against it and listened, before slowly twisting the handle.

It opened out onto a balcony that wrapped around the inside of the circular building. She scanned the other rooms on their level, decided no one was in there and then silently crept across the balcony. She stopped at the railings, her hands on the balustrade looking downwards.

~They're down there, out of sight.~ she didn't want to speak out loud.

~I sense them~ Obi-Wan came to stand beside her, his hand on the balustrade next to hers.

They both looked downward. Each floor below had a similar balcony running parallel to this one, enabling them to see all the way down to the ground floor. Buffy leaned further out, the vampires were there somewhere, her Slaydar was almost screaming at how close they were, but she couldn't see them.

She was yanked back without warning. Obi-Wan pulled her by the hand behind a tall carved pillar that held the balcony above them up. It wasn't a moment too soon. Although from there she couldn't see to the floor, a door opened at ground level and a group of vampires walked out onto the marble floor at the center of the rotunda. The sound of their shoes echoed around the building as they dragged a crying victim behind them. Hand in hand, both Jedi and Slayer leaned back against the column, staying out of sight.

Over the top of the whimpering came the soothing voice of an older man. His accent refined Coruscanti. “Hush, hush, there's no need for tears. And no escape. As you can see we are all Jedi here,” Obi-Wan's startled eyes met Buffy's, “and we wish you no harm. We're simply here to collect certain items from a list we have...”

“You... you killed Palo,” the woman cried. Her voice shook, but there was also a hint of stubbornness that pleased Buffy. “I saw... how you did it.”

“Ah, not I. My apprentices are not as restrained as I am,” the man continued. “But then, as a master, I'm better at keeping my emotions under tight control.”

A second voice, a female's, broke in with a menacing hiss, “Show us where these items are, else we'll play with you like we did the guard.”

“But... I don't know where those items are! I swear! We've not... We've not finished cataloging the Palpatine Estate exhibits.”

Someone laughed. A younger voice than the first vampire's and it held a trace of sarcastic amusement. “Oh, these won't be going on public display.”

The vampires seemed to find this funny as their laughter echoed around the chamber.

After a moment, the first speaker's voice cut through the laughter. Buffy felt an odd tremor in the Force as he began to speak. “Take us to where the Palpatine crates are stored. Then we shall let you go.”

There was a scuffling sound as someone below rose to their feet. “They've been put in the lower storage levels,” the woman's voice floated up. Buffy noticed she sounded calmer. “The power to the elevators is disabled. We need to take the stairs.”

When Buffy went to move away from the column, Obi-Wan's hand tightened around hers, pulling her against him. She paused, looking up into dark, troubled eyes.

“They say they're Jedi?” he whispered. That he was even asking her the question showed the vampire's words had shocked him. He was hoping he'd heard wrong. That the Jedi weren't involved in this.

She nodded. “That's what they said. Let's find out who they really are.”

........

The Jedi and the Slayer had followed the vampires down onto the ground floor of the museum. Now the couple stood at the very center of the space looking around them. The emergency lighting flickered weakly, casting a sickly yellow glow. Odd shadows danced across the walls and the carved statues from Naboo's past appeared dark and menacing in the shadowy light.

“The vampires have switched off the main power in the building,” said Obi-Wan quietly. “It was probably done when they disabled the alarm and the security droids.”

“Yeah,” Buffy nodded absent-mindedly. Hunting by darkness was nothing new to her, it wasn't as if she had to turn the lights on to find vampires.

Both Jedi and Slayer considered the two doors opposite them. One proudly bore the sign King Jafan Exhibits, while the other door, located directly under the stairway, was marked for Authorised Admittance Only.

Obi-Wan nodded towards the more discreet door. “They've gone through there.” He shot Buffy an uneasy look. “I can sense the woman, not the vampires.”

It worried him how vampires barely registered in the Force. One of the secrets of the Jedi lay in their precognition, the ability to sense their enemies' next move through the Force. It was an ability that benefited them greatly, giving them a huge advantage over their enemies so the loss of this ability was not good news. The Order was lucky they'd Buffy and her unique set of Slayer senses to rely on.

Buffy bounded past him, heading for the smaller door. She paused, her hand hovering over the door control, before stepping back. Tilting her head, she gave him a little smile. “Your superior lock-popping skills are needed, Ubi.”

It seemed his Jedi skills would be helpful after all. Straightening his shoulders, Obi-Wan drew on the Force and made a swiping motion with his hand. They both watched, as the door slid open to reveal a dark stairwell with steps leading down to the lower levels.

“Why do I have the feeling I'm not going to enjoy this?” the Jedi mused, stepping first through the doorway with a swish of his long robe. “I'm a Jedi Knight,” His hand touched the hilt of his lightsaber, “my role should be traveling amongst the stars -.”

“Boldly going where no man has gone before,” injected Buffy, smirking as she followed him into the stairwell.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at her. Then, with a little shake of his head, he moved to the opposite wall, peering into the darkness below.

“Oops, sorry,” she said. “That's Andrew. He rubs off on you, in a bad way.”

“As I was saying,” The crease between the Jedi's eyes grew deeper, as he concentrated, trying to use the Force to track the vampire's hostage. Only the faintest residue remained in the vicinity signifying she'd moved a good way off. “As a Jedi Knight, I should be acting as a mediator between warring factions, dealing with diplomatic emergencies, chasing spies, and capturing pirates. Yet what do I find myself doing?”

Buffy guessed it was a rhetoric question and not to be answered.

Obi-Wan cautiously began to descend the stairs, keeping his back to the wall and trying to peer down into the shadows. “I find myself patrolling in the darkest part of the night, scrabbling through the bowels of planets armed with a sharp stick, and chasing things that are dead but won't stay dead. My life was following a far more civilized course before you dragged me into this vampire business.”

Buffy knew from their bond he was only teasing her. Obi-Wan's sarcastic streak only came out with those he felt close to. She guessed it must be his way of diffusing tension.

“Don't be blaming me for this.” Buffy eyed him from under her lashes and decided to tease him back. “It's not my fault I'm Darth Vader.”

“You'd better not be Darth Vader!” Obi-Wan retorted. He gave her a narrow look, no doubt inspecting her in case she'd developed any Sithy tendencies in the last thirty seconds. She grinned back at him, without remorse. “Despite your core of darkness,” he continued, “you are no Sith.”

Buffy smirked. “Thanks. Always good to know my skincare and the dental regime are holding up well. But you know what I mean about me being Darth Vader.”

She followed the Jedi down the stairs. Ignoring his cautious back-against-the-wall creep, she chose a path in the dead center of the duracrete steps. She gave his arm a push. “We need to go faster. At this rate, it'll be next week before we meet up with the vamps. I'll tell you when I get a vamp blip.”

Obi-Wan stopped pressing his back against the wall, moved over to the center of the steps and picked up the pace.

“What was I saying, before I had to prod you into life?” Buffy bounced along on his heels behind him. “Oh yeah, me being Lord Vader, Protector of the Republic against Vampires. I didn't ask for it and I didn't ask to be the Slayer either. One minute I was a teenager, happily hunting the bargain rails in the Mall, the next, I'm in graveyards, unhappily hunting the undead. Not once did I go volunteer-girl for this job.”

Despite her words, Buffy knew the eager bounce in her steps was giving the game away. She felt like a bottle of champagne; shaken hard so bubbles of giddy excitement were ready to pop. She'd like to say it was depressing she'd been doing this for so long that she looked forward to kicking vampire ass, but it wasn't. Not that she'd ever admit how much fun slaying was to Obi-Wan. He was not only her warrior boyfriend, but he was also a pacifist monk. It might offend him and make him give her a lecture on good behavior and the dangers of falling to the Dark Side.

They reached the next level. Ahead of them lay a set of double doors, to the side of them the stairs wound round to continue on down to the next level. Buffy hesitated. Obi-Wan watched, ready to follow her lead. Buffy's instincts told her to keep going, that she'd find what she looked for lower down. Something though... something was insisting she take a look through the doors.

Maybe it was just curiosity, maybe it wasn't. Buffy decided to blame it on the Force since that's what the Jedi always did when they had the urge to be nosy or were simply looking for something to blame. Moving across to the doorway, she took a peek through the window in one of the doors.

It was disappointing. A dimly lit utilitarian corridor lay beyond with carefully labeled office doors to either side. Most of the doors were firmly closed, but the door on the one nearest to the stairway lay open.

“It's offices for museum staff.” She turned away from the door and moved towards Obi-Wan who waited patiently by the stairs. “We need to go lower.”

As they began to descend, Obi-Wan in the lead and Buffy behind him, Buffy stopped in mid-step. Then doubled back up the stairs. Before the Jedi could ask what was happening, she'd activated the door to the office corridor, darted into the first office and re-emerged holding a dark red piece of clothing in her hands.

“I've got an idea.”

Obi-Wan felt a prickle of unease. Buffy's ideas were never simple and combined with the crafty look on her face, this boded no good for someone. He hoped he wouldn't have a part to play in her 'idea'.

Seeing his apprehension, she shooed him on. “I'll tell you later. The spidey senses are saying we should keep going.”

The flight of stairs leading to the next level was not only longer but also steeper as it descended into the lowest part of the museum. They'd roughly gone halfway down when the small hairs on the back of Buffy's neck and arms began to stand on end. The Slayer tingle was never wrong so she slowed her pace.

Obi-Wan came to a stop, looking back at her, his face questioning.

Buffy pointed downwards. ~ They've left a guard on the door.~

The Jedi peered through the darkness ahead of him. He wasn't able to see as far as the next level, although the Force assured him they weren't far off it. As for the guard... the creature wasn't even registering.

~ I'll deal with him alone.~ Buffy shrugged off her jacket, replacing it with the robe she'd taken from the museum worker's office. She began transferring her weapons over from one set of pockets to the next.

Obi-Wan gave her a narrow-eyed look. She could feel the word 'no' hovering in his mind and got ready to argue. She wasn't going to change her mind over this. Surprisingly, he nodded his agreement.

Buffy smirked back, happy he was seeing it her way. She took the coat she'd removed and placed it onto the banister rail next to Obi-Wan. She wasn't going to go Jedi, throw it onto the floor and make it all dirty.

As she walked past Obi-Wan, she handed him one of her spare stakes. ~ Here, find somewhere interesting to stick that.~

And, leaving him with that message to chew over, Buffy ran silently down the stairs.

The stairwell on the next level was eerily lit by a single emergency light that hung above the doorway. Buffy crouched down in the shadows of the stairs as she thought through her next move. Inside, the inner Slayer was demanding action, but experience had finally taught her the value of taking a moment to appraise a situation before rushing in.

There was a glazed panel in the door, but the weak light from above caused a reflective glare on the surface. The guard could be stood directly behind the door or against the wall. Buffy wasn't sure which. She knew without a doubt he was nearby, the vamp vibe pinged at her Slaydar like an exposed nerve in a sore tooth, but not knowing his exact location bothered her.

She switched to using the Force. Reaching out through the currents the way Obi-Wan had shown her. The Shadow demon the Slayer had been imbued with gave her a better connection to sensing other dark creatures than the Jedi. To Buffy, the swirl of darkness standing to the right of the doorway stood out like a beacon amidst the Force currents.

She crept forward, keeping to the shadows. Remaining low to the ground in case he looked out the window. Once reaching the door, she rose to her feet and leaned back against the solid section of the door. She stayed away from the door window for now. She didn't want him catching sight of her.

Then, with a quick shift in position, she took a fast peek through the glazed section. The vamp (she sensed rather than saw it was a he) wore a long hooded robe and faced away from the door. Buffy had the feeling he was frustrated at being left behind. His attention was not on the door, it was on something much deeper in the room and well out of sight.

Tugging the stake loose from her belt, Buffy held it down by her hip, hidden in the folds of the robe. A lightsaber was no use for this. Attracting attention was something she didn't want. No, she needed a more discreet weapon and while Mr Pointy might be primitive in this futuristic dimension he still had his uses. The only problem Buffy might have, and it could be a big problem, was that she needed to strike directly into the heart and some species had their hearts in highly unusual places.

Her hand tightened around the stake. Hopefully, the hours she'd put in going research-girl on alien anatomy would pay off. Fingers crossed he'd be one of the species she'd learned about and she'd know exactly where to stake so that it hurt the most.

“Time to play,” she breathed. With a sharp tap on the door release mechanism, she slipped into the room before the door had even opened fully.

“Hi,” she said, eyeing the demon.

The vampire turned, a snarl of surprise on his lips. Under the hood, Buffy glimpsed a bald head, a crown of horns and a petulant mouth.

Species: Zabrack. Heart placement, easy.

“Who..?” The vampire stepped towards her, as Buffy's arm blurred.

Buffy quickly withdrew the stake and stepped back, knowing what came next. The Zabrack's mouth dropped open, his eyes looking down to the stake in her hand.

“Stang!” he groaned. Then exploded into a cloud of dust. The motes hung in the air before falling to the floor with a soft splatter.

“Oops,” said Buffy, as she replaced the stake on her belt.

A wave of disapproval came through her Force-bond. She looked over her shoulder, to where Obi-Wan stood in the doorway, bristling with indignation. “Did you need to kill him with such relish?” he asked, flicking aside his robe he put his hand onto his hip.

“It was quick and he'll not kill again,” she explained. “I didn't want him alerting the others.” She felt a tad guilty. It was nothing personal, it was her inner Slayer that took a grim delight dusting vampires.

Obi-Wan wasn't buying it so she refocused her attention to the warehouse-size space in front of her. There was a chill to the air that had less to do with the undead and more to do with climate control for the artifacts stored in here. The power might be off but the authorities would make sure the emergency power kept their precious artifacts at the correct temperature.

She breathed in. Breathing in the smell of air conditioning along with the smell of old relics stored here. It was the same peculiar smell that came from ancient antiquities everywhere. She'd smelled it before, not only in museums but also on the old stuff Giles showed her from his collections. To Buffy, it was the smell things took on after centuries of existence.

Her senses were also picking up on something else. She tilted her head, and reached out, with both the Force and her Slayer senses. There was something here darker than the vamps. Something... Buffy tried to think of the right word to describe it... Oh, yeah, something icky.

“He might have been a good person.” Obi-Wan was saying, still talking about the vampire she'd dusted. He stepped over to the fine layer of dust on the dark tiled floor and prodded what remained of the vampire with the toe of his boot. “Staking them should be done more respectfully.”

A click and a hum from above made them both tense. Looking up Buffy took in the power conduits and rows of piping suggesting this wasn't just the storage area, but the building's main services were housed down here. Since none of the large pendant lights hanging from the ceiling had their lights come on, Buffy assumed the noise she'd heard was not the power coming back, but the air-conditioning switching over to a secondary power source.

“Good people don't go around torturing others and throwing them from buildings,” replied Buffy, her attention on the room. Across from her were rows of cabinets containing deep sliding drawers. It reminded her of a morgue. Did they did contain dead bodies? Buffy eyed them, wondering if that was where Jar Jar had gotten his skeleton collection from.

“He was a Jedi. He wore the robe of the Service Corps.”

Pulling her eyes away from the drawers in the morgue cabinets, Buffy looked over to the Jedi once more. She felt a tinge of grief from him. Sadness at a life needlessly wasted. There was also a strong vein of worry behind the sadness.

“I'm sorry.” She meant it. Over the years she'd seen a lot of good people fall to vampires and wondered if she'd become desensitized to it. This was still new territory for Obi-Wan. It wasn't easy to look at someone you knew and realize it was no longer them. To accept that a demon had taken over, had all the person's memories and was trying to confuse and trick you.  
She'd explained more than once already, but sometimes it took a while for someone to accept. “His soul, maybe you'd call it his spirit, died when the vampire killed him. What I killed wasn't that person, it was a demon parasite using his body.”

At least, she hoped it the same in this dimension? The image of the Master came into her head. One theory was that he'd been so evil during his life that when he'd died a demon hadn't fully moved in. That he'd remained inside his body, continuing his reign of evil and that was why he was so powerful. What was true in this dimension? Were the Sith vampires demons? Or something else entirely?

The thoughts confused her when she needed to focus. What did Ubi always tell her? Concentrate on the here and now.

“Service Corps..? The Jedi Council told me a while back some of the knights and Service Corp workers had gone missing.” She frowned remembering back to that appearance before the Council.  
She hadn't given much thought to the missing Jedi since. That hadn't been one of her best days. Sid had been panting over her, Obi-Wan had freaked out and she'd the whole bounty hunter thing going on.

A small sound caught her Slayer hearing. Across the room were rows and rows of floor to ceiling shelving units, those facing her were stacked high with large chunks of carved stone that looked like friezes pulled from a temple. She caught a faint tapping noise in the distance, her nose wrinkling. Someone's shoes? The vampires must be over on the far end of the chamber, out of sight behind the shelving.

Obi-Wan moved alongside her, his thoughts on the missing Jedi members. “The Council has never made an official announcement regarding the missing Jedi, but one hears various rumors regarding their...” He trailed off, as he heard the sound of something very heavy being dragged from the shelves and dropped onto the floor. “I'm hearing-,” he began.

“Me too.”

They ran stealthily first to one row of shelving and then to the next. Buffy pulling the hood of the red robe she'd taken over her head, letting it sit low on her forehead so that her face was in shadow.

“This is not a styling choice,” she muttered. “It's too Queen's handmaiden and also it'll give me flat hair.” Her lip curled in distaste as they crept around the shelving. She touched the badge pinned to the front of the voluminous robe, so the Jedi could read it. It read 'Museum Guide'.  
“It's a disguise. I'm hoping the vamps won't recognize me as Darth Vader.”

Obi-Wan flashed her one of his disapproving looks for the Darth comment, but he continued moving quickly through the chamber, weaving his way along the rows of shelving. Buffy stayed at his side, senses on high alert, in case the vamps had left more guards behind.

As they drew closer to the furthest section of the chamber, her Slaydar told her the main group was close. She pulled the Jedi to a halt and waited. The vamps were out of sight, only a couple of rows away.

“Remove all three crates,” ordered the older vampire with the Coruscanti accent. “Our source told me that he hid the items amongst the general dross sent out by Palpatine. As for the star item, it's in the second crate. Despite its protective wrapping, its power calls out to me...”

They heard the scrape of a box being dragged and the bump as it hit the floor.

Buffy turned to the Jedi by her side, speaking to him down their link, ~ I'll go in first, act dumb and let them capture me. It'll allow you to make one of your dramatic appearances. You know, shrugging off your robe and prancing in with your lightsaber twirling, saying 'Hello, there'.~

The Jedi gave a low tut at her teasing. She ignored him. This was show time. It was time to let the Slayer come out to play.


	139. Trust Me I'm A Jedi

Buffy moved to the main aisle that ran through the rows of tall storage shelves. Keeping her head slightly lowered, she focussed on changing her entire body language. Her normally confident stride altered. Instead, her steps became small and hesitant. She walked as if scared of shadows, as if scared of the artifacts surrounding her, and she purposely allowed her feet to scuffle along the hard floor. Her hand went up to her hood once, tugging the hem further over her forehead, hoping to further hide who and what she was.

Her sensitive hearing picked up the vamps at the rear of the room. “Who's that?” a male voice asked.

Buffy decided now would be a good time to call out. “Kertaé? Are you back there?” She'd no idea of the museum worker's real name, but she doubted the vamps knew either.

There was a small squeak of alarm from 'Kertaé', followed by an odd low growling. She clearly heard the older Coruscant vampire say 'Call Out To Her'.

“Hel... hello?”

Buffy recognised the museum worker's voice. She walked faster, calling out as she did so, “I'm so glad to have found you! I can't find...” crap, she couldn't remember the name of the guard, “...the guard and the main power seems to have gone off.”

Two vamps moved in on her. Buffy could sense them via both the Force and her spidey sense. The bigger one of the two circled around her and then moved in from behind. Tailing her. They way he moved suggested he was both big and heavy. Buffy inhaled slowly. It was a Wookie, male. One who hadn't washed recently. She took another deeper sniff. Yeah, and that was definitely the smell of fresh blood on their fur. From the guard or another victim?

In front of her, the other vampire waited. Not a Wookie. This one was human. She guessed it was one of the males she'd heard earlier. He was going to intercept her before she got closer to the main group.

“Well, what have we here then?” said a voice to her right..

Buffy fought the eye roll of exasperation. Why were vampires so unoriginal? Were they all issued with the same handbook? 'Ten Great Cliches For Use On Potential Victims'.

Then she gave herself a mental shake, she'd a role to play. She'd better start acting.

“Oh!” She peeked out from under her hood. “You really scared me.” Eyes wide with fake surprise, hand rising to her heart.

Was the hand touching the heart too theatrical? She was faking surprise, not mimicking a heart attack. Buffy dropped the hand back to her side but made sure she kept her hand curled. There was a stake hidden up her sleeve. It wouldn't work out well if it dropped onto the hard floor with a clatter.

She gave the vampire a shaky smile. Subtly checking him over for weapons and assessing his capability as an adversary at the same time. He was around her age, maybe a year or so younger. Dark hair falling into his eyes, forever needing a good hair cut, along with an over-confident smile. As he checked her out, he leaned against one of the shelves, posing in a classic Jedi stance. One hand on hip, gray robe pulled back to expose a plain lightsaber hilt that dangled from his utility belt. There were dark bloodstains on his cuffs and his robe needed ironing – badly.

“I'm looking for Kertaé. Who... who are you?” she asked.

The vampire pushed himself away from the shelving. “I'm a friend of hers. I'll take you to her.” He sauntered over, circling her like a shark. He stopped just behind her, leaned in close and whispered softly, “There's no need to be scared, I'm a Jedi. You can trust me. Everyone trusts the Jedi. We are so... trustable.”

Out the corner of her eye, she could see his sly smile and knew the real meaning behind his words. This was bad news. All the vamps needed to do was allow a few of their victims to escape and the Jedi Order would never be trusted again.

“How did you get past Dren?” he asked.

“Who's Dren?” Buffy strove for the innocent expression. She guessed Dren was the pile of ash next to the door. “I haven't seen anyone since the lights went out. I'm so glad I found you. I'm scared of being alone in the dark.”

The vampire was too close for comfort. The smell of fresh blood was on his breath and she didn't like vamps hovering around her neck. Where was his victim? Would they turn before they were discovered? If the vamps went on a killing and turning spree it wouldn't be long before she'd have a plague of them on her hands. Her inner slayer stirred, begging for action, but she purposely kept her body relaxed, making no move to put the vamps on the alert.

Instead, she kept feeling outwards, using a combination of the Force and the Slayer senses. The Wookie was still behind her, staying out of sight. As they'd planned, Obi-Wan was keeping himself well-hidden. Ahead of her, the vampire master was telling someone to keep searching through the crates. The museum worker wasn't moving. She wasn't dead, but she was unnaturally still for a nervous hostage. Mind control? Buffy thought it likely. They'd use it to keep her calm and obedient while they searched for the items they'd broke in for.

Next to her, the space invader lingered for a moment or two longer, before moving his face away from her neck area. He then annoyed her further by wrapping his hand around her upper arm in a supposedly friendly way. Did he really think that was going to stop her?

He called out to the Wookie, “Yarruhu, see where Dren's got to. He must have wandered off again.”

The Wookie gave a long yowl of protest. Buffy couldn't understand Wookie, but the Jedi vampire did. He chuckled. “I'll be fine. It's not as if she's going to bite me, is it?”

A shorter yowl this time and the sound of the large creature walking away from them. Across from her, Obi-Wan left his hiding place and began tracking the Wookie. Buffy hoped he'd be able to take the large creature in a quiet fight and not light up his lightsaber in a dramatic and eye-catching way. She knew sneaking up on a Wookie and staking it in the back wouldn't sit well with Obi-Wan's moral code, but he wasn't doing it for her. It was the museum worker she was worried for. If the vamps felt under pressure they might kill her.

Buffy decided she needed to go all chatty to cover any noise Obi-Wan might accidentally make. Such as tapping the Wookie on the shoulder and apologising before trying to stake him.

“So you're Kertaé's friend? She never told me that she knew such a cute Jedi.” She gave the vamp one of her mega-watt smiles. “I didn't even know you were in the museum.” She walked forward, scuffling her feet and rustling her robe to make as much noise as possible. The vampire kept his grip on her arm but walked alongside her contentedly.

“There's a lot of things you don't know,” he answered, striving to sound as if he'd superior knowledge and sounding very young and pettish instead.

“I'm sure there are,” she replied easily, looking across at him. Her eyes dropped. He was not only younger than she'd first thought, but he reminded her of Xander. Xander in High School when his hair grew too long and fell into his eyes. Xander when he was trying to impress her by acting like a cool guy. She didn't want him to remind her Xander. He was a vampire and she needed to stake him at some point.

Buffy continued walking. He seemed happy enough that she was heading for the other vamps. She bet if she tried to run, he'd vamp out and get violent. Not that she'd any intention of running away, but it would be easier to stake him if he looked like a vampire and less like Xander.

“I like your robe,” he was saying. “Red is one of my favourite colours.” His free hand ghosted down her spine and Buffy shivered. Not in a good way.

“There's something about you that I'm drawn to,” he continued. She felt his fingers on her spine once more.

Buffy squirmed. She'd met a Casanova Jedi vampire. Why did she have to meet all the strange ones?

“That's nice,” she said and gave him another smile. She hoped it was a smile, it felt more like a grimace.

“I'm not sure what it is...” he went on. He wore a smile on his lips too, along with a few flecks of dried blood. He bent his head, hair dropping into his eyes once more as he sniffed at her neck through her robe. “...there's a... kind of... sweet darkness around you.”

Buffy tucked her head into her chest, trying to stop his access to her neck without being too obvious about it. His voice had become low and husky, “There's something in you that calls to me. I think we were destined through the Force to meet each other.”

She scuttled forward, pulling him along with her, worried in case Casanova became over excited, pulled back her hood and went in for a neck nibble. Knowing there was safety in numbers, although in this case it might not be technically true, she darted around the last corner to where the other vamps were gathered around piles of crates.

“Oh, look, it's Kertae! And more of your trust-in-me Jedi friends!” Buffy enthusiastically exclaimed. She was gushing and overdoing it again, she could tell. She'd only just managed to stop herself from clapping her hands together like some kind of demented Disney character. Her eyes darted around, taking in the scene in front of her.

Vampire number one was the oldest there. Brown robed, graying hair, beard, most likely the Jedi master. He hovered over the scene, directing all with an air of maturity and authority. There was a lightsaber hanging from his belt.

Jedi vampire number two was the youngest and in his early teens. He knelt on the floor, seemingly weaponless and didn't even look up from searching the crate. The way he pulled items from the last box suggested he was badly frightened. Next to him lay his 'finds', a sparkly cubed holocron and a creepy-looking wooden box that gave Buffy the wiggins.

The third vampire was female. Tall, long-limbed, shaven headed with a sour expression, she sat on a pile of boxes piled against the shelving. She looked around Obi-Wan's age, which was a couple of years older than herself, but Buffy might be wrong about guessing her age.  
There were dark lines of skin pigmentation to the female's face, eyes, and chin. Was she a Dathomirian? She reminded Buffy of Mother Ta'La in some way. The vampire wore a dark Jedi floor length robe and Daisy-Duke shorts that made her legs look even longer. Buffy felt a twinge of envy at the length of her legs. It wasn't fair being so short, she'd always wanted long legs.  
Buffy moved her eyes across to the woman's lightsaber and then on to the dagger that she was using to pick the dried blood out from under her nails.

The museum worker was still alive. She stood to one side, clearly under the influence of some kind of mind control. Buffy took a quick look at her neck and noted, with relief, there was no evidence of blood or injuries.

Meanwhile, the master vamp was giving Buffy a cursory glance, before glaring at the vampire holding on to her. “What is she doing here? I take it Dren has decided to disappear again?”

“I've sent the Wookie to look for him. She says she's searching for her friend.” Casanova took a step closer to Buffy, holding on to her more possessively. “I'm saving her for later.”

“We don't have time for any more of your games, Kardash.” The vampire master sounded impatient. “The items are here. I've located the main one and just now the Jedi holocron. We still need to find the Sith Lord's ring. Give the girl to Troya to take care of and help Marto search that last crate. The boy is useless, no wonder they sent him to the Corps.”

“You search the crate!” snarled Kardash. He didn't release his hold on Buffy. “You Coruscant Jedi are always bossing us around, telling us that we aren't good enough for you. We aren't second rate Jedi!”

Buffy kept her head down, but watched the interaction with interest. It looked as if there was rebellion going on amongst the Sith vamps.

“None of us are Jedi any longer!” spluttered the master. His face darkened as he moved away from the boy searching through the crate. “We're the New Order. And don't start getting excited about girls, Kardash. You're still not allowed any.”

Before Kardash could argue (and Buffy could learn more about this New Order), the skinny Dathomirian jumped from her box and sprang through the air to land in front of Buffy. There the female towered over her, her head turning from side to side like a bird's.

Buffy decided if she'd to name the bird species, she'd go with vulture due to the shaven head.

The Dathomirian's piercing eyes bored into her, seeing too much. “Master,” she called out, “this one is not what she seems.”

Buffy looked up from under her lashes, trying to stop her face from twitching with annoyance. Mother Ta'La and Tenacious knew she was different as soon as they'd seen her. It seemed there was something about those that hailed from the planet Dathomir that she couldn't fool.

“Remove your hood, little human,” hissed the female vampire. “Show us your face.”

Buffy bristled at the 'little human' comment. No one insulted her height without living to regret it. She waited, making no move to draw back her hood.

“Remove Your Hood.” The vampire master's command was accompanied by a hand gesture and Buffy felt the instruction reverberate through the Force. Not that it made any difference to her

In response, she raised her chin, drew up a condescending eyebrow, and smirked.

The vampire master yanked back the hood from her face.

“Lord Vader,” he said, tonelessly. “Palpatine's girlfriend. The one who calls herself the Sith Queen.”

“There's no need to stand on ceremony and go all out with the titles,” replied Buffy. “You can call me Buffy.”

The Dathomirian vamped out and showed off her fangs.

Buffy slanted her a bored look. “Or Vampire Slayer will do.”

“I'm definitely keeping her now!” yelped Kardash. He grinned, tugging on her arm with excitement. “I found her first! That means she's mine! I'll turn her! Can I turn her, Master Jai? If she's a Sith, she's almost one of us already.”

“NO!” Master Jai straightened the front of his robe and took out a slim datapad from his robe pocket. “That's up to Master Sifo-Dyas. All must be assessed for suitability before being turned, that rule also applies to any Sith we discover or,” he began tapping into his datapad, “Jedi drop-outs like yourself.”

Casanova turned with a snarl, letting go of Buffy's arm. Troya took a step closer to her, yellow eyes staring down at her, trying to intimidate her

The master ignored them all, preferring to refer to his paperwork. “Ah, Miss Summers, your name appears on my list.”

“Whereabouts?” asked Buffy. The vampires didn't think she was dangerous. Bad mistake. She stepped sideways, putting herself between the vamps and the museum worker.

“Whereabouts?” repeated the master. He looked up from his list puzzled by her question. Looking first at Buffy and then across to his Dathomirian apprentice, hoping for clarification.

Troya shrugged and glowered at Buffy.

Buffy smiled and inched a little further in front of the museum worker, with a loud tut. “On the list, of course! Whereabouts on the list am I?” Her thoughts weren't on the list at all, but the hypnotised museum worker behind her. How did you break Jedi mind control? She'd never fell under that type of mind control so had never thought to ask Obi-Wan the question.

The vampire master looked at his list and then Buffy once more. “Does it matter whereabouts on the list your name appears?”

“Of course, it matters!”

“Er, last,” the vampire master almost sounded embarrassed.

“That's rude.” Buffy pouted at him. “I should be your Number One. Why aren't I your Number One?”

“You're mine,” whispered Kardash, smiling proudly.

Buffy ignored him. It was obvious the Jedi master and the Dathomirian were the main dangers here. She'd deal with them first, Casanova could wait. Meanwhile, she'd something else to do... Without warning, Buffy spun on her heel to face the museum worker.

“RUN!” she screamed into her face. She gave the startled woman a shove that sent her spinning away from the gathered vampires towards the main aisle. “RUN, NOW!”

The museum worker sprinted into the main aisle, heading for the exit.

“Stop her, Troya!” hissed the master vampire to his apprentice.

As the Dathomirian leaped into action, Buffy pushed Kardash away from her. The power behind the shove taking the vampire completely by surprise, he stumbled backward, his long robe tangling around his legs as he fell. Troya jumped to avoid him and ran on unhindered. Kardash continued his roll, unable to stop himself and almost crashing into the master vampire's legs who'd backed away from him. The older man had to spring high into the air to avoid being knocked off his feet.

While those vampires were in a tangle, Buffy ran after the two women, stake in hand.

Down the central aisle she ran. Ahead of her, the female vampire was gaining on the older woman. Just as the Dathomirian reached to grab the museum worker and pull her to the ground, a wooden stake flew through the air. Sensing danger through the Force, the Dathomirian stopped and half-turned, confused by the weapon's primitive simplicity.

Buffy's stake hit, burying itself into the vampire's chest, but completely missing her heart.


	140. Hello There

After staking the Wookie (and apologizing to him), Obi-Wan moved swiftly to the shelves directly behind the group of vampires. He then climbed silently up to the top of the shelves, then crouched, watching the scene playing out below him. Obi-Wan waited, knowing the right moment to make his appearance would come, and when Buffy broke the museum worker's trance, he leaped out from his hiding place.

As he descended, the Jedi lashed out hard with his foot aiming for Kardash's head. His head jerked back with an audible crack and he staggered, before crashing to the ground once more.  
Obi-Wan shot him a condescending look. If any Jedi should have questioned him, the kick was done so that he could concentrate on the master. It had nothing to do with seeking revenge on a vampire who'd shown far too much interest in Buffy.

The vampire master looked across to where the young vampire writhed on the floor, holding his hands to his neck. Then he regarded the Jedi knight in silent appraisal. Obi-Wan felt something was missing. Buffy would have made a rather nasty insult, but as a well-brought-up Jedi, Obi-Wan felt that would be rude.

With a small toss of his head to throw back his hair, (Buffy had told him he needed to wear more gel and he'd forgot), he raised his eyebrow and drawled, “Hello there.”

The vampire master rolled his eyes and shook his head, more irritated than impressed.

Obi-Wan's expression became somber. The creature he faced was once a Jedi. The man had worked hard for the Order and his skills had gained him the title of master. Perhaps something of the Jedi remained in him?

“Master Silus Jai,” Obi-Wan said, “I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi, I believe we met at a Senate banquet when I was in attendance with my master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Do you remember me?”

“Oh, I remember you, Kenobi.” The vampire allowed his robe to fall, unhooked his lightsaber and ignited a green energy blade.

Obi-Wan cocked his head. As Buffy would say, it was time to get fighty. He took a step back, shrugging off his robe. The brown garment floating to the ground and forming a pool of fabric at his heels. Obi-Wan stepped neatly to one side to avoid tripping over it. Reaching across with his right hand, he unhooked his lightsaber and then ignited the blue blade with a dramatic flourish and spin.

Across from him, the master made no move to attack, instead, he sneered at the young knight's ritualistic challenge.

Obi-Wan altered his stance, raising his lightsaber until it was level with his face and shifting his weight to his back foot. Never taking his eyes off the dark presence of the vampire master in front of him.

Silus Jai gave a short derisive laugh as if he found something amusing. Then, without any warning, he exploded into action. He thrust the green blade forward and down, to be blocked by the blue. Parrying away the blue and coming in once more, his blade rained a torrent of high powered blows. Obi-Wan met each one with his usual fast yet careful precision.

As the two blades slammed and held each other, the vampire leaned in. His face ridged as the demon snarled, “The Jedi Council must be desperate to give a pathetic loser like you, Kenobi, the rank of knight.” He pushed hard with his blade and stepped back. At the same time sending out a fast Force push. Obi-Wan deflecting the energy into the packed shelving above where Kardash sat. Several large clay pots from Naboo's ancient past shattered. Others fell, crashing down onto the hapless vampire and smashing on the floor.

The two duellers ignore Kardash's yelps of protest.

“I heard you were unwanted as a padawan and they shipped off along with the rest of the losers.” Master Jai leaped forward once more. Again, raining down a series of fast strikes at the young knight, each blocked by the young Jedi. Knowing a Jedi's precognition would not work well in perceiving the moves of a Dark Side vampire, and that Obi-Wan would be struggling, the vampire belittled him further by saying, “Qui-Gon told everyone he only took you as his padawan because he felt sorry for you. It's quite obvious you have limited capabilities.”

Obi-Wan ignored the jibe and concentrated on the fight. Raising his blade and blocking the green. Knowing the vampire was goading him into making a fatal mistake. What the master didn't realize was that he'd trained with Buffy. The Slayer was an evil master with her snarky verbose and general underhand sneakiness. This vampire was a novice in comparison. The Jedi settled into a defensive swing and block rhythm he could keep up for hours.

Undeterred by the lack of response, the vampire suddenly thought of a new subject, “Are you still claiming you fought and beat Darth Maul?” The green energy blade made a lightning slash at Obi-Wan's legs.

Obi-Wan twisted his wrists, his lightsaber blocking the blow. “Qui-Gon, Buffy, and I all fought the Zabrack,” replied Obi-Wan, his voice level and calm. “It is true that I executed the killing blow.”

The vampire laughed harshly. “I heard he tripped over his foot and fell to his death.”

Obi-Wan spun, dodging out the way as a second blade joined the fight. The dark blue lightsaber blade belonging to Kardash slamming into the spot Obi-Wan had occupied. His blade cut deep into the floor with a loud crack and shower of sparks.

With his lip curled at the interruption, Obi-Wan threw up his hand to send out a Force push at the gray-robed vampire. It launched Kardash off his feet, flinging him in the direction of the teenage vampire. The youngster was no longer searching through Palpatine's crate. Instead, he stood gaping first at the lightsaber battle and then across to his friend, who'd crashed into the shelves beside him.

Obi-Wan blocked a weak blow from Master Jai's saber and shoved him backward. Then, his eyes never leaving the master, flicked curled his fingers in a Force pull in the vampire's general direction. A large crate wobbled on the shelf, before smashing down onto the unlucky Kardash.

“Speaking of being clumsy and rumors,” said Obi-Wan, flourishing his blade in a circle. “I hear you take your orders from someone well known for his clumsiness.”

Their blades locked. Steely determination on Obi-Wan's handsome face, darkest intent, and malevolence on the contorted master's.

“I don't take orders from the Gungan,” snarled Master Jai. “My orders come from Master Sifo-Dyas and he answers only to Darth Desolate.” He threw himself forward, his green blade blurring as it struck over and over again at the defensive blue.

As Obi-Wan blocked the blows, he realized his bouts with Buffy had helped to prepare him for this fight. Although neither vampire nor slayer were easy to track within the Force, it was not impossible, you simply had to know how and where to look. Obi-Wan decided now was a good time to ramp up the action and let the Sith destroy himself.

In a move that surprised the vampire, Obi-Wan drew on the Force to push the master back a few steps and then somersault away from his adversary. He landed on top of a box the vampires had pulled from the shelves during their search for Palpatine's crates.  
The vampire master followed him eagerly, taking the knight's weak push and quick retreat as a sign he was flagging and increasing his own attack. Obi-Wan using the advantage of the higher ground to rain blows down around the vampire's head and shoulders.

As their battle reached the peak of intensity, a body whizzed past Obi-Wan and the Force-bond he shared with Buffy reverberated with anger. That was Buffy! She hated being Force pushed, no wonder she was furious. Parrying a blow to his legs, the Jedi caught a glimpse of a female vampire climbing to her feet in the main aisle. A vampire with a stake protruding from the center of her bloody chest.

Buffy hit the far wall side-on, pain exploding down the side of her face and stars dancing before her eyes. Knowing the crazy Dathomirian would be on to her soon, she shook her head in an attempt to quickly clear the blurred vision and dizziness. She moaned, the head-shaking did not help. With a loud groan, she rolled from her side onto her back, arched her body, and sprang to her feet. Everything around her lurched. Her face and neck throbbed like crazy and she was seeing two of everything.

Down their link, she felt Obi-Wan's concern

~I'm okay.~ She reassured. Her eyesight was clearing. Everything was still blurred at the edges, but she'd be damned before she'd let dead vulture-girl beat her.

Obi-Wan deflected a lightsaber blow that came close to taking his arm off. He gave himself a silent rebuke. Buffy was fine. He needed to concentrate. The creature in front of him had been a Jedi master. This was not a sparring session at the Temple where the loser would congratulate the winner and they'd try again in future. This was an evil Force user who was trying to kill him.

Obi-Wan countered with his own fast attack of ferocious blows that sent the master on the defensive.

“Chop his head off. It's no use just poking holes in him!” Buffy came up alongside the dueling pair, her eyes on the female vampire. Troya, reluctant to get in the way of her master, waited for her in the main aisle, walking to and fro, impatiently swishing the long green energy blade that she'd ignited.

To the Jedi's horror, he could sense a cloud of Dark energy bouncing around Buffy.

Obi-Wan slammed his own lightsaber into the green blade and yelled a warning, “Stop being so angry. Use the Light Side of the Force!”

In reply, Buffy ignited her Sith-made blade with a dark smirk.

The blood-red energy blade sprang to life with an ominous crackle. In front of him, the vampire master's attention wavered. Obi-Wan took advantage. His blade swung. Almost succeeding in bisecting the master, it was blocked by a clumsy parry at the very last second.

“I can't help being angry,” Buffy called as she walked past the fighters, her eyes on the Dathomirian apprentice glowering at her. “Baldy pushed me. Plus, like, that haircut,” she grimaced and pointed her lightsaber at Troya's head, “is a galactic eyesore.”

The bald vampire snarled, her vampire ridges becoming more pronounced as yellow eyes flashed with rage. “I'm going to slowly tear you apart,” she growled. “I'll rip you limb from limb. Pull out your intestines, wrap them around your neck and choke you with them. The last thing you'll see before you die is my face.”

Buffy sprang forward, charging the Dathomirian who believed she'd goaded her into a wild attack. Then, instead of engaging, Buffy somersaulted over the top of the vampire. Spinning in mid-air, she landed lightly on her feet, before swinging Mr Sparkly and almost getting a hit first strike. Only the agile suppleness of the Dathomirian allowed her to twist her body to avoid it.

“Aww, did the baldy comment make you feel all hurty-wurty inside?” Buffy made sure her voice was extra chipper, to ramp up the annoyance level.

Troya twisted once more, her green blade lashing out at Buffy. Her reach was longer than Buffy's, but the Slayer seemed to be able to dart under the blade and meet each blow with a stronger return. The crimson blade crashed into the green, both energy blades hissing and spitting wildly as Slayer strength met the vampire's.

The Slayer flowed through Buffy as she fought. Her blade swung, cut, slashed, slammed, and parried the green. Never giving the vampire an inch, drawing on every aspect of her training with Count Dooku, she had the Dathomirian apprentice on the defensive from the off.

“You know, it's the scrawny neck that makes your haircut look so bad,” she said as the two blades locked and she stepped in, pushing with the crimson blade, looking into the yellow eyes of the vampire. “Someone should have told you it emphasizes all your bad features- like your face.” She put more Slayer strength into the push. The Dathomirian slid back. “Last year's hair and you're soon gonna be last year's girl.”

The Dathomirian growled. Her hatred for the Slayer generating a surge of power that she turned into a huge Force push that she threw at Buffy.

And the Force warned Buffy of its approach. She raised her arm, hand curling in a fist, sleeve dropping, revealing the magical Nightsister amulet wrapped around her wrist. A mist of green magic sparked to life, forming a protective barrier around Buffy. The Force push hit, then bounced off the shield, doubling in strength as it rebounded back to its source.

It hit the Dathomirian full-on without any warning. Troya was thrown off her feet, tumbling over and over, slamming into the side of the packed storage unit with a loud bang. Artifacts spewed down around her. A chunk of carved stone dropped, gouging a jagged gash into her shaven head. Blood dripped down from the wound, running into her left eye. Hatred, intense savage hatred for the Slayer, surged through the bald female. Drawing on that hatred, drawing on that pain, Troya filled herself with the power of the Dark Side. Using the fast healing, empowering energy, she sprang forward. Rage pouring from every pore.

Buffy saw the demented eyes of the demon as it ran towards her. Yellow eyes flashing as the Dathomirian drew back her blade, to slash at the small irritating human.

The Slayer dodged. Ducking low to avoid the wild, angry strike that would surely have cut her in half if the Force hadn't warned her. Around her, the power of the Force hummed. It called to the Slayer and placed her within a shadowed yet prismatic light. She breathed in, and time slowed. Crouched in mid-duck, protected inside a pocket within the Force. Buffy found she could sense and track the actions of others around her. Past, present, and even a hint of the future unfolded with stark vividness.

She 'knew' Obi-Wan and the vampire master's fight was almost over. Malevolence radiated from the older man, steeling determination from her shiny Jedi. Despite the master's greater experience and confidence in himself, he was losing. She could 'see' Obi-Wan's connection to the Light Side of the Force was far stronger than the vampire's ability to draw on the Dark Side.

In the central aisle, not far from her, the battered and bruised Casanova vampire had decided to flee. He was pulling on the robe of the youngest vampire, tugging him away from the fight. The frightened youngster was torn, obedience to the master vying with the instinct to escape. Buffy knew his survival instinct would win. They'd head for the speeder that she 'sensed' had been left close by.

Further off, Buffy focussed on the museum worker. She could almost taste the woman's distress as she ran into an office on the floor above, intending to call the authorities and reactivate the building's alarms.

Buffy's focus snapped back to the bald vampire in front of her. Anger, hate, and madness burned inside the creature and Buffy could clearly see how anger pulled in the darkest strands of Force energy, using it to amplify and fuel her fight. She'd raised the green energy blade high above her shoulder, her intention to cut down Buffy with a ferocious blow.

It was a move that left the Dathomirian wide open for a different sort of attack.

Holding Mr Sparkly to her right, Buffy allowed a second weapon to slip from her sleeve. Grasping the familiar and comforting shape of a stake in her free hand, she rose from the crouch and stepped into the space between herself and her assailant. Time sped up again, as the wooden weapon sank straight into soft flesh. This time Buffy didn't miss the target and the creature became dust floating in the air conditioning.

….........

From his position on top of the crates, Obi-Wan Force leaped and somersaulted into the air to avoid the strong thrust of the master vampire's green blade. Below him, the vampire master's Force enhanced lunge had sent him staggering forward into the space the Jedi had just occupied. Obi-Wan, hanging upside down in mid-air, spotted his chance and slashed his blade sideways, his blue blade slicing through the exposed neck of the master beneath him.

“I'm so sorry,” Obi-Wan said with genuine sadness, as he landed on the floor behind the vampire. Before becoming the victim of a Sith vampire the man had been a Jedi. He'd gone on many missions and served the Order well, even if he hadn't made many friends during his time at the Temple. The once Jedi master exploded into a tower of ash without a word.

Obi-Wan turned, scanning the area, seeking out the two younger Service Corps vampires. They'd vanished. Only Buffy was in sight, walking towards him with a thoughtful expression on her face.

“They've run off,” she said, knowing instinctively who he looked for. Coming to stand beside him, she discreetly checked him for any injuries as she continued, “The two of them slipped away as soon as they realized the fights weren't going in their favor. They took something Sithy with them. I'd chase them, but I doubt we'll catch them before they reach their speeder.”

“They have a speeder?”

Buffy nodded. She didn't tell the Jedi how she knew or what had happened to her during the fight. It was all too new and difficult to explain.

From somewhere inside the building, Obi-Wan heard a siren begin to wail. The museum worker had managed to bypass the damage to the security system and switched on the museum's audible alarm, hoping to scare the intruders. Most likely the building's security droids would also reactivate and surround them soon.

Obi-Wan looked around him. What he saw made him cringe. The crates the vampire's had been searching lay with their lids ripped off, their contents strewn across the floor. More crates had been pulled or fallen from the shelves during the fight. Statues, ancient stone carvings, old weapons, even terracotta pots lay broken on the floor along with piles of torn protective wrapping.

Rubbing the bristles on his chin he mused, “The vampires have made a terrible mess here.”He slanted Buffy a narrow look. “The Nabooan authorities are going to be very angry at this desecration to their cultural heritage.”

Buffy looked down at her nails and then up at him from under her lashes. “It was like that when we got here and totally wasn't our fault. We were nowhere near when it happened. Vampires have no respect for items of historic value. Bad Sith types.”

The Jedi blue eyes met hers and nodded. “I agree, the vampire's caused the majority...”

Buffy raised an eyebrow.

He amended, “If not all of the damage in their search for certain artifacts. Murder, kidnapping, destruction of museum's property, they'll let nothing stand in their way.”

Obi-Wan looked about him once more and sighed. “Once it becomes widely known the vampires were once members of the Jedi Order it will cause enough problems. I'm not looking forward to admitting it to the Nabooan authorities.”

“Do we need to admit they were ex-Jedi?” Buffy asked.

Obi-Wan gave her a speaking look.

“Oh, I almost forgot. The whole 'trust in me I'm a Jedi' thing they're telling people. That's not good news.”

“Hence it needs to be explained to the authorities that they are no longer Jedi, but are masquerading as such and should not be trusted. After we've dealt with the authorities I'll contact the Temple and alert the Council.”

The task weighed heavily on Obi-Wan. He rubbed at his forehead trying to massage out the creases.  
It seemed that every time he came to Naboo something happened to change the course of the galaxy. Negotiations went wrong, he and Qui-Gon had almost been killed by the Trade Federation, they'd met Jar Jar Binks, fought Darth Maul, and now the Jedi were being turned into vampires. There was also something called The New Order, which he didn't like the sound of since it appeared to be made up of Force using vampires. He felt suffocated under the weight of it all. This was too much. It was all too much.

Arms slipped around him and Buffy moved in for a hug. Wrapping arms around her, he pulled her against his chest, dropping his head and taking a much needed moment to savor her comforting warmth and softness. The scent of her hair filled his nose, his cheek rubbed against hers as his lips sought her mouth...

“Oww!” she yelped.

He pulled from her grasp and what he saw made him swear. A huge purple bruise was coming up on the side of her face. It stretched from the middle of her cheekbone to her ear and then down along her jaw.

“Accelerated healing. I'll be fine in a few hours or maybe tomorrow.” Their Force bond doing more to reassure him than her words. “Um,” she added, “I've sort of got good news and bad news.” Obi-Wan eyed her. “The bad news is those vamps took off with Darth Terrible's ring-”

“Darth Taris,” corrected Obi-Wan. “I overheard them mention his name.”

“Er, okay. They took that. The good news is they didn't grab the tesseract and the creepy wooden box,” she pointed over to the two items.

Obi-Wan immediately went over to investigate and picked up the glass cube, turning it over as he examined the writing engraved onto the sides.

Buffy gave an internal sigh as she watched him. He'd a little smile on his face, he was going to keep it. Instead of a book collection like Giles, he'd have an ancient holocron collection. She took heart in the fact that at least they wouldn't smell of mold and have strange stains on the covers.

“I think we should pocket them before the Museum security arrives,” she said. “It's better if the Temple takes them into their care, otherwise the vampires might target the museum again or since they came from Palpatine's, he might take an interest in them.”

“This holocron was created by a Jedi and therefore belongs to the Jedi Order,” said Obi-Wan. Buffy noticed the cube responded to his touch by glowing with a soft blue light. He passed it over to her and the glow dimmed. She pouted, it didn't like her. Maybe it thought she was a Sith.

“This, I don't like,” Obi-Wan said, picking up the wooden box carved with hieroglyphs. He flipped open the lid and the crease lines appeared once more on his brow.

“What is it, Ubi?”

“I can read the writing inside,” he said softly. “It says this is Darth Bane's phalanx.”

“His what?” squeaked Buffy.

“His phalanx.”

“Ugh,” She gave a shudder. “ It gets worse. Do you think they cut it off while he was alive?”

“I doubt it. Over the centuries grave robbers made a living robbing Sith tombs and selling off what they found in there.”

She scrunched her nose up. “Who'd want to buy a withered up penis?”

Obi-Wan gaped at her in confusion. “What? Oh, no! You're confusing phalanx with a phallus. A phalanx is a single finger bone. See.” He turned the box around to show her. The small ancient bone lay on a black silken cloth. “He must have been an extremely powerful Sith. For such a tiny object it resonates heavily with the Dark Side of the Force.

“Even if it's only his finger and not his penis, it's still creepy,” said Buffy. “I'm glad the Sith vampires didn't grab this. God only knows what they'd have resurrected.”

“Yes, it's important we discover more about this Darth Bane and who he was to the Sith.” Obi-Wan snapped the lid closed on the box and went over to collect his discarded robe. He shrugged it back on, still holding the box.

“I've more bad news,” said Buffy quietly, as he came back over to take the Jedi holocron from her.

“What's that?” Obi-Wan's blue eyes filled with concern.

“Until the Jedi security team turn up tomorrow, we're gonna have to keep Darth Bone's bane with us and that means sleeping with it in our bedroom.”

The Jedi and Slayer locked eyes in mutual horror.


	141. Hello There

Hello Darkness, my old friend...

“Hello darkness, my old friend  
I've come to talk with you again  
Because a vision softly creeping  
Left its seeds while I was sleeping  
And the vision that was planted in my brain  
Still remains  
Within the sound of silence...”

….....................................................

Obi-Wan twitched in his sleep, his head turning from side to side, hands clenching and unclenching as his body tensed. Although he was unconscious he knew what was about to happen. He was going to start dreaming, but this would not be a normal dream. It would be a vision hinting at something that would happen in his future. A vision he'd had before, which always left him with an overwhelming sense of desolation.

His entire body tensed, and he gritted his teeth, as images flashed inside his head. They swept past, too fast to make sense of. Images sent from the Force, sparking the synapses inside his brain and overloading his Force sensitivity.

The vision was about to play out inside his mind. He knew there'd be a desert or a spacecraft. And there'd be a man. An older, bearded man dressed in a fraying Jedi robe and there'd be a young boy with light-colored hair. Obi-Wan's focus would always be on the boy more than the man. He felt the need to watch over and protect him from some unseen threat. The boy was important. Sometimes the boy appeared as a child, sometimes he'd be in his late teens. He wore either Jedi style clothing or simple clothes bleached by the harsh light of a desert sun. Frustratingly for Obi-Wan, no matter how many times the dream was repeated, both man and boy were always turned away or else had their faces somehow obscured. It made their identity a mystery and yet there was something about them that was familiar...

The first time the dream occurred was after Qui-Gon took him as his apprentice. Back then, Obi-Wan assumed the two dream figures represented himself and Qui-Gon. That the odd dream was his subconscious trying to make sense of their many adventures together, but as years passed his views changed. He began to suspect the man might be an older version of himself, and the boy, who fascinated him so much, was a future padawan.

Yet if that was so, why did the dream create such a feeling of loss and overwhelming sadness? Obi-Wan had always enjoyed working with and teaching the younglings in the Temple; he looked forward to taking a padawan. Why would he dream of a padawan who'd bring pain as well as joy? Was it a warning? If so, what should he do about it? Would the dream pass with time?

Seeing how much the reoccurring dream upset him, Qui-Gon advised his apprentice to seek out Master Yoda's advice on the matter. The small master listened carefully to Obi-Wan, before agreeing the dream might indeed be a glimpse into the future. A Force vision. However, he'd warned the young Jedi not to set much store by it. The future, he said, was forever in motion and forever changing. Yoda advised Obi-Wan that the best course of action was to examine the details in the dream and learn what he could from it.

Obi-Wan rolled onto his side and then rolled back again. He moaned quietly, body twitching. Knowing the sadness this dream would leave behind. He fought to waken, struggling harder now than he'd ever done. Fighting to regain consciousness. To return to a time and place where, despite its many problems and turmoil, he was happy. He'd found love and was loved in return. Even in his sleep, he knew Buffy lay beside him. If he could only reach out to her... if he could just tell her what was happening... maybe, between the both of them, they'd find a way to stop whatever this was...

Sleep and the Force conquered him and he lay still. The vision began to play out inside his head and once more he was the observer, a watcher...

He was deep inside a tall and ancient forest. Huge trees surrounded him, huge branches reaching to the sky. Their lush canopy filtered the sunlight, creating a dappled effect on the dry forest floor. Gone was the barrenness of a desert setting. Gone was the harsh sterility of space. Here he was surrounded by life. Birds sang in the trees or swooped past him, small creatures scuttled in the bushes and butterflies danced amongst the vegetation. He could almost smell the forest's clean, unpolluted air and the scent of pine needles crushed underfoot.

Confused by the unexpected change in location, Obi-Wan looked across the small wooded clearing searching for the figures. Yes, they were there. Still the same two. It was just the location that had changed.

The robed man stood with his back to Obi-Wan. The hood of his Jedi robe raised, completely hiding his identity. From the way his shoulders were set and the placement of hands on his hips it suggested his mood was one of good-natured exasperation.

Beyond the man was the boy.

The child was so young! Surely he was too young to be allowed out of the Temple? Yet there he was, clad in Jedi robes that were almost an exact replica of his own.

The boy stood directly in the center of a forest path, further away from Obi-Wan than the man. Yet, despite that, Obi-Wan was able to see more details than he normally could. Stout, childish legs, thin shoulders, and blonde hair. The boy tilted his head to one side, as if in consideration. The mannerism was familiar. The child lifted a hand and pointed to where something lay hidden out of sight behind the bushes.

Obi-Wan didn't look across too where the youngling pointed. Nothing in the dream interested him more than the boy. He stared at him, trying to focus on the details as Yoda had told him to. Attempting to commit every detail of the dream boy to memory.

A shaft of bright sunlight shone through the trees, its rays shining onto the boy's golden hair. The child called out to whoever hid behind the bushes. Obi-Wan's heart leaped. He knew that name! He'd heard it before! Where? Who'd used that name in his hearing? The name hovered on the brink of his memory, teasing him. The name was important...

The bushes moved and something began to emerge from the foliage... But then all other thoughts vanished, as the boy slowly began to turn in Obi-Wan's direction.

Sandy hair, that was too long and hung over his eyes, the hint of a face in profile, the corner of his mouth as he began to smile...

Lying in bed, Obi-Wan stilled, holding his breath. Waiting. Everything else in this dream was so vivid, would the boy finally look directly at him?  
He wanted to see the child's face. He needed to see the boy's face. Then he'd know. Obi-Wan wasn't certain what he'd know, but he knew if the child revealed his face to him he'd know something very important about the future.

But, as ever, the dream remained elusive.

As dreams often do, the scene abruptly changed. The forest and the figures vanished.

Now Obi-Wan found himself in a depressingly familiar setting - a desert. Sand blew towards him, biting at the skin of his face, getting into his eyes, and mouth. Automatically, he pulled at the frayed hood on his robe, tugging it over his head and pulling it as far forward as he could. He disliked the desert part of the dream. Sand got everywhere. It went into his hair, his face, his clothes, his boots, and even in his teeth. Not to mention it was always so very hot.

Yet here it wasn't. The thought drifted through his mind and then drifted away again.

Obi-Wan walked up the sand dune. It was the same trudge he always had in this dream. The relentless, seemingly never-ending, lonely walk through a desert that was not his home but where it appeared he lived. No one was here. No one would care if he lived or died. There was only isolation. It was beyond depressing.

At the top of the sand dune, he came to a stop, realizing this wasn't his desert dream after all. This desert was different. It was rockier and there were more scrubby looking bushes about. Obi-Wan looked around him, before looking down at himself in bewilderment.

His Jedi Robes had gone.

He wore a brown three-piece suit with an itchy white collared shirt beneath it. There was also something balancing on his face. Obi-Wan pulled off the primitive spectacles, staring at them in confusion. This was new.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” the female voice asked. A voice that drove away all sadness and created those bubbles of happiness inside him that turned into pink sparkles.

Buffy!

She stood across from him, wearing a floral sundress, her hand over her eyes shading them from the sun as she peered at him. Obi-Wan found himself grinning widely at her. No doubt it was a goofy grin but this dream might turn out more promising if she was in it. Somewhere in the distance of his mind, he was aware of himself turning in bed and putting his arm around a more solid Buffy.

“Have you brought the cheese, Ubi?” dream Buffy asked, tilting her head and looking at him questioningly.

“I... I...have I... brought what?” stammering at the unexpected question. Cheese? Had he misheard?

He'd enough awareness of himself to wonder if he'd become ill as he slept. A high temperature could cause all sorts of strange nightmares. This dream was now feeling more confusing than the one where all his teeth dropped out when he was talking to the Council or the one where he was eating his dinner naked in the Jedi cafeteria as he'd forgotten to put his clothes on.

Why would he have cheese on him? And why did he feel as if he should have cheese on him?

“It might be in your pocket?” Buffy gestured helpfully to the pockets in the jacket of his strange brown tweed suit.

He found himself following her advice, reaching inside each pocket and pulling out a slice of cheese in each hand. Obi-Wan stared at the slivers of strong-smelling cheese, recoiled and threw them away.

Buffy gave him a hesitant smile. “Well, this is new. You're not my usual Cheeseman.”

Obi-Wan gestured to his clothing. “This isn't what I normally wear in my dreams.” He nodded to the scenery. “Nor is this my normal dream scenery. Where are we?”

She chewed her bottom lip, regarding him thoughtfully. “This is the Slayer desert. I come here sometimes when Sineya has a message for me or if I need to be here. Are you really here?

“Define, 'really here'?” Obi-Wan replied looking around him. Buffy had told him Sineya was the first Slayer. Was this Buffy's dream? Or his? Did they both have deserts in their future? Or only in their past?

Across from him, he heard a childish giggle. He caught a glimpse of golden-hair as the child ducked out of sight behind rocks. A little further on, a fair head ducked down once more. Obi-Wan frowned. The padawan from his dream had followed him. How? Had Buffy seen the boy? He was just in the process of opening his mouth to ask, when another voice interrupted him.

“Another here?” hissed a low rasping voice, from behind him.

Obi-Wan turned. On a rock formation, partway up the hill, a dark-skinned human girl half crouched, watching him. Clad only in strips of coarse white woven fiber, the girl's face was painted white, her eyes and mouth darkened for emphasis. Although he'd no sense of the Force in dreams the primitive girl gave off a powerful, shadowy vibe that made him feel uneasy. This was her territory, she was a predator, and he was an intruder here. Instinctively, he backed away.

She shook her matted, dreadlocked hair, bounced from the rock and landed on all fours. Her movements animalistic and primitive, yet the closer she came to him the stronger her power became. Drawing herself semi-upright, she stalked towards him.

Buffy stepped in front of him. Obi-Wan felt relieved, since it appeared he was only armed with cheese slices.

“He's a friend,” Buffy said firmly.

“Slayer has no friends,” rasped the girl.

“I do, I have, and he's mine.”

“Mine?” The girl cocked her head to one side, listening to Buffy but her eyes never leaving him.

“Mine,” replied Buffy once more. “He's not the Cheeseman either. I know he's dressed like him but he's a Jedi called Obi-Wan Kenobi. He's real, he's mine, and he's safe.”

Sineya prowled around Obi-Wan, her head twisting as she assessed him. Coming to a stop in front of him, Sineya straightened further to stare long and hard into his face. Obi-Wan forced himself to look back. To look back into the eyes of the young female warrior and not flinch away from the darkness he saw inside her.

“Mine.” Sineya smiled. The smile became a chuckle. The chuckle became laughter. The sound dry and rusty, as if it had been a long time since she'd found anything amusing enough to laugh at. Or perhaps she'd never laughed at anything during her life.

Obi-Wan didn't like it. She sounded insane. She sounded dangerous. He wasn't sure how to cope with an insane, highly powerful Slayer who'd claimed him as her own. Obi-Wan shot a fast look at Buffy, who appeared as puzzled by the first Slayer's laughter as he was.

Buffy frowned. “What's the what?”

Sineya stood tall, her laughter stopping as fast as it started.

Stepping forward, the first Slayer pointed to herself. “Slayer,” she said, and then pointing to Buffy repeated the word. “Slayer.”

Her finger turned into Obi-Wan's direction and she said slowly, “Slayers”

Her finger circled, pointing once more to Buffy, to herself, and again at Obi-Wan. “Slayers.” And she laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

That's when a small balding man popped up in front of Obi-Wan. He appeared, literally, from out of nowhere. He wore an identical suit to Obi-Wan's and he looked extremely cross.

“You have my cheese,” he said to the Jedi. “You stole my cheese slices and took my second best suit. You're a thief and I want retribution.”

Before Obi-Wan could deny the theft, the small man jumped forward. Hands grasping at the lapels on Obi-Wan's jacket. The Jedi tried to push him away, but the Cheeseman was much stronger than he looked. He shoved Obi-Wan hard. The Jedi grabbed the collar of the man's suit to stop himself from falling, but it was too late. He toppled backward, the Cheeseman falling onto him...

…

Obi-Wan woke with a jolt. Knuckles white, his fingers gripping the bedsheets as if his life depended on it. Relaxing his hold on the cover, he sat up, his eyes searching the bedroom and feeling out through the Force as the silvery light of dawn began to filter through the window covering. Only when he felt completely certain the Cheeseman wasn't hiding nearby did he breathe more easily.

What were those strange dreams about?

Beside him, Buffy lay on her side still sleeping. Was she dreaming now? Had they shared the same dream? Or had her dream been different? Leaning across the bed, he watched her as she slept. Her breathing remained regular, her face tranquil. She didn't appear to be having a nightmare.

Obi-Wan lifted a lock of hair away from her face to stare at the scars on her neck. The scars she bore from her past encounters with vampires. They were close, he could feel it, and he knew instinctively there would be a battle. Ice clutched at his gut. If the Sith vampires were targetting members of the Jedi and turning them this could turn into a war..

His fingers tightened around the lock of hair, then let it fall, as continuing to look down on the Slayer's face. She bore bruises from last night's fight with the Jedi who'd become a vampire. Bruises that were already yellowing as her Slayer metabolism healed her injuries. Accelerated healing or not, he knew she'd risk her life in future fights. It was the way she was. His fingers trailed along her collar bone as she slept. Buffy looked so fragile. Not that he'd ever tell her, it wouldn't stop her from fighting even if he did.

He might lose her.

It was a possibility Obi-Wan shied away from thinking about. The only way he could deal with his fear was by not thinking of it, he'd learned that. It was dangerous to dwell on fears. A wave of dark melancholy rose up inside him and threatening to engulf him. He fought back. Pushing back at the emotion and remembering his dream. Buffy was no longer one girl in all the world fighting against the odds. From now on, he'd always be at her side and together they'd fight against the forces of darkness. Hadn't Sineya pointed at him and called him 'Slayer'. What about the rest of the Jedi-Scoobies? Were they all Slayers as well? She'd called him Slayers as if there was more than one. How would Buffy interpret the dream?

Buffy moved in her sleep, almost waking, and his fingertips moved gently across her shoulder. This was the first time they'd spent an entire night in the same bed together and if she slept peacefully, he'd no wish to wake her with his own insomnia.

~sleep,~ Obi-Wan whispered down their link, his fingers trailing softly across her skin, hoping the suggestion would work.

Buffy squirmed, her hand curling against her face, eyes still closed, she muttered, “These droids are not the ones you seek,” then slipped deeper into unconsciousness.

Obi-Wan tensed, brows drawn together, puzzled by her words. Buffy could be very odd, it seemed her dreams were no exception. Did she dream of droids?

An image came to him of her standing in the corridor outside his door on her first night in his dimension. She'd accidentally slain a droid and came to his door asking for help, pretending it had broken down and its leg had dropped off. Then, when he spotted the lightsaber damage, she'd claimed it had been suicidal and jumped onto her lightsaber. He'd been horrified at the time, but now the memory made him smile.

He sat with his head tilted watching her sleep. A small, secretive smile played across her face, making him wonder what she dreamt of. Hopefully, it wasn't the Cheeseman.

Sliding quietly away from her, he walked into the refresher. There he stopped at the sink, running cold water into his hands and rubbed it across his face and neck. Washing away sand from his dream desert, sand from her dream desert, and washing away the memory of the padawan he'd never be allowed to train.

Walking back into the bedroom he stopped, feeling unsettled and at a loss. The nightmare of becoming a Cheeseman had driven away his tiredness, yet hours remained until they needed to rise. Sitting on his side of the bed he looked across to where Buffy lay sleeping. He felt bored. What could he do? Normally, if he woke early he'd use the time to meditate, but this time alone with Buffy was precious. They'd never had the luxury of spending a full night together at the Temple. Slipping back under the sheets and sinking into the bed made warm by their body heat, he slid across to curl around her, his hand stroking her soft, long, shiny hair. Oh yes, there was always that.

If Buffy had been awake and seen the smirk he wore, she'd definitely have become worried.

...................


	142. Fall From The Stars

Fall from the Stars...

... and straight into your arms...

Buffy drifted awake. Still heavy and drowsy with sleep, she snuggled into the warmth of Obi-Wan. Her head cushioned by his chest, her left arm thrown across his stomach, and his arms wrapped around her. Under her head, his chest rose and fell steadily and she clearly heard the strong thumping of a regular heartbeat. He shifted, turning, moving her so that they lay face to face. Obi-Wan's hand, resting on her hip, began tracing idle circles across her Nabooan silk nightgown.

Buffy's eyes opened. She took in the red stubble across his jaw, lips that curved into a smile, and finally, into warm blue eyes. Her own lips smiled lazily back at him. She breathed in, enjoying the sweet feeling of not having to be anywhere but where she was right now. If only she could bottle this moment. She could happily stay here forever drowning in Obi-Wan's eyes. Why couldn't they be the first thing she saw every morning?

The press of his lips on hers set their Force bond on fire. Love and desire burned across the link, building, intensifying until an inferno threatened to consume them. Everything she felt, he felt. Everything he felt, she felt. She knew how her mouth felt against his, the texture of her negligee beneath his fingertips, knew the sensations her hand created in him as it stroked the bare skin of his stomach, and hyper-aware of his fingers tightening on her pelvis, the heady sense of anticipation, her own body responding, the building pressure...

Buffy's Slayer senses shrieked in warning!

~Sid's coming down the corridor!!!~

Obi-Wan jumped away from her. Scrambling to his feet he began snatching at the scattered clothing he'd thrown off the night before.

“Are you sure?” he asked, eyes wide with panic as he dragged on his undertunic.

Buffy grabbed his trousers off the floor from her side of the bed and threw them across to him. “Yeah, and my spidey senses say he's definitely coming here. You need to hide. Quick!”

Obi-Wan put his leg down into his trousers and then almost overbalanced when his foot hit a tangled section. He hopped on one foot. Grabbing the bed to steady himself, he shook his leg to untwist the knot. “Where? Where shall I hide? The balcony?”

Buffy spotted his boot, a sock and his utility belt half-hidden under the bed. She pulled them out and threw them over. “Under the bed!”

Perching on the edge of the mattress, Obi-Wan grimaced as he first pulled on his socks and then his boots. “Under the bed is so... uncivilised. Also, hiding could make it worse. If Palpatine senses me...”

“Camouflage yourself. Like I do,” Buffy smirked smugly at him. He kept saying she used the Dark Side to camouflage herself, but she knew she used Slayer power.

He rolled his eyes and gave a little shake of his head. “Even if I camouflage my Force presence, he'll still know I've been in here.”

Buffy leaned over the bed, grabbing first one pillow, then the other. Plumping them up, she then dropped them back into position and created an indent in one with her fist to create the impression only one person had slept there. “See? That's sorted. If you're worried he can smell you, open the window and let some air blow around.”

Obi-Wan scowled. “I don't smell! He'll sense a Force user has been in here.”

“I'll think of something.” Buffy smoothed the lower sheet covering the mattress, making sure it dropped to floor level. “Under the bed is the best place to hide. In case he opens the balcony door or wants to use the refresher. He won't want to climb under the bed.” Buffy grabbed her dressing gown, pulling it on and shooting a fast glance in the mirror.

She did a double-take. And froze. What she saw horrified her.

Her hands flew to her head. “What... have you done to my hair!” she hissed, angling her head and staring at the reflection. He'd taken a tuft of her hair from the back of her head and made a little ponytail. Then he'd braided a section of hair next to her right ear. She looked like a nerd. One of those young Jedi nerds who followed their master around the Temple.

Obi-Wan's grin was both shameless and unapologetic. “Ah, I was rather bored when I woke earlier and decided to give you a padawan hairstyle. The rest should be cut short. Due to your age and the fact I like your hair long, I'm allowing you to keep the length.”

“I can't believe you've messed with my new hairstyle!” How was she going to explain it to Sid? He was the type who noticed things like that. It was too late to undo it. She glared at Obi-Wan, who was now on his knees ready to duck under the bed.

“If you want a padawan so much, why don't you get one?” If he took a kid to train, he'd stop bugging her.

She knew the moment the words left her mouth that she'd said the wrong thing. The happy smile vanished and a more pensive expression took its place. “A padawan is a long term commitment. It wouldn't be fair to take one when I'm planning to leave the Order.”

“Why are...” Buffy began and then stopped when she realized, “Oh ...because of us.”

He didn't meet her eyes. “The Order is very firm on not allowing its members to form attachments. The only way we'll be able to marry and stay together is if I leave the Jedi.”

Marry? He wanted to marry her? She pulled her thoughts away from the not-a-marriage-proposal and concentrated on the rest of the sentence.

“I don't want you giving your career up for me,” she managed to say. “You'll end up hating me for it.” She knew how much he loved his work. Obi-Wan had a superb career in front of him in the Jedi Order. But her mind returned to the thought Obi wants to marry me! Her heart skipped. He hadn't asked her yet, but it was definitely on his mind.

“Leaving is my decision,” he replied stiffly. “And I'd rather leave, than stay a Jedi and never be allowed to see you again. I want to be with you.”

“And I want to be with you too, but...” Why had this come up now? Palpatine was in the corridor, he'd be here any minute. They needed time to discuss this (Obi-Wan wanted to marry her! ) and they needed to find a way for him to stay with the Jedi. She continued, “What if..? What if I leave the Temple and find somewhere else to live? You stay with the Order, get a padawan and we see each other when you're not busy.”

Even though she was the one suggesting it, she hated the idea. She wanted to be with him more, not less. She wanted to wake up in his arms every morning and not worry about someone discovering them. Anakin and Padme had kept their relationship secret by living apart and while she didn't like the idea of copying them, she couldn't think of another way of making it work.

“We'd be living a lie and it would destroy us.” Obi-Wan looked surprised she'd suggested it. “There might be some who'd be happy with that arrangement, but I'm not one of them. Once we destroy the Sith vampires, I'll leave the Order and we'll find somewhere else to live. It's the only way. The right way.” His mouth took on an obstinate set. Buffy noticed the inward look, suggesting he was mulling something over. “I had an odd dream last night about being a Cheeseman.”

“I know, I was there too. You make a great Cheeseman, but about you leaving the Jedi Order...”

“What do you think Sineya meant, when she called me a Slayer?”

“Maybe it's because you're a Jedi. One of the warriors of the light in this...” Buffy's eyes widened. “Sid's right outside,” she hissed. The words hardly out her mouth when a loud rapping came from the door.

As Obi-Wan scrabbled to get under the bed. Buffy took a fast scan of the room to make sure there was no evidence of the Jedi. He'd left his robe thrown over the back of the chair! She darted. Scooped it up with one hand, rolled it into a ball and flung it under the bed, before dropping the counterpane to cover the gap between the floor and the bed.

BANG! BANG!

Making sure her dressing gown was tied tightly around her, Buffy crossed to the door and pressed the button to unlock it.

It slid open to reveal the erect figure of Palpatine wearing native Nabooan clothing and without his official robes. Buffy carefully didn't examine him too closely in case he got over-excited and thought she was checking out his body again. Although, she couldn't help but notice he was clutching a huge bouquet of flowers to his chest. Black and red Nabooan roses, interspersed with bright green foliage.

“Good morning, Buffy!” Thrusting the flowers at her and ignoring her mutter of thanks, he strode into the room.

The Sith stopped near to the bed. Looking around, before turning his attention onto Buffy. As she placed the bouquet on the dressing table, something caught his attention. His eyes narrowed and he moved closer to investigate.

Palpatine lifted her chin taking in the full extent of bruising to the left side of her face. The bruises appeared to be several days old but they hadn't been there when he'd last seen her. “When did this happen?” he rasped.

“Last night. Slayer healing kicked in and that's why they appear older.” She assessed his reaction from under her lashes and added, “I was out with Obi-Wan investigating the vamp attacks sites and we found a…vampire gang.”

Surprise registered in Sid's pale blue eyes. Buffy didn't think he'd directly set them up, but that didn't mean he wasn't involved in some way.

“I take it you... eradicated them?” he growled. He tilted her head, looking at the bruises, clearly fascinated with her accelerated healing process.

“We got most of them. The others ran off before we could stake them.” She was trying to keep accusation out of her voice. Maybe he didn't know, but knowing how devious this guy was, maybe he did.

Her comment made Palpatine smirk with dark pleasure. “Good. Good. You should never show mercy to your enemies. These attackers, what did they look like?”

“Jedi.”

Palpatine's jaw dropped. She guessed he hadn't expected that answer. He laughed, covered his mouth and made an odd choking noise. Finally, he gave up trying to contain his glee and the room rang with the sound of evil cackling.

When he'd cackled himself out, he rasped, “No mercy for Jedi cowards!” That seemed to set him off again and the cackling began once more.

Buffy stood by, carefully keeping her face neutral and pretending to examine the roses. She'd seen too many good people turned into vampires since she'd been chosen. It wasn't their fault when a demon moved in. Nor was it nice staking a vampire who wore the face of someone you knew, like Obi-Wan had to last night. Instead, she thought of how annoyed Sid was going to be when he was informed the vampires had stolen his artifacts.

Palpatine stopped cackling. Buffy watched him out the corner of her eye as he surveyed the room. She allowed her own senses to reach out through the Force. Obi-Wan appeared to be camouflaging himself, but it was obvious Sid sensed something. The Sith's eyes darted around the room, peering through the open doors of the refresher, and then towards the balcony.

“Kenobi's Force stench lingers,” he growled.

“Does it?” she replied. “He came back here after we'd slain the vamps. I told him he was a bit whiffy and needed to get in the shower. Maybe I should get some air freshener.”

“Why did it take you so long to answer the door?” Palpatine continued scanning the room, his focus on the bed now, taking in the sheet dropping to the floor, the tangle of the bedclothes, the pillows, searching...

“Sid!” she squeaked. “You can't expect me to answer the door in a state of undress!” At the word undress, Buffy gave a little shrug, lowering her shoulder and allowing her robe to slip. As she'd hoped, the movement caught the Sith's attention. His gaze moving from the bed to pillaging the front of her negligee with his eyes. She restrained the shudder the leer caused. The guy totally gave her the wiggins.

“You really shouldn't have gone to any trouble for me,” he growled, slowly advancing on her. Buffy stepped back nervously. The Sith's eyes were dark with lust and his tongue protruded to lick at his gray lips. With creepy guys or demons that was never a good sign. Just as she was wondering how she could politely fend him off without resorting to impaling him with a lightsaber, he came to an abrupt standstill.

“What's happened to your hair?” he asked, his tone horrified. “I've only just seen that...” He waved a hand and scowled.

“Oh!” Buffy's hand went to the padawan braid that had fallen across her shoulder. “That was Obi-Wan. He did it last night. Well, this morning, after we came back from doing the slaying.”

Palpatine tugged the braid with his long, thin, claw-like fingers. “You allow Kenobi to play with your hair?” Eyes narrow, his voice hissing with jealous spite.

It was lucky, she'd been Secret-Identity girl in her own dimension and had plenty of practice of coming up with fast explanations. She replied smoothly, “He's training to be a hairdresser and needs models to practice doing styles on.”

“Kenobi wants to be a hairdresser? Are you trying to make a fool of me?” Sid looked suspicious, not to mention dangerous. Buffy noticed his hands twitching. Hopefully, it wasn't with electrical pulses. Buffy guessed she'd need to work harder at making the hairdressing excuse sound convincing.

“He says he's taking it up as a hobby as he's always fancied giving it a go. There's a demand for good hairdressers, no matter what dimension you're in, and he reckons he's got a flair for it.” There was still doubt in the Sith's face, so she pushed the idea harder. “Shall I ask him to do yours? He's not very good yet. He can only do padawan style, but if you want I can ask ....”

That offer seemed to do the trick. Sid took a step backward and shook his head vehemently. “No! I have no urge to look one of those Jedi imbeciles!” He gave a snort, then continued in his usual growl, “I doubt he'll ever achieve anything in the world of hairdressing, no matter how hard he practices. Obi-Wan Kenobi lacks the necessary forward vision to become a master of anything. I have no idea why you'd even consider Squeaky Clean as an apprentice.”

Having insulted the Jedi, Palpatine grinned happily. His eyes fogged, as he began to reminisce. “I considered becoming a hairdresser myself, you know. When I was nine. It was Father who stopped me. He said it wasn't a suitable career for a Palpatine and made me train for a career in politics instead.”

Buffy sat at the dressing table and pulled out the ponytail fastener. “That's a shame. I bet you'd have made a really good hairdresser.” She started unraveling the padawan braid. “What did you want me for?”

Instantly, he was at her side. Eyes on hers in the mirror, leaning against her, pressing his thigh onto her shoulder.

Buffy fought the impulse to slam the hairbrush into his chest.'Must play nice, must not slay slimy Sid,' she chanted in her head.

“I've got something to show you.” Palpatine pressed himself harder. “Something that will make you squeal with excitement when you see it.”

Buffy death glared him and shuffled her chair away without losing eye contact. “I've heard that one before, Sid. I'm not gonna fall for it.”

Sid blinked at the savage alien darkness in her eyes and wisely kept his distance. Pasting a more innocent look onto his face he protested, “Oh, no, no, no! My dear Buffy! As if I would suggest something so...” He trailed off and waved a hand. “This is simply a gift to show the depth of my true feelings for you.” A dark and devious smirk appeared on his face. “Something the Jedi Order won't want you to have, due to its...dark connections.”

Intrigued, Buffy stopped brushing her hair. “What is it?” He might have a lightsaber. She fancied one of those double-ended ones like Darth Maul used before Obi-Wan had snapped the end off it. She didn't care if it was red. Red was a nice cheerful color.

“A surprise.” His mouth closed tightly, refusing to be drawn further. Instead, he shifted his weight and his attention went to their surroundings once more. Eyes roved, searching, convinced there was something hidden that he should know about. “I thought afterward we could go away together. Perhaps spend a few days at my country estate. I've got a big one. I'm sure you will be impressed with it. There'll be separate bedrooms, since you're Amish, whatever that is. However...” his voice dropped suggestively, “... should you change your mind about waiting until our wedding night, I'll only be too happy to oblige.”

When Buffy didn't say anything, he sighed and went on, “I've things to show you that I've never shown to others. Things from my special collection that I know you'll appreciate. Pyramid-shaped holocrons we can watch together and even crimson lightsabers that belonged to notable past Sith Lords. All dead now, of course. I know how much you'll adore playing with those.” The thought got him excited again. Once again he leaned. Invading her personal space with his body. “You won't... regret it,” he panted.

Buffy held the brush in her hands, keeping her eyes averted, and not daring to look at his face. If she caught him leering down her top while he was pressing, she was definitely going to slay him. Her inner Slayer stirred angrily at the way he took liberties. She chanted in her head, with the same ferocity Obi-Wan chanted his Jedi code, 'I must NOT slay the slimy Sith'.

“I'm sorry,” she said firmly. “But me and Obi-Wan are off to the Lake country this afternoon. We're looking for vamps and exploring the Sith tombs.”

Palpatine's tone darkened. “Don't waste your time,” he snapped. “I've already looked. The Jedi came along and took all the good stuff from there years ago.”

Buffy put the brush down on the dresser top. Rising to her feet, she drew herself up to her full height she replied calmly. “I've got a job to do. I was made Lord Vader, Protector of the Galaxy against vampires and I need to carry out that role.” Then, because basically she was an honest person, added, “Plus I've downloaded the locations of all the shoe places onto my datapad and thought I'd call in and see if there are any sales on, while I'm in the area.”

Palpatine stared back at her trying to implant suggestions into her head, but since she'd outstared master demons, he gave up, twisted his mouth in frustration, and broke eye contact.

“I suppose if you must, you must.” He surprised her by walking towards the door. “I shall meet you in the entrance hall in two standard hours. Bring your apprentice with you. It will be amusing to watch his stupid Jedi face when he sees your surprise.”

Buffy rose to her feet and followed him. Partly out of politeness and partly because she wanted to make sure the door was locked after he'd gone out. As the door slid open the Sith took her by surprise with a fast move. Using Force speed, yanked her against him and planted a short but passionate kiss on her lips.

“A little something on account,” he rasped smugly, before disappearing out the door and leaving her gasping in shock.

As soon as the door closed Buffy ran for the refresher. Obi-Wan pulled himself out from under the bed and followed. He watched, with growing concern, as she took a large swig of antiseptic mouthwash and swished it around her mouth. After spitting it out, she began brushing at her teeth.

“Whatever is wrong?” he asked. From his spot under the bed, he'd only been able to hear the conversation and not see it.

Buffy spat out into the basin. “He kissed me!” She pulled a face and shuddered. “Eugh! Palpatine stuck his freakin' tongue into my mouth!” She grabbed the mouthwash once more and went through the routine of swilling her mouth again.

“You're going to make your mouth sore,” scolded Obi-Wan.

“I've been tongue raped by the dark side of the Sith!”

Obi-wan took the mouth wash from her and put it back next to the washbasin. “No more.”

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“The only thing I can do in these circumstances. I'm going to kiss it better.” He pulled her against him and planted a kiss onto her mouth. She tensed, then relaxed in his arms as he deepened the kiss.

Breaking off, he asked, “There. Feel better now?”His mouth still hovered above hers.

“Hmm, better? Maybe.” She pouted. “Not sure. Need more smoochies to make certain.”

“Easily sorted,” whispered Obi-Wan, before kissing her again.

It was Buffy's turn to break off. “What do you think Sid's gift is?”

For a moment he didn't answer. He was too busy placing a line of kisses along her jaw. “I'm not sure, but we'll find out soon enough.”

“We've got time to kill before then...” Her hand ruffled his hair on the back of his neck.

“A wise Jedi always makes the best use of his time,” smirked Obi-Wan. Keeping her encircled in his arms, he turned her around and walked her backward into the bedroom.

Later, she'd wonder if Obi-Wan had been distracting her from continuing a certain conversation about his future in the Jedi Order.

.........


	143. Nabooan Newsnight

“And that one's definitely no good.” Buffy flung the low cut top onto the heap of clothing on the bed and turning back to her closet with a sigh.

Obi-Wan was hiding in the refresher, taking a call on his comlink and staying well away from her muttering. Not that he was any help when it came to making important clothing choices. When she'd asked his opinion, his teasing suggestion of 'why don't you wear your Jedi robes?' had gone down like a lead balloon, or whatever this dimension's version of a lead balloon was.

“Jedi robes!” Buffy muttered to herself, throwing the offending robe onto her bed. “As if!”

She screwed her nose up, frowning at her limited wardrobe. She was due to meet Palpatine in... literally minutes, but was having a hard time deciding what to wear. Being this dimension's version of Lord Vader created a whole new set of clothing problems that Anakin Skywalker never had to deal with. To start, Anakin never had to worry about Dark Sid leering down his top. Nor did he have to worry about showing too much skin. Mini skirts were very much out because Sid had nasty creeping hands and Buffy could just imagine what that would lead to. The thought made her feel a little sick. She shuddered.

So she needed to find something safe to wear (trousers and a roll neck), and then she needed to think color. For instance, that cute white combat suit she'd bought simply because it reminded her of something Padmé had worn in one of the films? That one was out. It made her look like a clone trooper and she didn't want to give Sid ideas. She flung the cute outfit on the bed behind her and frowned at what remained in the closet. Last night's slaying outfit was also out. A full black outfit was too Vader-y. Dark Sid might not know Darth Vader's theme tune but she did. She didn't want to be humming it as she marched along at Palpatine's side.

Oh, and that reminded her! What if Sid asked where the Vader helmet had got to? The last time she'd seen it was in Obi-Wan's Temple bedroom; her crazy Jedi had claimed it, saying he was impressed with all its useful features. Andrew had been really unhappy. He'd claimed Obi-Wan Kenobi should be kept away from Darth Vader's helmet as it was an insult to George Lucas and Star Wars fans in general. Personally, she thought it more likely that he was sulking about not being able to claim it for himself.  
She'd no idea why either of them would want to go near it. It gave her claustrophobia, not to mention flat hair.

The door to the 'fresher slid open with a soft whoosh and Obi-Wan appeared, hovering in the doorway. He was dressed in his usual Jedi robes and clutching the creepy wooden box they'd found the night before.

“The Jedi investigation team have contacted me,” he said, making his way across to her and carefully not looking at the heap of clothing strewn across the bed. “They're on their way to the palace right now and it's important I meet them. I'll be handing over the artifacts we found and then they'll research their significance further and get back to us.”

“That's good they're coming to collect. I really don't like that bone.”

Obi-Wan nodded, knowing how creeped out she felt about the Sith relic. He didn't like it either but hadn't admitted the depths of his own dislike for the Sith's appendage.

Last night, Buffy had made him lock the dead man's finger inside a small medical cabinet inside their refresher. She'd told him she was worried in case it reanimated into a full finger and crawled around the bedroom during the night. Obi-Wan had done his best to play down her fears. He'd assured her that fingers coming to life wasn't something that normally happened in his dimension and she needn't worry. But as usual with Buffy's suggestions, it played on his mind. Before going to bed he'd gone back into the 'fresher, barricaded the medicine cabinet door and then lain awake listening for odd scratching noises.

Obi-Wan placed his hands on either side of her face and planted a lingering kiss to her lips, before saying, “It will mean I shan't be able to accompany you to the meeting with Palpatine. However, don't leave without me. Delay him and stay in an open and public place. I don't want you going anywhere alone with him and I shan't be too long.”

“I won't,” Buffy promised him. She could feel the Jedi being torn between his duty to the Jedi Order and his concern for her.

After a swift kiss goodbye, Obi-Wan left her. It was getting close to the dreaded appointment time and she was still no closer to being ready. Normally being late didn't worry her, but this time it did. If Sid came looking for her, and found her half-dressed, he might think she'd given in and was planning on seducing him. He wasn't the sort of guy who took subtle hints. Not once he got something buzzing inside his head.

In the end, she chose navy leggings, boots, a gauzy tunic in rainbow fabric and covered everything with a soft Nabooan cloak. She wore the cloak mainly to hide all the weapons she carried. It wasn't as if she enjoyed carrying so many different weapons, it was more to do with being prepared for anything this dimension might throw at her. Something she'd learned first hand after finding herself on Jango Fett's hit list...

…

When Buffy arrived at the entrance hall she was relieved to find the Supreme Chancellor wasn't already waiting for her, tapping his foot impatiently. She looked around, the main hall thronged with people at this hour, but Buffy knew even, as she looked about her, that Obi-Wan wasn't here. She couldn't sense him in any of the rooms beyond this one either, which meant he must still be tied up with the Jedi investigation team. Hopefully, he'd arrive before Palpatine.

She spent several minutes being jostled from one side of the hall to the other by the bustling crowd, until she spotted an empty chair by one of the doorways. She took a seat next to a family of rowdy long-eared Gungans. Daddy Gungan, Mommy Gungan and two baby Gungan's all bickering happily away together. After a while, they were called into a nearby office and it became much quieter. A few other people wandered through the hallway, but there was still no sign of Palpatine or Obi-Wan.

Buffy fiddled with the neckline of her cloak. Was she in the right hallway? She'd been sure this was the right one, but it was odd that neither Palpatine or Obi-Wan were here. Had something happened? She didn't want to mind-buzz Ubi in case he'd been held up by the Jedi team. She'd need to wait a little longer.

Finally, she spotted one of the Queen's handmaidens coming out of a side room. They all looked alike, especially when cloaked, but she was fairly certain this one was Sabé. Jumping from her seat she blurted, “Do you know where the Supreme Chancellor's is?”

Sabé crossed over to her in a swish of orange-red robes. “The Nabooan news crews are here. He and the Queen are being interviewed,” whispered Sabé. “I have to go now. Oh, I like your hair, by the way. Trix did a great job.” She gave Buffy a quick smile, before darting off to another office at the back of the hall, leaving Buffy sitting all alone again on her heavily padded chair.

After what felt like ages to Buffy, a door opened and the Supreme Chancellor appeared, dressed in the Nabooan outfit of padded breeches, doublet and a long navy robe. His dark eyes immediately focussed on the Slayer and he set off towards her, a crowd of people following on his heels.

“Buffy! Sweetheart, so sorry to keep you waiting!”

Feeling uncomfortable, she rose slowly to her feet trying not to look at the onlookers standing behind him. The Sith simpered, grabbing both her hands in his and placing a tender kiss on both her cheeks. Keeping the fake smile fixed on her face and repressing a shudder, she clearly heard soft crows of delight coming from the watching people. Not to mention comments such as 'Oh he's so sweet' and 'isn't he romantic?'.

“These are journalists from Nabooan News Daily, along with several camera crews,” Palpatine whispered in her ear. “Turn around, smile, and play nice.”

Tugging her possessively against him, his arm clamped around her waist, he leaned his cheek towards her and kept the simpering smirk on his face. Cameras clicked, film rolled, and questions began.

“Lord Vader, have you come to Naboo for personal reasons or in a professional capacity?”

“Lord Vader! Is it true you and the Supreme Chancellor are planning a secluded holiday at your love nest on the Palpatine estate?”

“Lord Vader, what do you know about the murder of a guard and the desecration of priceless artifacts at the Jafan museum last night?”

“Lord Vader, is it true that you're about to launch your own brand of make-up and lingerie?”

Buffy tried to maintain the false smile as she blinked at the torrent of fast questions. “Er, I'm only here for the flower festival. Because, I... er, love all kinds of flowers.”

“That's will be all for now. The interview with Lord Vader is over,” growled Palpatine in a voice that tolerated no argument.

The camera crew and journalist melted away. Buffy thought it a pity Sid's arm hadn't melted off at the same time. She was sure she could feel his hand inching its way down from her waist.

With a quick sideways step, she pulled from his clutches and turned with a questioning raised brow. “What's the what?”

The Dark Lord regarded her sourly, all pretense of the simpering lover gone. The air chilled around them and Buffy sensed darkness moving in. “What's the what?” he repeated. “That really should be my question, Lord Vader. You neglected to inform me those vampires you fought were in the museum lower storage rooms. My own priceless artifacts have been ransacked and destroyed!” The Sith spat the words, his face dark and uncompromising. “I've treated you well, took you on as part of my staff and, in return, all I ask is absolute loyalty. Not to find that you've been withholding information. That makes me angry. Very, very angry.”

Buffy noticed his hands were twitching and the atmosphere between them was electric. The hall was empty since he'd sent everyone away. Would he zap her and tell everyone he'd found her dead with her finger stuck in a power outlet?

“Did they steal anything important?” She kept her voice even, refusing to apologize or back down to the Sith Lord. Knowing instinctively he'd see it as a weakness and seek to control her.

Sid looked shifty. “Priceless items have been damaged. Nothing seems to be missing.”

“Ubi and I managed to kill four of the six vampires who were smashing up artifacts. The others ran off while we were fighting. We both stayed to speak to the authorities, but we'd no idea whose property they'd damaged or if the vampires had stolen anything.” She tried to look innocent and asked, “Do you think they were after Sithy stuff?”

Palpatine's eyes bore into her, his tongue coming out to moisten dry lips. “We both know the Jedi have a love of getting their sticky pads,” Buffy had a feeling he meant Yoda by the pads comment, “on Sith items. I imagine Sith artifacts would be no less tempting to Jedi vampires.” His expression became introverted and he mused, “Inside the Jedi Temple there are many rooms crammed with artifacts stolen from the Sith. You live there, Buffy. Don't you feel them calling out to you? All that power, all that knowledge...” He was swaying, almost drooling. “They simply beg to those of a certain 'calling' to break-in and free from them from the confines of their Jedi prisons.”

“Andrew got caught trying to jiggle the lock of the forbidden holocron room when we were searching for information on Vengeance demons,” replied Buffy. She knew she wasn't telling him anything new, Jocasta Nu had been very vocal about Andrew's antics to anyone who'd listen. “Do you think the Jedi have Sith skeletons hidden away in there as well?” Maybe the Sith Lord would let something slip regarding Sith rituals that involved the use of skeletons?

“Who knows what they have locked away in there,” murmured Sid. “I've often thought about how much pleasure I'd have investigating those forbidden rooms.” He gave her a dark grin. “Perhaps, at some point, the Jedi will feel the need to 'downsize' and we can make the place our home. I've often looked at the building and thought with some redecorating it could become quite a palace. As it is now, it's a depressing, monstrosity of a building that should...”

“Supreme Chancellor! Please accept my most sincere apologies for being so tardy,” called Obi-Wan, his voice cutting through their conversation as he hurried along the hallway towards them. He came to a stop beside them and gave a polite, if stiff, bow to the Sith, before looking over at Buffy. Worry darkened his eyes and there was a crease between his brows. “Have I missed anything?” he asked.

“Nothing exciting,” replied Buffy.

She sensed agitation from Obi-Wan. The Jedi wanted desperately to tell her something and wondered what it could be. It must be something the Jedi Investigators had told him. Something he didn't want to say or mind-link in case Sid overheard or sensed.

Buffy went on, “The paparazzi were here earlier taking photos and asking about the vampires we found smashing up the museum. The Supreme Chancellor says that there's nothing missing.” She gave Obi-Wan a significant look, to let him know Palpatine was either hiding his theft or hadn't realized the items were there in the first place. She'd love to know if this was a deep game the Sith was playing or if the vampires were more devious than him. “I guess, we must have been in time to stop them stealing anything.”

“But not in time to stop the desecration of countless irreplaceable antiquities,” Palpatine scowled at Obi-Wan. This was no doubt all the Jedi's fault. “Next time, Kenobi, if anything similar happens, make sure I'm informed straight away. Lord Vader should have come straight to my room. Instead, you stopped her from performing her official duties. Wasting her time with your pathetic hairdressing attempt.” With a haughty smirk, he added, “Buffy need not worry about a frosty reception if she comes banging on my bedroom door in the middle of the night.” He licked his lips. “It isn't as if she's a stranger to seeing me in a state of undress.”

Buffy cringed, her cheeks flooding with a combination of mortification and outrage. That was said purposely to upset Obi-Wan! She felt a flash of anger from the Jedi before it was quickly smothered.

“What a pretty shade of red your cheeks have become, my pretty,” crooned Palpatine to Buffy.

To an onlooker, it would seem the Slayer held his full attention, yet the Sith's senses were riveted on the Jedi next to him. That flash of quickly stifled anger had betrayed the Jedi's feelings. Was the apprentice setting himself up as a rival to a powerful Sith Lord? A mere weakling of a Force user with nothing to recommend him except unblemished skin?

Palpatine regarded the Dark Jedi, a sneer curling his lips. “What's wrong Kenobi? Does the fact that Lord Vader is intimately acquainted with me offend you? Are you... perhaps... jealous?” he chuckled.

~Please stay calm. If he knows he's got to you, he wins.~ Buffy sent a wave of reassurance to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan had no intention of allowing the Sith to goad him. He gave the man an almost pleasant smile. “Indeed not, Supreme Chancellor. Buffy is a free agent and can do as she likes. I'm merely disappointed you found my hairdressing skill so lacking in finesse. Your censure only shows me that I need to try harder.” He flashed Buffy a warm grin that showed his dimples. “And that I need to practice far more often. I'm lucky Buffy has been so forbearing during my first bumbling efforts, but, as with anything, the more you practice the better you become. There's no doubt, with her continuing help, I'll soon have full mastery of a skill I've been missing out on for so long.”

The Sith Lord's eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared and his hands twitched. He glared at the Jedi, vibrating with suspicion and building rage. Kenobi responded with unwavering tranquillity. The Jedi was baiting him. He could sense it but wasn't able to prove it. His hands twitched. How he'd love to release his powers on Squeaky Clean Kenobi! Only the long-established control in hiding his secret identity held him in check now. Kenobi needed to go. Buffy would have to find herself a new apprentice. He'd no doubt she'd soon have another Jedi trotting around at her heels, there were, after all, a number of Jedi-Scoobies who'd would take that position.

“So what's this surprise gift you've got for me?” asked Buffy, who was beginning to choke on testosterone fumes.

“Hmm?” Palpatine pulled his eyes away from Kenobi. “Gift? Ah, yes!”

Palpatine's anger died down to its usual background simmer as he thought of his gift. That would stick in Squeaky Clean's craw! It would be fun to watch the Sith Queen's reaction when she saw only a sample of what he was could offer. If he'd read the Slayer correctly, she'd be as excited by it as his other apprentice had been. Of course, with Buffy, there was the added bonus of how she might like to thank him. A small cackle of delight escaped and he quickly put a hand to his mouth. Becoming over-excited in a public place would not do.

Once he'd got himself back under control he drawled, “I've got a speeder waiting to transport us. I'll collect my black cloak and we can be off.”

...................


	144. Flight Of Fancy

When Obi-Wan was a young padawan, one of the first missions he'd been on was to the planet Alderaan. Qui-Gon had met a contact there, someone with information for a case he was working on at the time. The man was an avid collector of chronological devices, of all sorts and sizes, and, while his master and the contact were in another room, Obi-Wan had been left alone with the collection. The young padawan had wandered across to examine one of the older timepieces more closely. Underneath the clock's face, hung a pendulum that swung from one side to the other. Slowly measuring out the seconds. Left to right, right to left, left to right... The simple yet effective mechanics of the primitive device had Obi-Wan almost mesmerized.

Now, as he sat in the back of Palpatine's top-of-the-range racing speeder with Buffy driving, Obi-Wan felt rather like that clock. His emotions were swinging from one extreme to the other just like that pendulum. One moment his mouth gasped in horror and the next it fought against an explosion of laughter. Horror to amusement, amusement to horror, over and over again.

The effect of the swinging pendulum of emotions made Obi-Wan feel light-headed and giddy.

Obi-Wan knew there was an un-Jedi like expression on his face. He had to slump down in the back seat and bury his mouth in his robe so Palpatine wouldn't spot it. His emotions were all over the place, he was having difficulty controlling himself, and once more Buffy was the cause of it.

He knew exactly what was unfolding in front of him and why. This was classic Slayer revenge. No doubt it had been brought on by the kiss the Sith stole from her that morning. She'd been so repulsed and angry that it had taken her a while, and every bit of his ingenuity, to calm her down. He knew from past experience that Slayers didn't forgive or forget easily, and if the opportunity presented itself to take revenge on the person who'd annoyed them, they'd take it.

Watching her from the depths of his hood, half of Obi-Wan cringed at the risk she was taking, while the other half of him crowed with delight at the Sith Lord's reaction. In front of him, in the passenger seat of the speeder, Palpatine was trying desperately to appear unfazed, but unknowingly broadcasting spikes of distress through the Force. His smirk got wider, trust a Slayer to bring chaos to a Sith Lord's life.

Maybe, Master Yoda was right and she was the Chosen One to bring Chaos to the Force?

He mustn't laugh! This was dangerous in more ways than one and he shouldn't encourage her. If she was his Jedi padawan he'd give her a sharp rebuke. But Buffy wasn't a Jedi padawan, she was a Slayer. Obi-Wan did the only thing a smart Jedi could do when there was a Slayer in the driving seat, he closed his eyes and ferociously began to recite the Jedi code.

There is no emotion, there is only peace, there is no emotion, only peace, there is no emotion – Oh, Kriffing Snit, not again!!

Realizing she was too low, Buffy squeaked in panic and the speeder thrusters kicked in. The nose of the sleek, black speeder shot 90 degrees into the air, to avoid the roof of one of Theed's commercial buildings. A squawk of warning from Palpatine had Buffy struggling with the controls, bringing the machine to level as she narrowly avoided the line of heavy goods shuttles that ran above them.

They tilted, flying sideways and skimming the roof of the Ministry for Nabooan Architecture, sending up a flock of wild Theed doves fluttering and hooting into the sky around them. Obi-Wan had just remembered how to breathe when -

“FUCK!” screeched Buffy, as another vehicle loomed up in front of them.

She dragged the steering paddle back. The Sith and the Jedi braced themselves once more.

High-powered racing engines screamed, Obi-Wan heard something beneath his feet clunk then rattle, as if part of the thruster system had come away. The second vehicle, a large Nabooan shuttle bus passed underneath him, faces pressed to the windows.

Palpatine swore in Huttese.

Buffy twisted the steering paddle once more, pushing down hard. The speeder righted itself.

Obi-Wan took a deep and steadying breath. That was really quite... He struggled as he tried to think of the right word. His mind had stuttered and locked up. For Force sake, she'd better know what she was doing!

“CONCENTRATE!”

Obi-Wan noticed the Sith's voice sounded a lot higher pitched than normal. From where he sat he could see Palpatine's hand gripping the door handle of the speeder. His knuckles stark white against the smooth, black leather handle.

“Oops, sorry, sorry,” replied Buffy, not sounding at all apologetic. “I could have sworn I saw a 50% off sale sign down there. That's why I dropped down to check. I only took my eyes off the road, er, airway for a moment. And you've got to admit, that bus came out of nowhere.” She tutted. “They should make bus drivers pass an extensive test before they give them a large public vehicle like that to drive. There's too many bad drivers out on the road as it is.”

“Use the Force, Vader” growled Palpatine. “Use the Forc– birds!”

“Huh?” asked Buffy vacantly, staring over at the figure next to her shrouded in his black robe.

“BIRDS!” yelped Palpatine. The Force alerted Sith and Jedi to a flock of large birds that would hit the speeder unless evasive action was taken.

“Force birds? What's that one?” asked Buffy. She gaped at the hooded Sith as if he'd lost his mind. Obi-Wan had no idea if she was playing dumb or not. You never could tell with Buffy.

Sheev Palpatine grabbed the steering paddle, wrestling it to the right. Buffy fought him, pulling it to the left. The speeder twisted from side to side dangerously. Slayer strength won. Ripping it from Palpatine's grasp the speeder began to spin and spin. Dropping fast in a continuous roll.

Braced in the rear seat, Obi-Wan's stomach churned and he swallowed. He didn't feel like laughing any more. This was dangerous. Palpatine evidently thought so too. He could hear the Supreme Chancellor making an odd gurgling noise in the back of his throat. Outside the window, a curious Lake goose met his eyes as he spun past it.

Buffy righted the speeder and scowled at the Sith Lord next to her. “Never do that again,” she snapped waspishly. “Even Mom never grabbed the wheel when she was teaching me how to drive.”

“Land.” The Sith pointed with a shaky finger to the open stretch of space below them. “Land the speeder. Now!”

Buffy scowled but knew the game was up. She made a show of switching from the main thrusters to the repulsor lift system and landed gracefully in the Nabooan meadow. As soon as they touched the ground, Sid leaped out, black cloak billowing out around him as he marched around to Buffy's side of the speeder.

“What exactly are you playing at?”

“She always drives like that.” Obi-Wan jumped to Buffy's defense before she could form a reply. “Buffy uses her Slayer senses whilst driving. I understand though Supreme Chancellor. It must be a quite terrifying experience for a non-Jedi.” He smirked inwardly, knowing being called terrified would annoy a Sith. “Please be assured that I've often driven with Buffy and, although it might seem dangerous, no one has ever been injured.” He couldn't help silently adding the word yet, in his mind

~Oi!~ Buffy muttered back along their mind link.

“Slayer senses? We've almost been in a dozen accidents and we're not yet a mile from the palace grounds!” pointed out the Sith Lord. “If I'd known how bad you are-”

“Hey!” pouted Buffy. “It wasn't me. It was everyone else on the road! I mean, geese? Betting they never got their pilot license.”

The Sith ignored her, continuing, “...I would have kept the chauffeur.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to defend her once more but was quickly forestalled by the Supreme Chancellor raising a silencing finger at him. The Dark Lord of the Sith had stared into Vader's deviously innocent face and realized with a startling flash of clarity what Buffy was up to.  
She was testing his mettle.  
This woman was a Sith after all. It made sense she'd want to know how he reacted under stress. She'd never choose a mate who couldn't maintain control in a highly dangerous situation.

“It's my turn to drive,” he said firmly. He dipped his head for a moment, letting the hood conceal the pleased expression in his eyes. She was checking him out, was she? That was most promising. It must have been the kiss he'd given her that morning. He'd always been a good kisser. It had obviously tipped the balance in his favor.

Buffy shuffled across to the passenger seat and Palpatine smirked complacently at her as he opened the door and settled into the driving seat. “When I was younger I used to race speeders. People said that I was quite frightening to watch as I took so many risks, but there's nothing quite like the thrill of high speeds and near crashes to invigorate and drive your passions to new levels of ecstasy. Is there, Vader?”

Buffy's uneasy eyes met Obi-Wan's worried ones in the speeders rearview mirror.


	145. Bad News

The Supreme Chancellor parked at a small spaceport not far from Theed. Leaving the speeder in the parking bay, and telling Buffy and Obi-Wan to follow him, the hooded Sith strode off in the direction of the main terminal. Around them, the few service personnel working in the area looked over briefly but didn't disturb their privacy. Nor did any of the service droids look up from their work, basic programming keeping them busy at their assigned tasks.

As soon as they entered the port terminal, the Supreme Chancellor headed down a wide corridor towards the main turbolift junction, explaining their destination was one of the lower bays. They'd just reached the elevator intersection when a uniformed woman came hurrying towards them. She called out in a loud voice the Supreme Chancellor's name. Buffy and Obi-Wan purposely hung back, allowing the distance between themselves and Palpatine to grow.

“I won't be long,” the Supreme Chancellor called over, before turning a simpering smile onto the spaceport official.

Buffy scanned the area. Apart from them, there was no one else was about. Only a basic lifting droid, slowly filling a cargo-lift with crates, worked at the far end of the room. The official talking to Palpatine had a booming voice like a sergeant major. She was complaining bitterly about the staff shortages and saying they didn't have enough droids to deal with the amount of cargo traffic since the end of the war.

“What's going on?” Buffy asked Obi-Wan, knowing the woman's voice would cover their conversation. When the Jedi had met them in the hall something had been worrying him. “You've got the frowny-face. Is it the investigators? Have you more info on the vamps?”

Out of long habit, Obi-Wan folded his arms into his long robe sleeves. He looked over to where the Supreme Chancellor stood placidly explaining about limited resources and financial burdens to the uniformed official.

The Jedi gave the briefest of nods. “Mmm, it is something we need to worry about.” He kept his voice very low, speaking almost under his breath, knowing Buffy would be able to hear him. “The team sent by the High Council visited Jar Jar's secret apartment before coming to meet me. The room we found has been cleared.” Obi-Wan's mouth turned down and Buffy felt a wave of distress from him which was quickly smothered. “It was completely empty when they walked in there. No skeletons, no star maps, no bone dust, all gone. Even the magic circle had been wiped from the floor.”

Buffy was silent for a moment. “Color me stunned.”

“My sentiments entirely,” replied Obi-Wan glumly.

“Had they cleaned the rest of the apartment too?”

Obi-Wan frowned. He unfolded his arms and began rubbing at his chin. Wondering how that question was relevant. “No, just the ritual room.”

“Ah, so it's not a case of cleaning fairies at work then.”

Despite her flippancy, Obi-Wan knew Buffy was as uncomfortable at the news as he'd been. Their bond vibrated with worry. Buffy continued looking at him expectantly, she knew he'd more to tell.

Obi-Wan went on, “Master It'ilin is in charge of the investigation. He has access to the holocrons in the Forbidden Archives. He told me there's hints of a lost Sith ritual that enables the conjurer to raise ghosts from bodily remains in order to prise secrets or power from them. There's also supposed to be an even darker ritual that involves taking the essence of a being, alive or dead, and transferring it to another.”

“Essence transfer? I'm not liking the sound of that.” Buffy's face blanched.

“The Sith have always been particularly nasty creatures,” Obi-Wan curled his lip and gave Palpatine's back a dirty look.

Buffy shuddered. “That essence transfer thing happened to me and Faith. The Mayor gave her this device thing and we swapped bodies. I'm still not sure of everything she got up to while she was in mine. She just kept smirking when I asked her.”

Obi-Wan blinked rapidly, remembering some of the things Buffy had told him about Faith. “That... must have been quite horrifying...” He pulled his thoughts back to the problem at hand. “Force willing, the vampires want the skeletons for something else entirely.”

“I'm guessing it's not for Halloween decor,” she muttered sourly. Across from her, Sid's conversation with the official was coming to an end. The official looked disappointed and the Sith wore a fake sympathetic smile.

“So,” Buffy said raising her voice slightly. Although Sid had yet to move, Buffy knew he'd be listening to their conversation. “You don't like my driving. What's new? You're always complaining. It's time you gave up, as it's, like, totally boring me.”

Picking up on the reason for the sharp subject change, Obi-Wan seamlessly joined her conversation. Twitching his robe in mock agitation, he replied, “This is not about belittling your abilities, Buffy. This is about you showing concern and thought for other drivers.” He sighed loudly, in an over-dramatic manner. “One day, Buffy, you'll be the death of me with your antics.”

To Buffy, it felt as if all the air had left her body. She knew via their bond Obi-Wan was joking. The comments they were making were only to throw Sid off their real conversation. There was absolutely no reason why his words should wrap themselves around her heart and tighten. She tried swallowing, but her throat was constricted with fear. It felt almost as if she was in a Force choke. She missed the look of confusion on her Jedi's face as her emotions flooded their bond.

Around her, the spaceport faded away. Instead, she was seventeen again and thrusting a sword through the chest of her first love – Angel. The vampire's face superimposed over Obi-Wan's. His eyes were closed, his face trusting, loving, and expecting her to do the right thing. Death was her gift. Her stomach twisted and she felt like throwing up.

~Buffy?~

Panic-stricken eyes met blue ones that were brimming with warmth and concern. It had been a throwaway comment. She knew that. But still... It came too close to her past, not to mention the Star Wars movies, for her liking.

“Please don't say that,” she half-croaked. She shook her head vigorously as if to shake an image from her brain. “Take it back, Obi-Wan. Take it back, I'm not Darth Vader.”

The Jedi frowned, confused by the strong waves of panic and grief flooding their bond. “What's wrong Buffy? What's Darth Vader got to do with it?”

“But you are Vader, Buffy,” Palpatine's smarmy voice, right next to her ear, pointed out. He'd overheard the latter part of the conversation.

“I might be Vader, but I'm not Darth,” Buffy replied, fighting to pull herself together fast. It wouldn't do to let the Sith see a weakness, she instinctively knew that. Folding her arms, she shot Palpatine a sharp death glare. This was all his fault. Trying to manipulate her into becoming his wife-apprentice. If it weren't for him, and his dark schemes, she wouldn't need to deny being Darth Vader nor would she have her Scoobies arguing over who got to keep the stupid helmet.  
“I'm a Slayer,” she said firmly. “It's very different from being a Sith.”

Sid dropped his eyes, a sly smile on his lips. “If you say so, Buffy. I'll believe you”

“Hey!” she protested, “Still not Darth Vader!” She didn't like the sly smile on Palpatine's face, but at least he hadn't overheard them discussing missing skeletons and Sith rituals. Which had to be a good thing.

Unless... What if he was in league with the vampires? What if he'd been the one who'd ordered Jar Jar's room to be cleaned up? Was he was the one who'd searched Jar Jar's palace bedroom while she lay hid under the bed?

Thinking about the shoes the intruder had worn, Buffy looked at the Supreme Chancellor's expensive boots and then the hem of his cloak. It could easily have been him sneaking around in his costly but understated footwear that night. She knew when he was up to the Sithy stuff he gave out creepy vibes. Imagine if he'd caught her under the bed! There was no telling what he'd have tried to do to her in Jar Jar's bedroom. Being electrocuted wouldn't be the worst scenario.

She looked up and accidentally caught his eye. Palpatine raised his eyebrow and grinned. Knowing what he was thinking, Buffy stifled a groan. Things really had gone from bad to worse. He'd caught her looking him up and down and thought she was checking out his body again.

Charmed and encouraged by the blush blooming on her cheeks, Palpatine took her arm and guided her into the nearest turbolift. Buffy didn't resist. Despite the enclosed space, Obi-Wan's presence made her feel relatively safe from unwanted Sithy advances. Her proximity seemed to make the Sith Lord happy. Stroking her arm occasionally, he began to make small talk. Speaking of the loneliness of being the Supreme Chancellor, asking if she liked Naboo, how he thought it an ideal planet to raise a family and if she liked children. Buffy made appropriate noises every so often, but her brain wasn't on the conversation.

Did Sid wonder why his plans were going awry? Buffy and Andrew were doing their best to put a spoke into all Palpatine's long term plans. He was short of an apprentice. Anakin was too young, preferred her to Padmé, and had an experienced master mentoring him instead of a young knight. Dooku had met her and decided he'd rather be a Scooby than a Sith. The Count was even liaising with some of the members of the Trade Federation and had warned them indirectly that Palpatine was jerking Gunray's strings and fully intended to betray them all at the end.

What else was Sid planning? Was he working with Jar Jar and Darth Desolate? Had the Sith come up with a new scheme? Was it pure coincidence that a Force ghost manifested when the Supreme Chancellor was on board the Valiant? What about the Jedi vampires and the new kid on the block Sifo-Dyas? He'd gone from ordering clone armies to selecting Force users to become vampires. That reminded her. What was this New Order they'd mentioned? A new Order of Force wielding Vampires?

Jar Jar's ritual room had been cleared for a reason. Those three skeletons must be important and they'd made sure all evidence of a Sith ritual had been cleaned away. Thanks to Obi-Wan, they'd holo-images of the symbols surrounding the summoning circle. Those symbols were a vital clue to the purpose of the circle and needed to be researched. Would those Jedi investigators the Council sent even know what to look for? Back home Giles and Willow would have been onto something within hours. Here Buffy was relying on the Jedi-Scoobies being able to get access to the forbidden holocron room to learn about Sith hieroglyphs. Would Yoda even allow them in there?

Palpatine pawed at her arm again. “We're almost there,” he crooned. “I know how much you're going to love this, Buffy. Despite not being...” he leaned in close, his breath tickling her ear, “...a Sith.” Then he gave her a little tucked-in smile as if the pair of them had just shared a joke.


	146. A Light In The Dark

With a soft hiss, the turbolift doors parted, allowing the Slayer, the Jedi, and the Sith to walk out into an enormous maintenance hangar. Buffy stopped and looked around her. All around them mechanics and droids worked busily on docked spacecraft, the huge hangar echoing with the sound of rattling, drilling, and the high pitched whine of machinery.

“It's not far now,” Palpatine shouted above the noise, waving them to follow him. He marched along between the bays, dark cloak swirling, occasionally muttering to himself if someone got in his way. As he sidestepped a short lifting droid, he called again, “Don't worry, we'll soon be well away from all the riffraff.”

Feeling embarrassed by the comment, Buffy took a sidelong glance around to see if anyone had overheard. Two Nabooan pilots were standing nearby. The younger one looked over at her, and seeing her embarrassment, gave her a sympathetic smile and a casual wink. Buffy replied with a dazzling smile.

In front of Buffy, the Sith Lord stopped dead in his tracks, his furious eyes on the pilot. The young man smiled back uncertainly. Palpatine's glare hardened, body tense as anger poured off him.  
Buffy and Obi-Wan stopped, watching anxiously, unsure how to diffuse the situation, but prepared to step in if need be. Uncomfortable at the extreme reaction of the cloaked man, the pilots exchanged an uneasy look before dropping their gaze to the floor. The Supreme Chancellor focused on the pilots for a few beats longer.

“Some people need to learn respect to their betters,” he growled. His anger dying away to a simmer with the show of subservience. “Come, Lord Vader, there's nothing of importance here to interest us.” His upper lip curling into a snarl, he spun on his heel and marched his companions off to a raised gantry. They followed the walkway for a distance before turning right and taking a second walkway that led away from the busy hangar.

When he was satisfied they'd reached their destination, the Supreme Chancellor halted. With a theatrical fling of his arm, he gestured to the level below. “On behalf of the Republic I would like to present a special gift to the Siii-” he stopped and gave a little conspiratorial smile at Buffy, “the Slayer Queen.”

Stepping forward, to stand against the railing, Buffy looked down to the level below her. There was a spaceship docked directly below her. Buffy didn't know much about spacecraft, not like Andrew, but this one felt strangely familiar to her and she'd no idea why. It definitely looked different from the spaceships she'd seen in the past. The first thing she noticed was the unusually long prow, suggesting a fast turn of speed and behind that a taller, domed section. Buffy guessed that part would hold the cockpit.

Buffy pressed herself against the railing, leaning out, trying to take in more of the ship below her. A large fin projected from either side of the rear section. Were they engines? Buffy tried to remember everything she knew about engines in the Star Wars dimension. It wasn't much. Obi-Wan had been giving her lessons but they hadn't gotten as far as spaceships yet. Didn't they use Worf Drive or was that in Star Trek? Buffy supposed her lack of knowledge would be no big deal. After all, she didn't know how a combustion engine worked, but she still knew how to drive a car.

She'd been given a spaceship!

Inside, she felt the Slayer aspect of her recognizing the ship as a weapon. Did that explain why the ship felt familiar? Was it because of the Slayer's affinity with weapons? Her eyes swept across the clean unbroken lines of the ship, trying to spot the weapons. There were no obvious ones, which meant they were sneaky, hidden ones. Buffy's fingers twitched. She needed to go into the ship, touch the controls and see for herself where the weapons were hidden.

It called to her.

Buffy took a deep breath, trying to calm her giddiness. This was weird. The vibes she was getting from it made her wonder if it had been designed with a Slayer in mind. She couldn't wait to fly it.

She found her voice, “I've been given an honest to God, spaceship?!” She didn't care if Sid had given it to her. This was a spaceship. Wait until she told Andrew!

Sid grinned, genuinely pleased at her enthusiasm. “The Republic thought it fitting that you have your own vessel. It's no use being Lord Vader and having to rely on public transport all the time.”

Standing behind Buffy and Palpatine, Obi-Wan was dealing with a different set of emotions. He knew all about this ship from the report and images sent to the Temple. The Temple had ordered its destruction and believed that their recommendation had been carried out. Incredulous that it was here and still intact, he said to Palpatine, “Isn't that Darth Maul's ship?”

Palpatine nodded his eyes on the slim figure of the Slayer. “Indeed it is. As you may remember, the Nabooan authorities found it after the Battle of Naboo. The Jedi searched it for clues, hoping to find the assassin's origin and the identity of his fellow conspirators.” He looked across to Obi-Wan, his expression oily. “Sadly, despite all their best efforts, they were unable to find anything to help them. The assassin's friends and master still remains a mystery.”

The Supreme Chancellor's sarcastic grin made Obi-Wan wonder how the Jedi, himself included, had never noticed the way the man mocked the Jedi Order. It must be a case of once you knew it existed, you become intensely aware of it.

“It was supposed to have been destroyed,” Obi-Wan replied.

Palpatine continued, “Yes, the Jedi took a dislike to it. However, it's too fine to be consigned to the breakers yard and thankfully the Republic agreed with me. I've been looking around for a while now trying to find a suitable owner and I believe Vader fits the bill perfectly.” Palpatine's thoughtful gaze remained on the unusually silent figure of the Slayer. Buffy wore a huge grin and her eyes sparkled as she gazed at the ship.

“A Sith Infiltrator,” Obi-Wan said with heavy finality. He gave the Sith Lord a shrewd look. “You're giving Buffy a known Sith's ship?”

Palpatine didn't reply, instead, he smiled with dark satisfaction

Obi-Wan had read the report on this vessel. Although its history was shrouded in mystery, whoever ordered its construction had money and power. It had most likely been given to Maul by his master Darth Sidious, to carry out his dirty work more easily. And now, the Sith Lord was passing it on to Buffy. Would the man stop at nothing to gain her as his apprentice?  
Inside him, a nub of growing anger sprouted and took hold. Anger led to hate and hate demanded action. Obi-Wan's hand twitched, itching to take up his lightsaber and destroy the evil while it stood with its back to him.

The Jedi took a deep breath and took a step away from the Sith. That path led to the Dark Side. It was far too easy to lose control over his emotions when the Sith Lord was around and he never intended to go down that route again. Look what had happened with Buffy. No, he'd never risk the dark path for fear of hurting her if nothing else. The Sith Lord needed to be brought down, but it wouldn't be done with a lightsaber through his back. Obi-Wan slowed his breathing, allowing the negative emotions to disperse while drawing on the Force to restore his inner balance.

Through their bond, he sent Buffy a warning, ~Refuse the ship, Buffy. It belonged to Maul.~

From the excited buzzing coming back, she didn't hear him.

Buffy turned to the two men. Her face alive with excitement, she squealed, “This is amazing! They gave me a speeder and now a ship? I'm the first Slayer in the entire history of Slayerdom to get a UFO!” She bounced up and down with excitement. “Okay, I know it's not a UFO, and we've not had to break in Area 51 to steal it, cos only that would make it cooler but wow!” She winced. “Ugh, and I'm sounding like Andrew, aren't I?” The hint of a frown, quickly dissolved into a wide smile. “Hey, its still a spaceship and it's all mine. If Xander was here he'd go crazy and you wait until I tell Andrew! He's so gonna pee his pants!”

~Refuse it, please~ Obi-Wan asked again down their link. ~We'll find you another ship~

All he got in return was the static-buzz of high-pitched excitement.

She looked... starstruck. Obi-Wan rubbed a hand through his hair. Knowing part of him expected this. It made sense, first, she'd bonded with Darth Maul's crimson lightsaber and now she was bonding with his ship. She'd probably want to shop for chair throws, fluffy cushions, and some of those sparkly crystals that you hung up at the windows.  
And that wasn't going to be the worst of it. Obi-Wan knew exactly where else this was going to lead. She'd be looking for a pilot and since he was her go-to person that would be him. The Jedi stopped rubbing at his scalp and gave the ship a sour look. He decided he disliked flying.

“Andrew peeing his pants?” Palpatine repeated Buffy's words, distaste evident in his voice. “Vader, you have a strange ability to bring unfortunate imagery to mind.” He gave his head a shake, in an attempt to cleanse his brain of Andrew's loss of bladder control. “That reminds me... although I've no idea why. Can you pilot a ship?”

“Huh?” Buffy bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, itching to get a closer look at her spaceship. “Oh, yeah. No problem. Platoon gave me lessons.”

“She means Master Plo Koon and he took her up twice,” Obi-Wan clarified, inwardly groaning. He knew exactly what she was going to say next.

“Obi-Wan is great at flying. He can make ships do things with his mind.”

“A neural-transmitter headset,” Obi-Wan explained again.

“Yeah, so he can fly this one for me. I can sit next to him and tell him where I want to go.”

The Jedi closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He'd been waiting for that. She actually wanted to link his brain up to a Sith ship and fly her around the galaxy.

“We'll get a droid in,” he hedged, seeing as there was no stopping her. “Several astromech droids, in fact. They can do all the work for us.”

Buffy grinned at him in reply. ~Thanks, Ubi! ~

“Come, Vader,” said Palpatine, let me show you around your new ship. “The thing is chock full of the most delightful and useful gadgets. From laser canons on the prow to vats of acids strong enough to decompose bodies within minutes, poisons, torture droids, not to mention stygium crystals to cloak the ship from enemy scanners...”

“Those cloaking crystals are illegal to use,” replied Obi-Wan primly, as he followed them down the steps. Buffy had taken the lead, her eyes starry as she gazed at her spaceship.

“They are perfectly legal if used on an official Republic craft,” answered Palpatine. “She won't be doing anything wrong if she needs to cloak her the ship from enemy craft.”

“Buffy doesn't need torture droids either.” Obi-Wan shuddered as he thought of the poor victims those devices had been used on in the past. Force only knew what atrocities this ship had seen since it had been built. The Jedi Master Tiin had sent a report to the Temple regarding this ship and declared it to be heavily linked to the Dark Side. He'd said it gave him the urge to go off and have non-Jedi like adventures in the unknown sectors.

“Lord Vader might need those interrogation droids in future,” snapped the Supreme Chancellor over his shoulder. He scampered after Buffy, desperately trying to keep up with the excited Slayer without revealing his enhanced Force speed.“There's no point in getting your hands dirty if you don't need to. Torturing prisoners can become quite... messy.”

“And you know this, how?” asked Obi-Wan, running down the steps behind them.

Palpatine glowered at the Jedi as he came reached the lower level.“You're very disapproving of this gift, Kenobi. Why is that? Are you jealous? Jealous you'd never be able to provide life's basics, never mind an expensive spacecraft, to keep the interest of a woman like Buffy? It must be a relief that the Jedi Order has a strict rule against emotional attachments. Otherwise, you'd find yourself unwanted again.”

At one time, the barb would have dug deep. Now Obi-Wan had the sudden urge to throw in the Sith's face that he and Buffy were lovers in every sense of the word. He swallowed back the angry retort, knowing it would do far more harm than good. Instead, he used Jedi training to maintain a calm expression on his face and drove his hands into the deep pockets of his outer robe.

While thinking of a suitable reply, his fingers made contact with a cold object. What was that? He often kept tools and small items inside his pockets yet he couldn't remember putting anything in there recently. Whatever it was, it had worked its way into the deepest corner. Obi-Wan's fingertips trailed across the flat etched glass. Engraved and triangular. Working it loose with his fingers, Obi-Wan eased it into the palm of his hand and held it there, the small item warming in his hands. Suddenly he knew exactly what to say.

“Jealous? Indeed not,” Obi-Wan replied. “The Council might have assigned me to Buffy, but she still went on to chose me above all the other knights and masters in the Temple, despite my lack of wealth. She constantly tells me I'm the best in there. I'm far from being unwanted...” he smiled, letting his voice trail off. Aware he had the Sith's full attention.  
“I am, however, expressing doubt over the usefulness of certain features you continually mention. Features in my opinion that are far more useful to a Sith assassin than a Slayer. As for the ship itself, I've no doubt of its usefulness in pursuing enemies.”

Obi-Wan smiled darkly, knowing his next comment would goad the Sith Lord. “All her enemies, including Maul's master. It doesn't surprise me he is in hiding. Everything I've heard about the Sith tells me they are like roaches. Scuttling around in the shadows, too ugly and cowardly to come out into the light. Like vermin, they are better off being eradicated as soon as they are detected.”

Palpatine made a small noise, an odd rasping in the back of his throat. Obi-Wan ignored him. His eyes were on Buffy, while the hand inside his pocket clasped the object. It was the pyramid-shaped holocron he'd discovered at Jar Jar's. He should have remembered to hand over to the investigators but he'd forgotten all about it. It was such a small thing, easily overlooked, and most likely of no consequence.

Still keeping the holocron hidden inside his pocket, he used his free hand to point at Maul's ship. A dark smile twisting his mouth. “Don't you find it an interesting coincidence, Supreme Chancellor, that I cut down Maul, threw him down an energy drain, and now I'll be flying his ship alongside Buffy? I wonder, do you think I shall serve Maul's fate upon his even more cowardly master? After all, disposing of Sith Lords and their Sithspawn is my specialty.”

Inwardly seething, Palpatine didn't reply. He'd dropped his head, allowing his hood to cover the glowing yellow that had in his eyes. Clenched hands dangled by his sides. His lightsaber felt heavy in his sleeve. He took a deep breath. He must be careful and not allow his anger to draw on the Dark Side of the Force. Buffy's presence always seemed to charge him up and give him the urge to show off. Now was not the time. He reminded himself that ships could be lethal places for crew members. Electrical faults happen. Accidents occur. It would be nothing to do with him if a certain Jedi died during a power leakage. The Jedi, and not just Kenobi, were all walking dead anyway. They just didn't know it yet.

Since she was a good distance in front of the men and her focus was solely on the ship, Buffy missed the Sith-Jedi interaction. She'd circled around the spacecraft and finally come to a halt at the rear after spotting a door in the lowest part of the domed section.

“Did anyone remember to bring a key?” she called over, still vibrating with excitement. Unlike Cordelia and some other girls back at high school, she'd never been given a car. Her parents hadn't the money, or at least her mom hadn't. As for her Dad, he preferred spending on his secretary. But now... now she'd her own spaceship! How cool was that? This was going to be so useful. There wouldn't be a sale in the entire galaxy she couldn't visit. Nor did she need to worry about finding her way. All she needed to do was flip a few switches, sit back in the captain's chair, and rely on Obi-Wan, the nav-com and the droids to get her there.

“I have the key,” rasped Palpatine, hurrying towards her in a flurry of black robes. “It's a new one. Kenobi lost the old one when he threw Maul down the drain.”

His hoarse rasping voice caused Buffy to do a double-take. She caught a glimpse of a deathly pale face and bright yellow eyes looking out from under the hood. They were sure signs that Sid had either accessed the Dark Side or was about to.

Her eyes drifted over to Obi-Wan. He was stood with his hands in his pockets looking very pleased with himself. Buffy had no idea what had just happened between the two of them, but he must have provoked the Sith. Goading Palpatine was a chancy game. Putting the threat of personal injury to one side, the Jedi High Council had ordered them both not to do anything to alarm or forewarn Palpatine they were onto him. That meant keeping him believing that she wasn't totally averse to his Dark Side ways and not annoy him too much with her driving. As for Obi-Wan, he needed to start behaving like a gullible Jedi again.

Following Sid up the ramp to the ship's entrance, Buffy moved alongside the Jedi. She bumped her shoulder against Obi-Wan's arm and shot him a soft smile.

“I can't wait to show Andrew my spaceship. He's so gonna freak.”

“Freak?” repeated Obi-Wan thoughtfully, his eyes on the ramp beneath his feet. “ Yes, I can understand that sentiment. It's rather like how I'm feeling at the moment.”

“Is the Dark Side of the ship beckoning to you?” Buffy asked. Worried for the first time. She'd been so excited about having her own ship that she'd forgotten how the Dark Side might affect Obi-Wan. If it was bothering him she'd need to perform a cleansing ceremony before they started flying it. Mother Ta'la, being a magic-using Nightsister, might know of a good ritual. Preferably, something that didn't involve draping it in dismembered Troglodyte's body parts.

As they'd reached the top of the ramp Obi-Wan didn't immediately answer. They both looked curiously around the inside of the ship, taking in the circular space and elevator to the next level.

“Oddly enough no,” said Obi-Wan, walking across to one of several doors that led off from the central entrance space. “The Dark Side isn't bothering me as much as I thought it would.”

Activating the door control button, he leaned against the door jamb studying the room in front of him. He put his hand back into his pocket.

“That's good,” Buffy replied, relieved. “There's no lure in here then.”

“On the contrary, Buffy,” the Jedi replied, still studying the room, his voice had become low and husky. “There's a very powerful lure in here. A terrible temptation that I'm not sure I'll ever be strong enough to resist...”

Confused, Buffy stepped closer to him.

Eyes darkened with desire locked onto hers, making her melt in places where she shouldn't be melting when a dangerous Sith was in the vicinity.

“It's you, Buffy,” he said. The words were softly spoken but frighteningly loud in the enclosed space. “You're my temptation. I find I'm being lured by you and this room,” Obi-Wan's nodded to the room. “Or to be more exact, the idea of making love to you in this bedroom.”

The Jedi's words stole her breath. Palpatine was only feet away. She swallowed, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. Obi-Wan continued to watch her, his darkened eyes glinting, the look in them almost challenging.

Buffy shot a glance over to where Sid stood. He had his back facing them as he peered into the darkened cargo section of the prow, tapping the wall with his hand as he tried to find the light switch. She turned once more to the red-haired Jedi, her nose wrinkling. This was a dangerous game.

~What's gotten into you?~ she asked. Obi-Wan had always been careful to keep their relationship a secret. He didn't go around making sexual proposals in a public place. He wasn't Anya. The guy was a Jedi and much too straight-laced. He'd even started blushing more often, as the sexual innuendos no longer went over his head.

The Jedi gave a small shrug of his shoulders. ~It's the truth.~

Buffy frowned. It might be the truth but there was a time and place to say it. What had caused this? Was the Dark Side affecting him or was it the Jedi's natural dislike of being in a Sith's company? Whatever he and Palpatine had spoken about had turned Sid into a yellow-eyed monster and caused a devil-may-care attitude in Obi-Wan.

~What if he'd heard you? Are you trying to provoke a fight with him?~

Obi-Wan had seen how angry Sid became when the pilot winked at her. If Palpatine had overheard what the Jedi had said to her Star Wars would break out. Buffy let her anxiety flow through their bond. She'd enough to worry about without Sid discovering their relationship.

“Buffy, do come and look at all the exciting extras this ship has,” called Palpatine, distracting the Slayer from her thoughts.

Obi-Wan looked away, his face closing off.

“The Jedi took all the ship's astromech droids for wiping, but there's a fantastic speeder bike in here that you might like,” continued the Supreme Chancellor. “It might be a little large for you, but we can always adjust the pedals.”


	147. Sex In The Sithy

“There's only one pilot's chair,” Buffy said turning to the Jedi and Sith Lord who were standing behind her. It was the first thing she'd noticed when stepping out of the elevator. In the large circular space on this deck, only one sad and lonely pilot's chair sat in front of the controls.

“The Zabrack most likely worked alone,” replied Obi-Wan, his robe hanging off his shoulders as he sauntered past her. He'd taken hands from his robe pockets in the elevator and he now examined the inside of his old enemies ship, his face open and curious.

“That's because Maul didn't have an apprentice,” Palpatine explained, a small smile twisting his mouth. “According to our Galactic Font of Wisdom, Master Yoda, the Sith only come in pairs. An apprentice and his master.”

His eyes flicked to Buffy. “Or her apprentice, of course. There's been plenty of female Sith over the years – or so I am led to believe. We can't leave the girls out, can we?” He rubbed his hands together at the thought of a certain Sith girl, before schooling his features into one of commiseration. He gave a small and obviously fake sigh. “Sadly, for the Jedi, they've never been able to discover the identity of Maul's master.” A note of glee crept into his voice, “It must really worry them.”

Buffy hid her eye roll, Palpatine could be such an obvious villain at times. She looked across at Obi-Wan to see how he'd take the insults to the Jedi Order. He appeared to have lost his filter and was now saying whatever came into his head. That was so not like Obi-Wan. Was it the effect of being so close to a Sith? Or was the ship affecting him somehow? She was relieved to see that the Jedi appeared more interested in investigating the various toggles and switches than becoming aggravated by Palpatine's comments.

“Maul's master is not our problem,” Buffy replied firmly. Obi-Wan didn't look about to freak out but it was as well to remind him of that. It was one of the reasons why she'd brought up the chair. She walked across to the pilot's chair and leaned over the controls, looking out the rose-tinted windows. Chairs were a safe conversation. She'd run with that. “It's the lack of chairs that bothers me. I need two, one for me and one for Obi-Wan.”

Sensing the Jedi hadn't followed her, and still feeling uneasy after his peculiar behavior, Buffy looked over her shoulder to see what he was up to. The Jedi was now on the opposite side of the room to her and Sid. That section of the deck had been set up as a 'lounge' area, presumably for any passengers or for the ship's owner to relax in.

Obi-Wan pressed a button on the arm of a chair and a panel slid back revealing a hidden control panel. A flick of one of the switches caused a table to rise from the floor. From what Buffy could see, it wasn't a normal caff table, this one came fitted with a multitude of technical gadgets. There was even a holoprojector in the center of the table.

Had Sid appeared as a hologram message to Maul on that very table? The Zabrack most likely used that area for both working and relaxing in. She got a sudden mental image of the Dathomirian drinking tea and lounging across the seats with his boots on. That reminded her, had the upholstery been cleaned recently?

“There's no need to fret, my Sweet. I'll have a second pilot's seat installed immediately,” replied Palpatine. Never wanting to be far from her when they were in the same room together, he'd not only followed her over to the controls but settled himself in the pilot's seat. Cold blue-grey eyes regarded her thoughtfully, before turning to regard the myriad of controls set in front and above his head.

“Buffy, let me show you this. It's rather fun.” He began flicking a row of buttons. “These release and raise the prow cannons, and this lever controls their direction. The button to fire them is on top. You'll also be able to use the neural transmitter headset since you're Force sensitive.”

“I'm not Force sensitive,” replied Buffy. No matter how hard she tried, she still wasn't able to control the Force like the Jedi could. “Well, not in the normal way of being Force sensitive.”

Sid gave her one of his tucked-in, knowing smiles. “Of course not. Let no one ever suggest you're normal or a Jedi,” he said smoothly. His hands reversed the sequence to lower the prow cannons before moving over to a different set of controls. “This is the sequence to activate the Stygian cloaking crystals. I'm sure you'll have fun with this.”

Buffy leaned over him, trying to remember which controls were used with the cloaking mechanism and which were for the cannons. It wouldn't do to get the two mixed up. She felt a wave of panic at being faced with so many complex sequences.

She was concentrating so intently on the ship that she didn't realize her face was so close to Palpatine's until the Sith Lord spoke directly into her ear. The puff of his breath blowing down her neck. Buffy shivered, and not in a good way.

“Are you having any unusual urges?” Palpatine asked. He'd been wanting to ask her since they'd come on board ship but, as usual, the Jedi had been shadowing her. Now with Kenobi busy playing with the holoprojector, and trying to access the history stored on its data chip, it would be the best time to ask her.

Buffy pulled her eyes from the confusing array of screens, buttons, toggles, and levers to look directly into the dark and knowing eyes of the Supreme Chancellor.

“Huh?”

“I asked if you were having...” he licked at his lips, “... strong unusual urges?”

Her mind still on launch sequences, weaponry, and cloaking crystals it took a couple of seconds for Buffy to figure out what Sid was asking her. He wanted to know if she was having any unusual sexual urges! That explained why Obi-Wan had made a suggestive comment when he'd spotted the bedroom on board the ship. She'd known it wasn't like Obi-Wan. She gave the Supreme Chancellor a disapproving look. He and Maul must have booby-trapped the ship with a Love Spell. No wonder it was called a Sith Infiltrator!

“Does it make you want to go off and do .. things?” Sid's voice had dropped to a low growl. His tongue darting out, licking at his lips.

“Err...” stammered Buffy. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. Across the room, Obi-Wan sensed the direction of her heightened feelings, he stopped fiddling with the table, his blue eyes meeting hers. He raised his eyebrow and Buffy felt her cheeks go even redder.

Palpatine grabbed her arm. He held it, his eyes boring into her. “You can feel it, can't you? You feel the call of the ship.” His face close to hers, practically cackling.

“I knew it!” Buffy yanked her arm from his grasp. “You've put some sort of sex spell on this ship haven't you?”

“What?!”

Both Sid's eyebrows rose up with astonishment and his mouth dropped. “Vader, as if I'd even know a sex spell! That type of thing was never part of my education – unfortunately.” He cackled softly to himself before his look became more speculative. “If you're feeling frisky, you know I'll always be up for whatever you have in mind.”

Obi-Wan stopped trying to slice into the holoprojector and straightened up. Unable to hear the softly spoken words but feeling the spike of Buffy's panic through their bond. She met his eyes.  
~ I'm fine.~

The Sith's eyes also slid in Obi-Wan's direction. “The Jedi watches us. If we're heading to one of the bedrooms I suggest we ditch the Jedi first. His face is rather off-putting.” A devious grin lit up his face. “Unless we tie him up, gag him, and force him to watch. What do you think? That might be fun.”

Buffy stepped back, her lower back hitting the control console. She'd known Palpatine was a creepy guy before coming here, but she hadn't realized he was such a perv.  
“I don't want to go into a bedroom,” she hissed. She didn't add the important part to the end of the sentence - with you.

The com-link in Obi-Wan's pocket pinged. He turned his back on them and took the call using the silence projector so that the caller's conversation was limited only to himself.

“It was you who brought it up,” snapped Palpatine peevishly to Buffy. “All I asked was if you felt the ship's Dark Side calling to you.”

“What does the Dark Side even feel like?” asked Buffy, genuinely interested. The way Obi-Wan described it was almost like a voice inside his head, luring him and offering him the power to accomplish all he wanted. The only thing she'd felt in the presence of the Dark Side was a tingle on the Slaydar and the urge to rip her stake out and impale something.

The Sith tutted. “Yes, yes, of course. Neither of us knows, do we? They say it makes you feel... strangely empowered and invigorated?”

“Oh.”

“Well? Does it, or does it not?”

“Not really. The only urge I'm getting is the one to visit the 'fresher. I'm feeling the effects of drinking two cups of caff this morning.” The Sith looked scandalized, so she added apologetically, “I was in a rush and forgot to go before coming out.”

A sudden tug along her bond, made her look up.

Obi-Wan approached them, his call finished. ~We need to go.~ He didn't explain why, his face gave nothing away, but she knew he felt uneasy.

He gave Palpatine a very small bow. “I'm sorry Supreme Chancellor, but we need to cut this visit short. Buffy and I have several things we need to do before leaving Theed. We don't want to be late for the shuttle we've got booked.”

Buffy wondered who'd been on the com-link and what the call was about. She guessed she'd need to wait until they were on their own before finding out.

............


	148. Dark Holocrons

“I need to speak to you before we go into the meeting,” Buffy said to Obi-Wan, as she walked out of the 'fresher.

After returning from the spaceport the two had gone straight to Buffy's room in the palace. Once out of earshot of Palpatine, Obi-Wan had explained that the call he'd taken was from the Jedi investigators, who'd relayed a message from the Jedi Temple. The Temple needed to speak to them before they set off to the Lake country. They'd scheduled a long-distance holo-call to the palace and were expecting him, and Buffy, to be ready and waiting in the communication room at the given time.

Obi-Wan confessed that he'd no idea what the meeting was about, the investigator had been evasive with his answers and with Palpatine in the same room he'd not wanted to push him for answers. The Jedi suspected it would be regarding the missing skeletons from Jar Jar's room. Obi-Wan also voiced his hope that the Council might have discovered evidence of Palpatine's Sith allegiance. But Buffy knew that was probably wishful thinking on the Jedi's part.

Obi-Wan looked up at her words and then back to the mirror as he took in his reflection. He'd just changed out of his robes into a pair of dark navy trousers, cream shirt, and a black waistcoat that Buffy had picked out for him. He'd even added a low slung belt with a blaster attached to his leg since they were going undercover and he'd need to hide his lightsaber. The Jedi wasn't impressed with the look.  
Buffy had told him the outfit would make him look like a young and cute 'Han Solo', whoever that was. Obi-Wan scowled at himself in the mirror, there weren't enough pockets in this waistcoat and he looked like a smuggler or a spice runner. The spaceport authorities would most likely stop him and search him dressed like this. He gave his beloved brown robe a longing look before reaching for the short leather jacket and his utility belt.

“What do you want to talk about?” he asked, only half attending as he took the Sith holocron from out his robe pocket. It wouldn't do to leave that lying around unattended.

“You,” Buffy answered. She cast a considering eye over the outfit he wore. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not now. Maybe she preferred him in his robes after all, although those trousers did hug on his butt snugly. “What was going on with you when we were touring the new ship? It's not like you to look at a bedroom and say you've got the sudden urge to drag me in there and make love to me.” Obi-Wan flushed and Buffy continued, “ And it's extra weird to do it when a guy you know is a Sith is almost standing next to us.”

Obi-Wan went even pinker. “Er...”

Seeing he'd become choked up with mortification, Buffy went over and smoothed out the neckline of his shirt, before caressing his cheek. He was a Jedi, stolen from his family as a baby, and being in a relationship was a new experience for him. She knew he needed careful handling where his feelings were concerned. Standing on tiptoe she placed a soft kiss onto his lips.

“It isn't that I don't like you telling me,” she reassured him. “Because I do. I feel the same way about you and it's totally normal with someone you're in love with. What bothered me is that it isn't like you to say it. And doing it in front of Sid...” Her words trailed away, letting her words sink in. “Was it the ship affecting you? Or did Palpatine say or do something beforehand to make you lose control?”

Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around her. Through his clothing, he felt the warmth of her body, her physical touch a soothing balm after so much contact with the Dark Side. He breathed out, releasing the anxiety and frustration that until now he hadn't realized he'd been harboring and feeling himself relax.

“I didn't lose control,” he replied, placing a light kiss in her forehead. “That's what I was thinking at the time.”

His brown creased on realizing what he'd just said. A Jedi didn't voice all his thoughts. A Jedi monitored his words, weighing them up before speaking out loud. He wasn't a youngling. All those years spent with Qui-Gon learning how to negotiate difficult peace treaties had taught him the discipline of keeping his mouth shut, especially when in the presence of politicians. Buffy was right his behavior had been decidedly odd.

Obi-Wan's arms curled tighter around her, pulling her in even closer, seeking more reassurance. He could feel the softness of her body under one of his hands and hardness of the holocron that he held in his other. The holocron had been in his hand when he'd made that comment to her. Had its energies affected him? Had it made him speak his deepest feelings aloud? Obi-Wan remembered the comments he'd said to Palpatine before they'd boarded the ship. He'd told him the Sith were ugly, scuttled in the shadows like roaches, and needed eradicating from the galaxy. He winced. Was that the effect of the holocron, the Sith, the ship, a combination of all three or something else entirely?

Pressing his forehead against Buffy's. His arms tightening around her, breathing in the fresh, clean scent of her and thought over what had happened. The holocron had lain forgotten in his pocket all day and he hadn't spoken aloud his deepest desires earlier. That had only happened when he'd held it. He held it now. Did he have the urge to speak his deepest desires?

Obi-Wan waited, reaching into himself, searching for any hint of something untoward. He felt nothing amiss. Not realizing that at the moment he'd no deep desires or fears that he needed to remain unvoiced; forgetting that everything he wanted was in his arms and the Sith lord was out of sight.

“It might have been the ship,” he said slowly. “Yes, that must have been it. One of the masters was sent to check the ship after it had been discovered. I believe he reported it gave him the urge to go off on un-Jedi like adventures into the unknown zone.”

“Ah, that explains it. Sid asked me if I'd developed any odd urges when we were on board the ship. I thought he was being skeevy at first. Then he asked me if I'd got the dark urges.” Buffy took a step back, untangling herself from Obi-Wan's arms.

As she pulled her warmth and calming presence away from him, Obi-Wan felt a sharp pang of emptiness. He opened his mouth, the words 'don't leave' hovering on his tongue. He closed his mouth again. Buffy was only turning away to pick up her coat so that she was ready for the meeting. She wasn't leaving him. What was wrong with him?

Obi-Wan looked down at the small, pyramid-shaped holocron lying in his hand and hurriedly slipped it into his coat pocket. It may have been the ship or it could be the holocron causing him to speak without thinking. Perhaps, it would be better if he didn't handle this holocron too much in the future.

......................


	149. A New Order

When the call came through from the Jedi Temple, they were both surprised to find they weren't put through to the Council Chambers, but to Buffy's apartment.  
Sat awaiting them, each one holding a steaming mug in their hand, were Yoda, Mace Windu, Count Dooku, Quinlan Vos, and Andrew. A large plate full of freshly baked cookies had been placed on the table and everyone, except for Yoda, appeared to be tucking into them with relish.

Buffy felt relieved to see that her Watcher was still in one piece. She'd asked the Count to keep an eye on him, although afterward, she'd been wondering if that had been such a good idea. Dooku didn't have a high opinion of Andrew. He'd told her once that in his opinion her Watcher was 'one step away from being an imbecile' and begged 'for the sake of his sanity' to never pair him with Andrew on any vampire hunting missions.

While Obi-Wan, with a deep bow, showed off his excellent Temple manners, Buffy gave everyone one of her customary waves. Andrew waved his cookie at her in return, mouthing are you okay? She gave him the thumbs-up sign. Count Dooku lifted his mug up in greeting, and Quin quirked a grin at her and winked.

“Miss Summers, in good health, you seem,” Yoda politely intoned.

“It's really good to see you, Buffy,” smiled Mace. His teeth were looking very white today and his head extra shiny.

“Thanks, it's nice to see you all too,” Buffy replied her smile fixed in place. She knew she was such a liar. Okay, she didn't mind Nick Fury, although recently he'd gotten a little creepy with his suggestions, but Yodel's judge-y looks she could live without. She nodded to their mugs and the big plate of cookies. “I see Andrew's been a good hostess.”

“Andrew has been very accommodating. We could smell these cookies baking as soon as we left the turbolift.” Mace took a bite from the one he was holding, chewed it, and nodded in approval. “These are delicious. It's a shame we can't have freshly baked cookies laid on at our Council meetings. I'd look forward to those long meetings a lot more if we did.” He licked the crumbs from his lips and took another bite.

Buffy's fixed smile morphed into a sly smirk. “Yep, welcome to the dark side. We always have the best cookies.”

Obi-Wan gave a faint sigh of disapproval and tutted. She knew he was thinking that she wasn't helping her case in winning Yoda's friendship, but the opportunity was irresistible. Mace Windu inhaled sharply, then coughed violently as if a crumb had gone down the wrong way. Yoda glowered at Buffy, then banged Mace vigorously on the back with his little green fist until Mace waved his hand, begging the Grand Master to stop.

Quin and Dooku looked at each other, shrugged, then leaned forward to snag another cookie from the plate.

“It was only a joke,” said Buffy, feeling a little guilty at seeing Nick struggling for breath. “They aren't really dark side cookies.” She decided that while the Jedi masters were temporary speechless (Nick gasping for breath and Yoda with annoyance), it would be a good time to tell her Scoobies her big news. “Andrew, I've got some fabulous news! The Republic have given me a spaceship!”

The revelation almost had Andrew exploding with excitement. “Whoa! That's so cool. What type is it? Where is it? Is it on Coruscant? When you gonna fly it? When can I see it?”

Grinning, Buffy replied, “It's here on Naboo. Get this, it was Darth Maul's ship.” Out the corner of her eye, she could see Yoda and Nick Fury exchanging glances. “That means first I snagged his lightsaber and now his ship.”

Andrew made an odd squealing noise and grabbed Quin's arm. Almost making the young knight spill his drink. Quin yanked his arm away and glared, but Andrew didn't notice.  
“You've got The Scimitar? The Scimitar!! I can't believe Sidious has given up The Scimitar!”

The mention of the Sith's ship's name had Yoda's eyes turning suspiciously in the Watcher's direction. Mace Windu wheezed and began coughing once more.

Andrew screwed up his face. “That's a Star Courier ship secretly modified to become a Sith Infiltrator. It's got, like, six laser cannons, a proton torpedo launcher, and an illegal cloaking system created by using rare stygium crystals that came from the planet Aeten!” His legs started to jiggle up and down, his antics shaking the sofa and earning glares not only from Quin but also Count Dooku who were trying to stop their drinks from spilling. “I can't wait to see it, Buffy. Are you gonna fly it back?”

Buffy nodded. “Yeah, they're adding another pilot's chair so I can fly it with Obi-Wan. I'm going to be like Captain Kirk.”

“Can I not be Kirk?” Andrew pleaded, making puppy dog eyes at her. “Please, please, please let me be Kirk. Go on, you know how much I want to be him. I've got his autograph and a full-sized copy of his uniform at home.”

“Uh-no, I'm the captain. You can be... er, Chekov.”

“But I don't wanna be Chekov. If I can't be Kirk, can I be Spock?”

Buffy shook her head. “Nope, Obi-Wan is going to be Spock. He's my second-in-Command.”

“Spock?” muttered Obi-Wan. He wasn't looking impressed. “I thought he was an emotionless alien with strange ears?”

“Okay, you don't need to be Spock. You can be my space pirate,” she joked.

“Are you changing the ship's name to the Millennium Falcon?” Andrew asked. “Is that why you've dressed Obi-Wan up as Han Solo?”

Buffy gave a mock squeak of alarm, “Don't you dare say it! Don't you dare say I look like a Wookie!”

Andrew snorted a laugh, “Nah, I'd never compare you to Chewie!”

“Only because you know you'd die painfully if you did!” she teased. She cast her Watcher and the rest of the Jedi-Scoobies a thoughtful look. “Seriously guys, Andrew's right. I need to think of a new name for the ship.”

“Voyager, Enterprise, Galactica, Moya...” rattled off Andrew.

“Important, this ship's name is?” interrupted Yoda. He'd become tired of the banter between Buffy and Andrew and wanted the meeting back on track. “In danger, the galaxy is. Wanting to joke like a youngling, you should not be.”

Immediately, the Count jumped to Buffy's defense. “Miss Summer has been presented with a spacecraft by the Republic.” Dooku glowered darkly at Yoda. “This is an important occasion for Lord Vader and I'm sure we can all spare a few minutes to discuss it.”

The Vader comment almost made Andrew's eyes to bug out with horror. “Don't call it the Executor!”

Count Dooku refilled his cup from the teapot and looked at Andrew with narrow-eyed interest. “Why not?” he asked. “Is there some significance in that name?”

Buffy shook her head. That name didn't mean anything to her, but she guessed it did to Andrew. “Nope, it means nothing to me. That one isn't on the list. I thought of calling it Slayer One.”

“Jango's is Slave One,” Andrew replied, opening his mouth again, intending to recite the make, model, and weaponry of Jango's ship.

Buffy saw the descent into geekdom coming and quickly forestalled him. “Yeah? Luckily I changed my mind. I was going to call it The Flash, as it's fast. Then Obi-Wan reminded me he calls his lightsaber Flash.”

There was a spluttering noise. Count Dooku began to cough. One hand trying to hold the teacup steady, the other politely covering his mouth as he coughed. Andrew, ever eager to help, leaned around Quin, to thump the Count on his back. It caused the Count's tea to spill over the top of the cup and slosh down his dark tunic.

“Idiot!” snarled Dooku between coughs. “You're making things worse!”

Sheepishly, Andrew stopped thumping and instead handed him a napkin from off the table. The Count wiped tea from his chin before dabbing at the liquid on his tunic and hands.

Meanwhile, Mace Windu's eyes had become round as he stared in disbelief at Obi-Wan. The young knight's heightened color was obvious to all despite him being a blue hologram. Quin gave a hiccup of laughter, while Yoda rubbed at his few remaining tufts of hair.

Obi-Wan lifted his chin defiantly. “I'm not the only one who's given his lightsaber a name,” he said. Daring anyone to argue differently.

Buffy tutted.“ Honestly you guys, it's no big. Obi-Wan's got his Mr Flash...” 'It's just Flash,' muttered Obi-Wan, but no one took any notice of him, “...and I've got my Mr Sparkly and Mr Smoky. I don't see the problem.”

When no one argued with her she grinned. “Back to the important stuff. I want to call my ship The Scythe, as it's like the ultimate Slayer weapon and cut a swathe through evil with its prow laser beams.”

“Laser cannons,” corrected Obi-Wan automatically.

“Yeah, laser cannons,” agreed Buffy, giving Obi-Wan a warm smile.

“The Scythe,” Dooku savored the sound of the name. “I like it. I am sure it will be an appropriate name for, what I am sure will become, an illustrious ship.” He inclined his head gravely, giving it his seal of approval. Then, having rubbed the last of the tea from his cloak, he screwed up the dirty cloth and chucked it at Andrew. Who picked it out his lap and placed it on the table without a word.

“I like it too,” said Quin. “I hope there will be a spot for me on your crew.”

“There'll always be room for you or any of my Jedi-Scoobies,” replied Buffy.

“Let me congratulate you on your new ship, Buffy,” Mace Windu said diplomatically. “Now, if we could move on to the purpose of the meeting. We've called this meeting as we needed to address a number of concerns before you leave for the Lake country and no doubt go out of contact.” He shot a look at Yoda, who was sucking the end of his gimmer stick and watching the Slayer. “Buffy, we need to talk to you about your relationship with the Supreme Chancellor.”

“Been on CNN again, you have,” Yoda pointed his gimmer stick at her crossly. Buffy had the feeling he wanted to hit her with it. In the past, she'd seen him whacking padawans who'd made him cross.

“Huh?”

Mace adjusted his robe, his face uneasy. “There was an item about you on their gossip channel. You need to understand, it isn't something I make a point of watching. I was making breakfast and it just happened to be on.”

“The gossip channel, not something the Jedi watch, it is,” Yoda stared at the cookies in front of him with suspicion. He then reached into his pocket, took out a candy, and popped it into his mouth.

“Yes, as I said, the only reason I saw it was because I was busy making breakfast,” agreed Nick Fury. “However, there's a popular and regular program on there called Society Glitz. It carries all the latest juicy gossip on the galaxy's rich and famous. Who's going out with who, battles between estranged spouses, drug addictions, the latest fashion trends, and so on.” He rubbed at his chin, his dark eyes staring into hers. “They were talking about you, Buffy. They showed footage of the Floral Parade in Theed with you sitting in the place of honor by the Supreme Chancellor's side.” Mace took a deep breath and finished in a rush, “You looked very... intimate with him.”

“Whispering things in his ear, you were,” added Yoda, sucking hard on the candy. “Saw it for myself, I did.”

Mace nodded and plowed on, “They showed an in-depth interview with a Twi'lek called Leranda who claims to be a close friend of yours. She told the reporters that you and Palpatine are actively sharing a bedroom in the palace and that everyone expects an official announcement to be made once you return to Coruscant.”

“She's no friend of mine! It's all lies!” spluttered Buffy. Next to her, Obi-Wan had tensed, aware that there was more to come.

“It showed a clip from an interview with Palpatine. When asked if the two of you had any permanent plans, his reply was rather damning,” added Mace Windu, his face stern. “Palpatine said there comes a point in every man's life when he realizes it's time to set up a nursery, and you were the ideal woman to do that with.

“Why would I even want to start a childcare business with Sid?!” Buffy asked, confusion in her face.

“He means, he wants to start a family with you,” Obi-Wan explained tersely.

Buffy horrified eyes met his.

Count Dooku cleared his throat. “Miss Summers has already told us that she has no intention of marrying Sheev Palpatine. The Jedi Council should take her word and stop this needless interrogation and embarrassment. I for one know who'd I'd rather believe. And it's neither that dreadful channel who use fake news to boost their viewing figures nor is it a Sith Lord who is desperate to get his hands on our Slayer.” He curled his upper lip, his face full of disdain. “The Sith weren't like that in the old days, they had more respect for themselves. I think he's senile.”

“I never thought there'd be any truth in it,” responded Andrew. He leaned back on the sofa, hugging his caff cup in one hand while pushing the remains of a cookie into his mouth. Crumbs sprayed from his mouth as he went on, “I know Spike reckoned Buffy likes her men with a bit of darkness in them, but they were always good looking guys. Even if she has a history of falling for the sadistic, mass-murdering types she wouldn't go for Prune-face.”

The Watcher's comment was followed by a heavy silence in the room. Dooku's dark eyes stared down at his tea, slowly stirring the contents with a teaspoon unsure of what to say. Quin ducked his head, hiding his expression behind his dreadlocks. Whilst over in their respective seats, Nick and Yoda exchanged a significant glance. Buffy cringed and closed her eyes. Silently wishing she had Vader's Force power of choking people into silence from a distance, namely Watchers with big mouths.

Obi-Wan stirred uneasily next to her. Was he worried again, in case she was interested in Sid?

~I'm not interested in Palpatine~ she whispered through their bond. ~You know that, don't you? It's you I love.~

~I know. Palpatine is my concern. This title and those gifts that he gave to you in the name of the Republic... He seeks to manipulate you. It doesn't bode well for the future and what worries me.~

Buffy wasn't sure what to say or do to improve the situation. She always tried to appear unperturbed in Sid's company, playing down her own fears and trying to keep Obi-Wan and the rest of the Jedi from freaking out. But she wasn't stupid. She was well aware of what Sid was capable of and the lengths he'd go to achieve his goals. It was one of the reasons why she preferred herself to be the object of Palpatine's focus rather than little Anakin. The kid had had no chance. He might have walked into the Sith's trap in Lucas's dimension, but she'd do her damnedest to stop it happening in this one.

Next to her, Obi-Wan folded his arms to hide clenched fists, she could hear him inhaling and exhaling slowly, using his Jedi training to allow his negative emotions to disperse into the Force.

“Masters,” Obi-Wan began, his voice steady with no trace of the battle he'd just fought with his feelings, “Has any evidence of Palpatine's Sith allegiance or any of his misdemeanors been discovered yet?”

Yoda's long, pointed ears dropped. He leaned forward in his chair, putting his weight on his gimmer stick as he looked at the young knight. “Impatient for results, you are. Easy to find evidence, it will be not. Cunning, Palpatine is. Many years to unmask him, it may take us.” His mouth turned down into a thin line, obviously not happy about this answer either.

“Years?” Buffy repeated softly. A trickle of panic flowed from her to Obi-Wan. He unfolded his arms, allowing them to drop by their sides, his fingers discreetly brushing against hers. This was the most contact he could do while in sight of the Jedi masters.

~Don't worry. The Jedi are many and we know the enemy is trying to hide in plain sight. He's bound to slip up sometime.~ Obi-Wan whispered down their bond, attempting to reassure her. The Grand Master's answer had served to worry him further. How long did they have before the Dark Lord of the Sith made a more drastic move on Buffy?

“More to say, we have.” Yoda pushed another candy into his mouth and crunched it, staring first at Buffy and then the young Jedi knight as he did so.

.....

Obi-Wan met Master Yoda's ancient eyes as they looked at him and Buffy before they gazed off. Was that sadness he'd seen in them? Had he seen something in their future? Next to him, Buffy stiffened. He felt a ripple of panic flowing from her. She'd a bad feeling about this. Not that he hadn't either, but Buffy's bad feeling eclipsed his own. Shifting his weight from foot to foot, Obi-Wan used the move to cover the way he'd moved close to her. Allowing his long sleeve to cover his hand, he entwined his fingers through hers and drew her hand to his side in a gesture of solidarity. Whatever happened they had one another, he'd promised her that he'd not leave her and he'd no intention of breaking that promise.

Across from them, Master Windu's face was grave. “This is one of the reasons why Master Yoda and I chose to hold this meeting here rather than in the Council chambers. We thought it better not to reveal Master Sifo-Dyas may have joined the ranks of the Sith vampires-.”

“What?!” snapped Count Dooku, his head whipping around in Mace Windu's direction. This was the first he'd heard that his childhood friend Sifo-Dyas could be a vampire. “No! I don't believe it!”

“The Jedi-vampires said that they were part of something called The New Order and that Sifo was in charge of their recruitment,” Buffy replied softly. She suddenly remembered that Sifo had been in charge of bringing new Force users to the Temple. That meant he'd had access to everyone's files at the Temple and would know who was a likely candidate for turning into a Force wielding vampire. No wonder Nick and Yoda were worried.

Count Dooku raised a trembling hand to his forehead and visibly paled.

“I'm sorry, Count” Buffy added. Dooku's hand lifted, stopping further displays of sympathy from her.

“That's the thing,” said Mace. “We've no evidence what they told you is true. It's why we don't wish to involve the other Council masters at this stage,” He didn't add that during Master Sifo-Dyas's time on the Council, his predictions of war and the suggestion the Jedi create an army hadn't gone down well with his fellow masters. Mace went on, “It's possible, maybe even likely, that those vampires lied to Obi-Wan and Buffy.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his fingers steepled under his chin. “We know that a significant number of Jedi have disappeared over the past few months. Not in great numbers yet enough to raise our suspicions that-.”

“Sifo-Dyas is raising an army!” squeaked Andrew. He shared a long look with Buffy, who didn't have a clue what he was on about until he mouthed 'clones' at her. She remembered then Sifo had put in the clone order on Kamino.

Mace Windu gave Andrew a disapproving look for being overly-dramatic. “The numbers don't add up to an army...”

“Unless each Jedi-vampire decides to go around the galaxy siring lots more vamps,” piped up Buffy. If they did, it was all going to get out of hand fast.

“I don't think they will,” replied Obi-Wan, his voice calm and even. “We're dealing with Dark Jedi or the Sith here and the Sith weren't known for sharing their powers.” A sneer of disgust appeared on his face as he remembered how the Casanova vamp from the previous night had latched onto Buffy. “When that upstart boy bragged of turning you into a vampire Master Jai stated Sifo-Dyas needed to assess everyone before they were turned. No exceptions. That should stop them from growing into plague proportions.”

“True,” Buffy admitted.

“The power of the Dark Side, stronger it becomes,” croaked Yoda sagely. “Clouds, all it does. Greatly troubled by all this, I am.” He gazed at the freshly baked cookies lying so temptingly within reach and mused, “Joked about dark cookies, you should have not.”

Sensing the direction of the diminutive master's thoughts Mace inclined his head in agreement. He'd been enjoying those cookies until Buffy suggested Andrew had contaminated them with the Dark Side.

Pulling his thoughts from cookies, Mace focussed back on the less palatable vampires. “The majority of those who've disappeared are from the Jedi Service Corps. It didn't raise too much suspicion at first. The number of Jedi in the Corps fluctuates. Either they become disappointed at not being trained as a knight or they decide the Jedi code isn't for them and take off.”

“I'm not surprised,” said Buffy under her breath. No one caught her words but Obi-Wan.

“Most serious minded, a Jedi needs to be,” injected Yoda. His eyes drifted to Obi-Wan's. He'd noted an irreverence and sarcastic wit had developed since he'd been given the task of watching Buffy. He wasn't sure if it was a natural part of the young man's personality or if it was Buffy's influence. The green master went on. “Testing us, the Sith are.”

Mace continued, “We checked on the names of the Jedi outlying stations that you mentioned seeing on the star map you found at Jar Jar's. Those stations had all reported Jedi missing. We've now alerted the other outlying posts to be wary of any strangers-”

“Stranger Danger!” squeaked Andrew. He'd been in a deep fantasy where he'd been kidnapped by Jango Fett and only the last part of the sentence had penetrated his daydream. “Don't talk to strangers, just walk away!”

Mace frowned, completely thrown by the bizarre comment. He regarded the Watcher uneasily, before looking to Count Dooku for an explanation. The older master gave a small shrug of his shoulders, to show he hadn't a clue what the young man was talking of either. “Um, yes. Thanks, Andrew. Er, what... what was I saying?” asked Mace.

“What about warning your other Jedi? They're in danger too.” Buffy said, ignoring Andrew. The ex-Jedi vamps they'd fought the previous night weren't the First Evil, but they were a powerful adversary. What would happen if more and more Jedi became vampires? Obi-Wan's hand squeezed hers. She'd tensed again and broadcast panic down their bond. Buffy pulled in a deep breath. letting it out slowly, consciously trying to relax the tension from her shoulders and the knots of anxiety in her stomach. She was no longer one girl battling against the demons and darkness threatening to engulf the world. When Sineya had seen Obi-Wan she'd called them all 'Slayers'. Did Sineya foresee the Jedi Order as the vampire slayers of this dimension?

A Temple full of Jedi would be every bit as good as her Slayers, but what if the Jedi masters found out she and Obi-Wan were a couple? She couldn't see Yodel being happy about the Code break-age. The memory of Dawn and the rest of the Scoobies throwing her out the house was as strong as ever. Would that happen again? The Jedi Temple was her home. She didn't want to lose Obi-Wan, yet she didn't want him to lose everything he was and should be either.

Warm masculine fingers once again gently squeezed her hand. ~Hush, it won't be a problem.~ Obi-Wan's mind touched hers. His steadying influence a soothing balm on her panic.

“For the moment, we don't wish to alarm the rest of the Jedi,” replied Mace Windu. “The masters and knights are more wary of being attacked than those in the Service Corps. We've also stepped up security around the Temple.”

“Step carefully, we should. Fully appraised, we need to be. Act fast and decisively, only then we shall,” added Yoda. He tapped his gimmer stick onto the floor and looked about him. “Yet more bad news, we have.”

............  
“More bad news?” asked Count Dooku, his voice scathing.

The Count scowled at Yoda. Silently blaming the small Grand Master for most of their problems. Over the years, he and Sifo-Dyas had spoken at length about the general ineffectiveness of the Jedi Order and their disappointment at how the Jedi Order was being used as the watchdog of the Republic. Now it seemed his friend had gone, taken by the vampires and the only one who'd tried to warn them of their danger was the Slayer. Goodness knows what his end might have been if he hadn't met Buffy and stayed to train her.

Next to him, Quinlan Vos's normally jovial personality became even more subdued. He'd returned from a mission only that morning and was shocked to find how much the vampire situation had worsened during his short absence.

Mace shuffled in his chair, uncomfortable to be the bearer of more bad news. Count Dooku had always put him on edge. “As I was telling you earlier, the Jedi team reported Jar Jar's ritual room had been completely emptied by someone before we could secure it.”

Obi-Wan knew that not everything from that room had been lost. The Jedi Order still didn't know about the pyramid-shaped holocron that presently felt as if it was burning a hole inside his pocket. Without thinking, the young knight raised a hand to touch it. He caught himself and quickly dropped the hand back to his side. Now wasn't the right time to declare it. Master Yoda and Master Windu would think it odd he'd not handed it over and start questioning him in front of Dooku and the others. He knew what would happen if they did.

The Count already thought he had a drinking problem. It was likely he'd inform Council that he'd caught Obi-Wan lying drunk in the corridor when he was supposed to have been protecting Buffy. Dooku would most likely say that forgetting to hand over the Sith holocron was a sign of short-term memory loss due to Obi-Wan's alcoholism. The Council would immediately demand his return to the Temple, Buffy would refuse to leave her hunt, and he'd need to disobey orders to remain with her.  
No, it was definitely better not to admit having the holocron right now. Obi-Wan decided he'd wait and declare it later. Perhaps once they got back on Coruscant he'd-.

“Obi-Wan,-”

Hearing his name, Obi-Wan flinched guiltily. Luckily, Mace Windu wasn't looking at him and continued, “provided us with images of the circle which we passed along to Master It'ilin. From these images, the investigator used his expertise and knowledge of ancient languages to translate the hieroglyphs. He then shared the information with Andrew.”

Andrew rose to his feet. “Master It'ilin is so cool,” he gushed before remembering Yoda was watching him. His voice changed, as he tried to impersonate a much older, more sedate man. “The hieroglyphs around the summoning circle were written in an ancient form of the Sith language. Master It'ilin and I pondered their interpretation for several hours before we both drew the same conclusion.  
It could only have been a Sith Mage who drew the summoning circle. No doubt one well-versed in the Dark Arts of the Sith as, to even attempt such a difficult piece of sorcery, it suggests one with extensive knowledge and confidence. One who perhaps-”

“Get on with it already,” heckled Buffy. She knew they'd be waiting all week for Andrew to get to the point if no one encouraged him to finish.

Andrew shot her a glare. It wasn't fair. She always got the limelight. Now it was his turn to shine in front of the Jedi, she was trying to spoil his big moment and draw the attention back to her by interrupting.  
“As I was saying before I was most rudely interrupted by Miss Summers, the purpose of the circle was to raise a Force Ghost. The Mage uses dust from a bone of the person they hope to raise, along with an item once considered precious to them. Only someone strong enough in the Force can be raised and, since it's highly unlikely the Sith would raise a Jedi, we concluded that this ghost must once have been a highly powerful Sith Lord. That's 'Lord' as in male or female. I'm not being gender-specific by using that title,” added Andrew. “This one could easily be a female. In fact, some of the hieroglyphs suggest it.”

“Why raise a ghost?” Quin asked. He'd kept quiet until now, but this was confusing him. “We're taught that after death a person becomes one with the Force. If you could raise their consciousness, what use would a ghost be? Surely it would just float off?

“Ah!” smirked Andrew who knew the answer to this. “It's done to enslave them and learn the secrets they knew while alive. While many can summon the dead or demonic, not everyone is powerful enough in the dark arts to control them. I know this. I've got a long history of summoning demons-.”

Buffy tutted loudly.

Andrew's cheeks became red and he lost the little smirk. “Um, you see that's where the personal item comes in. It's not only a vital part of the summoning ritual, but it also puts them under the control of the Mage. Should the Mage lose the item the conjured ghost could go off and do, er, whatever it is ghosts enjoy doing in their spare time.”

“Those skeletons that went missing. Will they also be raised as ghosts?” Mace asked, wondering how many Force ghosts they were going to come across.

Andrew shook his head. “Interestingly, you don't need a full skeleton to raise a ghost, but you do to reanimate a zombie. I believe the skeletons were going to be used for a different purpose. You see, whereas Force ghosts retain all their previous knowledge, self-awareness, and intelligence, zombies do not. They are... brain dead. You don't need any brain activity to be able to fight-.”

“Oi!” objected Buffy.

Andrew paled as he realized what he'd said. “Sorry. I wasn't calling Slayers brainless. Or even brain dead. I just meant that ghosts can't interact with the physical world in the same way that something reanimated can. The skeletons would be just zombie fighters, using what little brains they have for that.”

“But they haven't got any brains,” Buffy pointed out the flaw in the theory. “Skeletons have empty heads. Unless there's brain bits still inside, rotting away.”

Obi-Wan shot her a scolding look. He wished she wasn't so offhand about rotting corpses and skeletons. Such remarks were not only disrespectful but rather dark.

“A type of zombie then,” replied Andrew as he sat down on the sofa next to Quin. “You've seen Jason and the Argonauts haven't you? Lack of a brain didn't stop those skeletons from fighting against Jason and his crew. Zombies have no brain activity yet they can still fight. My guess is the Sith want to reanimate them and use them as soldiers.”

“Oh, like those Sith zombies we found milling about in the Jedi basement,” Buffy exclaimed.

Yoda's ears flattened and he shot her a sullen look.

“What? What have I said?”

Next to her, Obi-Wan sighed.

“Quick to judge others, you are!” said Yoda, he pointed his stick at her. “See through you, I can.”

“Quick to judge?” Buffy stirred angrily. “Look who's talking! Strange how you judged me as a Sith as soon as you met me, but failed to see the real ones milling about on your doorstep for years!”

The two of them glared at each other.

“I think we should continue,” Nick said. He rubbed at his forehead with his robe sleeve. Wiping away the droplets of sweat that had suddenly appeared. “There's a lot to get through. Andrew, is there any clue to the identification of the Force ghost that's been raised?”

“Nope,” replied Andrew, “but you were so lucky it wasn't Darth Bane.” The Watcher grinned, losing himself in the private world of bad boy addiction. His eyes shone with excitement and a big smile plastered across his face, as he explained, “Darth Bane was a totally wicked Sith who hated the Jedi! He was the one who thought up the rule of two that all the later Sith followed. One master and one apprentice. Once the apprentice was strong and wise enough he killed his master and took the title of Lord.”

“That's stupid,” said Buffy. “No one would take an apprentice in case they got killed.”

Andrew ignored her. “I bet the ring the vampires made off with was his. It makes sense. Yeah, and if they find another of Bane's bones both the Jedi and the Sith had better watch out. He's gonna be hard for them to control and if he breaks free he'll no doubt latch onto a Force wielder and turn them into his Sith apprentice. Yeah, Bane's bad. He'll soon bring the galaxy to its knees.”

“Taking this serious, you are not!” snapped Yoda, who'd become more and more dismayed at Andrew's Sith-boy worship. “Evil you are supposed to fight. Be liking these Sith, you should not!” The small master shot a reproachful look at Mace Windu, who sat clutching his 'Sith Boys Have More Fun' mug to his chest.

“I am taking it seriously!” whined Andrew, offended by the accusation. “I've got all these totally radical ideas for disposing of unwanted ghosts. There's the Dark Reaper.” He turned to the blue image of Buffy and explained, “That's a weapon created by the Sith. They used it to rip the life force from entire planets and destroy everything. I was thinking of finding it, rigging something up to it, and using it to yank Sith ghosts from out the Force.”

Flabbergasted at how Andrew knew about the existence of an ancient and long lost Sith weapon, Yoda opened and closed his mouth silently several times. Eventually, he managed to croak out, “Lost to all, that device is.”

Count Dooku smirked darkly and cleared his throat. “Actually, it isn't. I know where the main part of the device is. The Force Harvester.”

That gained everyone's attention. Seeing their shock and suspicion, the Count continued, “I wasn't actively setting out to look for it,” he assured them, “it merely cropped up in conversation.”

The entire room stared at him dubiously. Everyone wondering what sort of conversation he'd been having for such an obscure, dangerous weapon to be brought up. The Count waved off their suspicion with, “Why would I want to rebuild a weapon of mass destruction?”

“It's on Raxus Prime isn't it?” squeaked Andrew. He'd put his mug down and now sat, gripping the edges of the sofa cushion with both hands, hyped up with a combination of adrenaline and a sugar high through eating too many cookies.

“No,” replied Dooku dourly. “It isn't on that dirty, garbage slewn poisonous world. It's somewhere else entirely.”

“Oh, oh, don't tell me, let me guess.” The watcher smirked, “ I know, you took it and hid it in the Kashyyyk system. Maybe... on the moon of Alaris Prime!”

“No, it isn't there either,” replied the Count smugly.

“Ha! It so is!”

“Believe me, it isn't!

“Well, it's supposed to be!”

“It isn't! It's on Hoth!” snapped Count Dooku. “Just because you're a fan of George Lucas doesn't mean you know everything that is going on in this galaxy! Stop acting as if you do.”

Andrew sulked at having his fan-based knowledge challenged, then his face lit up as a different thought occurred to him. “We could go to Hoth and grab the Harvester. I've always wanted to ride a tauntaun.”

“I'm not going to Hoth,” said Dooku firmly. He pulled the edges of his robe around him as if he could already feel the freezing winds of the icy planet. “The Harvester can stay where it is. I've got my rheumatoid arthritis to think of.”

“You haven't got rheumatoid arthritis,” Buffy pointed out.

“Only because I avoid places like Hoth,” Dooku replied. He shuddered theatrically. “That planet is not for me. I'm far too old to go traipsing about in all that snow.”

Mace Windu was looking worried. “Is this Force Harvester idea even wise?” he asked. If Dooku or Andrew heard him they gave no sign.

“You can stay inside the ship,” Andrew told Dooku. “If you tell us where it is, me and Quin will go out and get it. We'll ride a tauntuan together. Quin can control it with his mind power and I'll sit behind him and hold on. It'll be romantic.” He settled back and gave Quin a shy look.

The Kiffar knight tensed, the only sign of movement a twitch in his face, his mind filled with horrifying images the young Watcher painted. Finally, he gulped, “I'm a Jedi. We aren't allowed romantic rides through the snow.”

Andrew's mouth turned downwards.

Despite his misgivings regarding unearthing a Sith super-weapon, Obi-Wan couldn't help teasing his friend. “Quin, for the sake of the Count's arthritis, you really must venture out into the snow with Andrew.

The Kiffar narrowed his eyes, clearly signaling 'I'll get you back for this.'

Andrew's face brightened once again. “If I was captured by a wampa, dragged into its cave, and hung upside down ready to be eaten. Obi-Wan could appear and rescue me.”

“Oh yes,” Quin smirked. He much preferred this new daydream of Andrew's. “Obi-Wan can go with you to Hoth. I remember how he flew to the rescue that time when you were abducted by the sex slavers. Pick Obi-Wan for your companion. He'd love to go to Hoth and cuddle up on the back of a tuantuan.”

Andrew gazed wistfully at Obi-Wan for a moment, before shaking his head. “No, he prefers being with Buffy. And she needs him.”

Quin's grin became wider. Obi-Wan experienced a tinge of un-Jedi like panic as he realized that Yoda and Mace had allowed themselves to purposely fade into the background. No doubt the masters were quietly watching the Jedi-Scooby gang, to assess what they got up to behind closed doors. This wasn't good. If the masters picked up on a relationship between him and Buffy they'd recall them both back to the Temple, split them up, and investigate. He needed to deflect their attention.

“Of course, she needs me,” Obi-Wan replied, “Buffy has a real talent for finding trouble. It's my job to get her out of it.”

“Hey!” Buffy protested, not happy at having her name besmirched and thrown under the speeder bus for distraction. “Not fair. Trouble totally finds me.”

“That's what I said.”

“No, you didn't. You said I find trouble. As if I purposely go out looking for it.”

“Yes, you do. Trips to The Korriban Club, meeting Nightsisters and Dathomirian Zabracks, hunting Trogs in the Lower Levels, hanging around with bounty hunters... Need I go on?” asked Obi-Wan.

“Wait! I don't hang around with bounty hunters!” Buffy looked affronted by the suggestion. The Jedi next to her raised an accusing eyebrow, silently reminding her of a guy called Jay who'd gone on to dangle her from off his belt.

Buffy, bit her lip before saying, “Hmm, guess I need to plead the fifth on that one.”

There was warm amusement rolling off Obi-Wan, although he maintained his reproving expression. She guessed the sour look was for Yoda and Nick's benefit. Those two always put a downer on every party.

Turning her attention to Andrew, she made a suggestion. “If you go to Hoth, why not take Rayne along with you?” Ubi must be rubbing off on her. She was turning into a negotiator. “I bet Rayne would like to go on romantic wampa rides with you.”

Andrew slanted another shy look at the Kiffar. It was obvious that he was deep in the throes of a crush. “It's tauntaun rides and Rayne's just a friend.”

The Kiffar shuffled away and folded his arms. “So am I. A friend! Keep thinking of me like that.” He frowned when he saw Andrew gazing at his biceps in admiration.

Yoda had seen enough. Lifting his gimmer stick, he waved it at Andrew. “Attachments, not the Jedi way. Attempt to seduce Jedi knights, you should not.”

Andrew gave Buffy a sullen look and fell into a hard sulk.

Pointing his stick at Obi-Wan, and sending the young knight into another panic, Yoda rebuked, “Serious, the mind of a Jedi should be.”

Obi-Wan dropped his eyes to the floor, feeling suitably embarrassed, chastised, and relieved all at the same time.

Yoda continued, “A dangerous weapon to the whole galaxy, the Dark Reaper is.” His ears flattened to the side of his head as he narrowed his eyes at Andrew. “A child's plaything, this is not!”

“I only want it for ideas so I can make my own Force Sucker-Outer,” Andrew argued back.

“Foolish, you are. Kill many you will,” Yoda stated. As head of the Jedi Order, he was used to dealing with more respectful youngsters. The chaos that reigned at Jedi-Scooby meetings was quite unnerving. |Shaking his head at Buffy's dark apprentice he continued, “Bring the Dark Reaper to the Temple, you will not!

“Both the Dark Reaper and the Force Harvester are far too dangerous to unearth simply for ideas,” scolded Mace Windu, concerned at Andrew's stubbornness. “Those things suck the life Force out of everything within range. I don't think you realize how dangerous this Sith super-weapon truly is.”

“Nah, honest, it won't be a problem,” Andrew continued with relentless optimism. He paused, eyes widening as a great idea came into his head. “Buffy!!” He bounced up and down in his seat, causing Dooku and Quin to quickly place their mugs on the table. “I've got the coolest idea for a Force Sucker-Outer! Do you remember how they used to suck up the ghosts in Ghostbusters? Remember, they had traps and those proton backpacks?”

“Er, yeah,” Buffy admitted cautiously. Not sure if it was a wise agreeing to anything at this stage. Obi-Wan was bombarding her with warnings down their bond and even Yoda had gone a sickly shade of green.

apprentice he continued, “Bring the Dark Reaper to the Temple, you will not!

“Both the Dark Reaper and the Force Harvester are far too dangerous to unearth simply for ideas,” scolded Mace Windu, concerned at Andrew's stubbornness. “Those things suck the life Force out of everything within range. I don't think you realize how dangerous this Sith super-weapon truly is.”

“Nah, honest, it won't be a problem,” Andrew continued with relentless optimism. He paused, eyes widening as a great idea came into his head. “Buffy!!” He bounced up and down in his seat, causing Dooku and Quin to quickly place their mugs on the table. “I've got the coolest idea for a Force Sucker-Outer! Do you remember how they used to suck up the ghosts in Ghostbusters? Remember, they had traps and those proton backpacks?”

“Er, yeah,” Buffy admitted cautiously. Not sure if it was a wise agreeing to anything at this stage. Obi-Wan was bombarding her with warnings down their bond and even Yoda had gone a sickly shade of green.

Her Watcher sprang to his feet and began pacing in front of the couch. “If I get the Harvester and dismantle it, I could rig up a couple of de-materializer type packs that you and Obi-Wan can wear on your backs.” Andrew mimicked firing a blaster at an invisible ghost. He made an odd sucking noise with his mouth and bounced excitedly. “You and Obi-Wan could hunt out the ghost, point your Dark Reaper at it, and suck up the ghost between you.”

“Don't imagine for a moment that I'll volunteer to test this weapon for you,” said Obi-Wan. “I know how many times you electrocuted Buffy while trying to build a lightsaber. Anyone who tests one of your backpacks will probably find themselves sucked inside, rather than the ghost.”

Andrew waved away his concerns. “I'm a Watcher. It's my job to find ways to kill demons or, in this case, Force ghosts. That's why I want to get my hands on the Force Harvester and the Dark Reaper.”

“I wouldn't hold your breath,” Count Dooku said darkly. “Despite having researched this Force Harvester extensively over the years,” Yoda and Mace exchanged a worried look, “I've no idea exactly where on Hoth it's buried.” He eyed Andrew sourly. “We could be there for years, digging through all that snow. Or rather YOU could be there for years. I'm not going.”

“The Count is right, Andrew,” said Buffy. “This isn't a case of looking for an artifact buried somewhere in Sunnydale. Hoth is a big planet. Not that I know anything about Hoth, but it's bound to be a big planet compared to Sunnydale. I'm also thinking this Grim Reaper thing is sounding way too dangerous.”  
She saw the familiar stubborn scowl and tried a different tactic. “If Casper the Unfriendly ghost had appeared back in Sunnydale would the man in tweed have suggested using a nuclear weapon on it? No, he wouldn't. No Andrew, I know why you wanna go to Hoth, but we need to find something more subtle. Why don't you ask Mother Ta'la if she knows of a good banishing ritual we can use?”

“You mean something along the lines of a blood sacrifice, the innards of our enemies, and a complex archaic ritual?” Andrew brightened, sulk forgotten as his brain rattled off down a new yet familiar track. Around him, everyone but Buffy grimaced in distaste.

“Yeah, that sounds more like our thing. Research it and come back to me.” Catastrophe now averted, Buffy gave the masters and the Jedi-Scoobies one of her sunny smiles. “Is there any more bad news we should know about? Only we've booked on a shuttle going to the Lake country and it's leaving soon. Padme helped us get a late booking in this cute honeymoon villa overlooking the lake. I can't wait to check out my room. We're both gonna have an early night so we're bright and fresh for hitting the shoe outlets first thing in the morning.” She smiled up at the red-haired Jedi standing next too her. “Obi-Wan's gonna need plenty of energy for everything I've got planned for him.”

Obi-Wan didn't flick as much as an eyelid. He stared stonily ahead of him, not daring to let his thoughts venture down any non-Jedi pathways.

“Going into shoe shops, you should not,” Yoda remarked waspishly after a moment. “Vampires, you are there to hunt.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “And where's there a better place to find information on the crystal caverns than inside a shoe shop? Honestly, you Jedi have no idea of where to go to find the best gossip. Ubi was just the same. He doubted me when I told him I was getting my hair done, but I was the one who found out all the information he couldn't.”

Yoda sucked in his cheeks, wanting to argue, but unable to. He'd never been into a shoe shop or a beauty parlor. As long as the tufts of hair on his head were neatly combed and pressed into place with a lick of spit he considered himself good to go.

Unable to subdue the Slayer with his gems of wisdom he looked to Kenobi. He noted once again the young knight stood overly close to the young woman. Why? Was he protecting her? Controlling her? Or offering support?  
Hmm, Interesting.  
Closing his eyes, the small green master reached out into the Force. Using his abilities to search out, through the currents that flowed through the living Force and onwards. He'd found that over the centuries seeing far into the future had become more and more difficult. Now, the hints he saw brought both sadness and new hope. All was not lost to darkness.

“Obi-Wan, strong in the Force, you have become, hmm? Allow yourself to be distracted by others, you should not. To grave danger, that pathway leads.”

Buffy gave a small snort of ridicule. She'd unwrapped better one-liners from cheap fortune cookies.

Although there was no way he could have heard her, Yoda's ancient eyes turned to the Slayer. “You too, Slayer. Darkness shrouds you. Great personal pain for you, the future holds. Strong, you must be, if you wish to prevail and stay in the Light.”

And to Buffy's surprise, his voice held a note of genuine sadness.

…....


	150. The Shining Ones

Buffy knew Naboo was a beautiful planet. After all, she'd seen first-hand examples of its stunning architecture while in the capital, but the Lake country had its own kind of jaw-dropping natural beauty. She'd sneaked peeks through the shuttle window, but it was only when they'd left civilization, and the spaceport, behind them that she began to really appreciate it.  
It was a fairytale landscape. Grasslands rolling out for miles, multi-colored wildflowers in bloom, deep sapphire blue lakes and all were bathed in the soft, golden haze cast from the Nabooan evening sun. They traveled through the landscape in their hired open-top speeder, their onboard navi-com taking towards the mountains. Those mountains where not only the crystal caverns lay, but also the ancient Sith tombs.

“Lake Bahlar,” announced Obi-Wan as he brought the speeder to a smooth stop at the very edge of an enormous lake.

A couple of land-speeders shot past them, heading on towards the line of hotels fronting this side of the lake. When they'd passed, a peaceful silence descended that was broken only by the lapping of the water at the lake's edge. For the first time since that morning, both the Jedi and the Slayer found themselves able to relax. They sat drinking in the view. The large expanse of water, the small islands dotted about in its centre, and on to where the mountains rose up on the far side.  
Gradually, distant sounds drifted across the water to them. The melancholy calls of the native nesting waterfowl, muffled laughter from the terrace of the closest villa, and then, from somewhere out of sight on the lake, the whine of a speeder-boat.

Buffy rolled her neck and then each shoulder. Easing out the stiffness in her muscles from the long hours of traveling. It had been a long day and she was looking forward to a shower in hot water. She looked across her right shoulder towards the hotels. Nestling amongst the tree-lined hills on this side of the lake were several picturesque villas. Each one with numerous terraces stepping downwards to the lake beaches. She'd booked them into one of those.

“Shmi told me they found the young dead girl on our hotel beach,” said Buffy, her eyes scanning the sand and pebbled areas around the lake edge. “The authorities are claiming a wild animal bit her neck, drained her of blood, and then dragged her into the lake.”

“I know, she looked like you,” mused Obi-Wan, rubbing the bristles on his chin thoughtfully. Too many of the vampire's victims looked like Buffy, in his opinion. He hoped that Darth Desolate, in his search for the Sith-Queen, hadn't developed a partiality for small, blonde human females. He was finding it difficult enough dealing with Palpatine's unhealthy interest in Buffy. One Sith Lord love rival was enough for any Jedi to deal with.

“I guess she was another who'd been mistaken for me. Like the girl they snatched on Coruscant and took to the lower levels. Desperate is like, desperate for my blood,” Buffy said, reminding him once more of the garbled message he'd pulled from the burnt-out droid. “Spike told me it's all about blood and it seems to hold true in this dimension as well.”

“The blood of the strongest Sith in the galaxy,” Obi-Wan repeated the message. “The Sith Queen's blood.”

Buffy snorted. “He's gonna have a shock if he drinks mine. I'm definitely a Slayer and not a Sith.” She screwed up her nose, a thought occurring to her. “We should have sent the Pauline a message and told him where to find the real Sith. Then the Pauline could have sent Jay after Palpatine rather than me.”

“He's a Pau'an,” corrected Obi-Wan. “Not a Pauline.” It had been a long and difficult day and now the conversation about drinking blood had upset his Jedi peace. Restarting the engines, he reversed, before setting off towards the hotels.

Buffy gave him a sly smile, letting him know she knew the difference between a Pauline and a Pau'an but preferred her version of the name. “As a Jedi,” she said, “ would you think I was a bad person if I told Desperate that Palpatine was a Sith?”

“Would you be able to sleep at night, knowing that you'd thrown Palpatine's name to a vampire?” asked the Obi-Wan. He frowned. He wished she hadn't voiced that question. It planted images in his head that, despite their dark undertones, were rather tempting to carry out. Palpatine was a huge threat to not only the Jedi Order but also the entire galaxy. If Palpatine no longer existed, Obi-Wan knew he'd sleep easier. On the other hand, the Sith vampire was not only undead but evil. As a Jedi, he shouldn't wish such a violent death on his worst enemy. He really shouldn't...

“I think I'd sleep even more soundly if I locked Sid in a room with a vampire,” replied Buffy. “I've done things like that before.”

Obi-Wan gaped at her, shocked.

“Don't look at me like that! I did my best to stop it from happening but the guy was dying and thought becoming a vampire was the better option. You could even say, that when I locked him in I fulfilled his dying wish. Of course, I had to stake him later.”

Her explanation, and apparent lack of remorse, made the Jedi shudder. She picked up on it.

“Oh, relax Ubi. A lot of things happened in my past that wouldn't have Jedi approval. But I'm a Slayer, not a Jedi and things were done differently in my dimension.”

“I worry about you,” the Jedi replied, his eyes watching for their hotel, not looking at her. The worry was real, she could feel it through their link. “Now that you're accessing the Force...” Sensing her about to argue with him, he held up a finger (she looked at it suspiciously, thinking he was pulling a mind trick on her and he gave her a little grin in return).  
He continued, “You can, although your abilities seem to be more of an awareness than direct control. However, that awareness alone puts you at risk of the Dark Side. Therefore, you need to mind your thoughts, words, and deeds far more than you might have done previously.”

Buffy looked away from him, towards the lake again. She didn't feel that the Dark Side was dangerous to her. After all, she'd faced it several times so far and still hadn't felt the urge to wear the Vader helmet or get the metal legs.

“Don't worry about me going dark, Ubi,” she replied. “And don't worry about me feeding Sid to Darth Desperado. I was only joking, although I do feel like it. Nope, that vampire wants Sith blood for a reason. I think it's best if we keep him away from Palpatine.”

The speeder flew on. Passing first one large hotel, then a second. Heading towards the third villa where, according to nav-comp, they were staying.

As they flew down the trackways, Obi-Wan noticed Buffy fidgeting and her eyes drifting constantly to the lake. There was growing apprehension through their link. “What's worrying you?” he asked.

“Is there any Jurassic fish in that lake?”

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. He slowed the speeder as the sign came up for The Overlook Hotel, turned off the lake road, and onto the drive before slanting her a glance. “What are 'Jurassic fish'?” he asked.

Buffy hesitated. Not sure how to explain. She didn't want to send images from the Phantom Menace down their bond. That would raise too many questions. Obi-Wan still didn't know George Lucas made movies and Ewan McGregor had a starring role in them. She wasn't sure how he'd take it. Especially if she confessed she'd found it boring, lost interest, and hadn't got a clue what the movie had been about. He'd probably become cross and tell her she should have made comprehensive notes or something.

Aware she hadn't answered his question about the fish, she tried to explain, “Jurassic fish. You know, those fish-monsters that look like dinosaurs and eat other fish. Until an even bigger Jurassic fish eats that one,” she explained.

Obi-Wan's eyes drifted across to the lake. Perplexed, he looked at the water wondering what she meant before it dawned on him. It was the deepwater creatures she was thinking of. Such as the ones that chased the bongo he'd piloted when he, Qui-Gon, and Jar Jar had been made to leave the Gungan underwater city. “You don't need to worry, those creatures only inhabit the deepest water on this planet. It is highly doubtful anything similar lives around here.”

“That's cool. I didn't fancy being eaten by a dinosaur when I hit the beach tomorrow.”

“The beach? I thought you wanted to visit the shoe shops? To search for information on the caverns and unearth possible Sith hiding places?”

“I thought I'd check out the beach first. For recognition purposes,” she replied brightly. “You know, check out what's going on locally before moving outwards..”

“Reconnaissance purposes,” Obi-Wan corrected. He doubted that was the real reason she intended visiting the beach, but he certainly wasn't going to complain about it. Anything that postponed the nightmare of trailing after her, as she visited shoe retailer after shoe retailer, could only be a good thing.

The track they'd been following through the trees ended in a discreetly located speeder park. Their hotel, a large turreted villa, was set above them on a cliff. Winding staircases led downwards from one terrace to another before finally ending on a long private beach.

Obi-Wan sat eyeing a large wedding party, who were heading into the villa from one of the lower terraces. The wedding guests flanked by several service droids all carrying flutes of expensive drinks on silver trays. While two more service droids had noticed their arrival and were making their way down the steps towards them. No doubt they'd greet them and carry their luggage up to the villa. Suddenly, he wished he was wearing a better outfit than the smuggler-turned-pirate outfit Buffy had chosen for him. Not that his Jedi robes would have made him fit in better, but at least the venue's owners wouldn't look at him and think he was there to rob the place.

“This place looks very expensive,” he said quietly. “Are you sure the Jedi Temple agreed to pay for this?” In his experience, the Temple only paid for the most basic accommodation, although Buffy seemed to get away with a lot more than the average Jedi did.

“Don't worry about it. I'm using my Darth Vader account,” Buffy replied, climbing out and pushing the speeder door closed. She smirked. “Order what you want. Sid's paying for it.”

“It's the Lord Vader account. Not the Darth Vader account,” scolded Obi-Wan with a touch of irritation in his voice. He disliked Buffy calling herself Darth Vader, even in jest. It sounded as if she'd already become Palpatine's Sith apprentice and the name caused odd dark spikes in the Force every time she said it. The sensation always left him feeling chilled and uneasy. “Also Palpatine isn't paying for this, the Republic is.”

He looked up at that large villa. If she was using her Republic credit card to pay for this, that meant both Sid and the Temple would be able to access her expenses account and check up on them. “Buffy, did you book us into separate bedrooms?”

“No. Just the one.” Buffy ducked her head guiltily. She'd known he'd stress over this. He might have happily slept in her bed at the palace but, officially, he was always in his own room. She pouted, “I couldn't do anything about it. When Padmé commed them they told her they'd only got a honeymoon suite left. She asked me what I wanted to do and I said we'd take it.”

Her admitting that Padme had booked their room seemed to increase his panic. Sensing his distress that the fifteen year old Queen of Naboo, and probably all her handmaidens, knew they were sleeping together, she quickly went on, “Don't worry, Ubi. I told Padmé you take your bodyguard duties seriously. She and all those masters at the Temple will think you're sleeping on a chair in my room. Like how you did on board the Radiant.”

That seemed to relieve his anxiety so she gave him one of her potent half-smiles. “You're my knight in shining robes, protecting my virtue from lustful Sith Lords.”

Making his way to her side of the speeder, Obi-Wan cheekily replied, “And what about my virtue? Who's going to ensure that remains unsullied?”

She laughed. “Honestly, Ubi. I don't think Sid finds your virtue all that interesting. And the majority of the Jedi think you're gonna stay unsullied for ever.”

He looked so affronted that Buffy raised her hand to stroke his cheek. He was going through one of his 'I'm going to grow a beard' phases, she could feel the bristles prickling under her hand. Looking deep into his eyes she added, “They don't think that because no one wants you. It's because you've got a reputation for being above reproach with the Jedi no attachment thing. I'm really glad you allowed me to be your exception.”

For good measure, she flooded their bond with all those emotions a Jedi wasn't allowed to experience and watched his eyes darken.

“Your reputation is working in our favor with the Jedi masters,” she went on. Dropping her hand, she nodded in the direction of the picture-perfect cream villa perched on the hill above them. “Just remember we're undercover and newlyweds. That means we can keep odd hours, be anti-social, and no one will ask us what we're up to.”

“I've worked undercover before, Buffy,” he said. “I'm not a novice at this.”

She took his hand, smiling up at him she teased, “Yeah? Remind me to ask Qui-Gon what you both got up to when you were pretending to be married. Andrew's gonna be so jealous.”

“What?! No! Don't tell Andrew that!” he spluttered until he realized she was teasing. He narrowed his eyes. He needed to get her back for that. In a special, Jedi, non-revenge sort of way.

The hotel's reception area was hectic. Crowds of noisy wedding guests thronged about, both droid and human waiters darted between the guests carrying heavily laden trays of food and drink. Directly across from entrance a live band blasted out deafening music from just inside a nearby room. For the sake of her Slayer hearing, Buffy hoped that their bedroom was a long way from the music. Weaving and pushing their way through the crowded area, they eventually reached the small reception desk set in the corner of the room. There, a dark and heavyset man dressed in a traditional Nabooan outfit sat, working on a holo-screen, with his back to them. Obi-Wan and Buffy waited patiently or in Buffy's case, impatiently.

After a good minute or so, Buffy exchanged a look with Obi-Wan. Both coming to the conclusion they were being purposely ignored. Before Obi-Wan could take charge of the situation, Buffy banged her hand down, hard, on the counter. Her eyes widened. She'd made a hole! Hurriedly, she covered the damage with her arm. Neither Obi-Wan nor the reception guy noticed and she pasted an innocent smile on her face.

“I'll be with you in a moment,” called the man, his attention still on the screen. It looked like he was working on a seating plan to Buffy.

The guy continued staring at the screen, clicking away as the crowd around them gradually trickled away. The doors to the private function suite shut and the noise dampeners came into play, containing the loud music. Beside her, Obi-Wan used his Jedi skills to quietly scan the area and waited stoically to be seen. Buffy had never been great at waiting. Especially when she, or rather the Republic, were paying a large amount of credits for them to stay in this place. She glared at the man's back, drumming her nails against the counter, hoping to intimidate him into leaving his work and dealing with her.

Finally, whether it was because of the drumming or because he'd finished his task, the man left his seat. As he crossed to the counter, hesitated, taking a long look at Obi-Wan. His eyes running up and down the Jedi's outfit, an expression of contempt appearing on his lips until he spotted Buffy watching him with his death in her eyes. Inwardly cringing, and outwardly pasting a sycophantic smile onto his face, he introduced himself. “Welcome to the Overlook. I'm Manull. How may I help you today?”

Buffy replied briskly, “We've booked a honeymoon suite. I'm Jane Smith and this is my husband John. We're like, Mr and Mrs Smith.”

She smirked up at Obi-Wan and nudged him. ~You're like Brad Pitt and I'm Angelina Jolie. ~

~I've, honestly, no idea who you're talking about.~

~We're the undercover deadly assassins from the movie... Ugh, never mind!~

Insulted at being called a deadly assassin, Obi-Wan forgot they were talking down their bond and tutted out loud. It caused Manull to look up from the datapad where he'd been processing their booking. He took in in Obi-Wan's disgruntled face and then dropped his eyes to the blaster hanging from Obi-Wan's hip.

“My sincere apologies, Mr and Mrs Smith, for keeping you both waiting. I see you're newlyweds. Congratulations, you look well suited to each other. I'm sorry for the delay. To make up for it, I'll have one of our special wedding baskets sent up to your room.”

Manull held out the room pass, his hand hovering uncertainly between the two of them. Unsure of who'd take charge of the key, the blaster carrying space pirate or the small woman with his death in her eyes. He gave them another fawning smile, saying said, “The droid next to the elevator will take you up to your room.”

“Thanks, for the basket, Manuel,” Buffy replied. Keeping one arm covering the hole in the counter, she used her other hand to pluck the passkey from him. “Just before you rush back to your seating arrangements, I'd like some information...”

Obi-Wan tensed, knowing what Buffy intended to ask. He reached out through the Force, gauging the man's emotions. So far, there was only barely concealed irritability, stress, and a gnawing hunger as if he'd missed a meal.

“They found a girl's body around here, didn't they?” Buffy said, watching the man's eyes. If she hadn't been looking for it, she'd have missed the tell-tale flicker before he caught himself. He knew something. She continued, “I heard her body was floating in the lake shallows below this hotel. That's right, isn't it? It's quite a large beach and I'm wondering about the exact position of the body-.”

“You are mistaken,” Manull replied, his tone terse. “There have been no dead bodies found on our beach.”

“I never said she was on the beach,” corrected Buffy. “I've seen the official reports. She was found floating in the lake, right below this hotel.”

~He knows.~ Obi-Wan told her. ~Keep pushing him.~

Manull shook his head. “I'm sorry. I've not the slightest idea what your talking of.” He stuck his nose into the air, looking at her down his nose. “That type of thing doesn't go on at the Overlook Hotel.”

“Yeah, and Jack Nicholson doesn't carry an axe,” snorted Buffy. She rolled her eyes at the two men giving her blank looks. Truly, her quippage was lost in this dimension.

Manull stared pointedly at Obi-Wan's Han Solo outfit and sneered, “And we don't encourage riff-raff in this establishment either.”

'That does it,' thought Obi-Wan. Concentrating on the Force, he waved his fingers in the man's direction. “You will tell us everything you know about the girl found in the water with injuries to her neck.”

Buffy blinked, surprised. Feeling the echo of his Jedi mind trick slamming through the Force. It was no wonder he'd picked up groupies at the sex club with his Force persuasion bouncing everywhere like this. She'd warn him, later, that he needed to tone it down. Otherwise, they'd have people traveling for miles to make confessions about girls with neck injuries.

“I'll tell you about the dead girl,” Manull repeated slowly. He looked around him. Once assured no one else was in the area, he leaned on the counter and whispered, “It was me who found her.”

That surprised them.

Manull continued, “My father and I own this hotel. It wasn't long after the blockade and, as we'd no guests staying here, we liked to take an early morning walk along the beach. That morning, we'd walked to the furthest part of our beach and we both saw something out in the waves, trapped between the rocks. I waded out and found the young girl lying face down in the water. When I turned her over, I saw-,” his voice broke and he placed two fingers to his own throat, “It was torn, here, and here.”  
He shook his head, trying to shake off the revulsion the memory caused. “We called the authorities. They told us she'd been reported missing for several days and that the injuries to her neck were made by a wild animal. It seemed odd to me, but then they shot a wild cat on the opposite side of the lake. We heard it had been sick and attacked her as it could no longer catch its natural prey.”

Manull stared down at the counter top. His brow creased, a frown forming as he spotted the damage that he could have sworn wasn't there earlier. Obi-Wan shot Buffy a suspicious look and she ducked her head, shifting guiltily from foot to foot.

When Manull began to speak Buffy half-expected him to complain about his damaged counter. Instead, he continued, “They found another body with similar neck injuries not long afterward. And then another around a month ago. They found them on the other side of the lake and those deaths were put down to barbecue fork accidents.”

Buffy and Obi-Wan exchanged a look.

Manull sniffed in disbelief. “Barbecues have never been popular around here. They are rather common and it's highly unlikely they owned barbecue forks.”

“What happened to the bodies?” Buffy asked, wondering if there was a vampire nest somewhere and if she needed to start patrolling local graveyards.

“They were returned to their families and cremated, of course,” the man replied. Her question confused him. “What else would be done with them?”

“They were all cremated?” Buffy repeated, a hint of suspicion in her voice. Did the authorities know about the vampires? Surely they weren't like the Sunnydale police and blind to what was going on? Was someone trying to hide the real cause of the victims' deaths?

“Cremation is normal practice on this planet,” Obi-Wan explained, knowing the line of thought Buffy was taking. “Burial is reserved for royalty or those of high status.” He turned to the dark-haired man, to question him further, “These victims... Were they all blonde, human girls?”

Manull shot a glance at Buffy's blonde hair before shaking his head. “No. There was a middle-aged man found and the other was a dark-haired woman.” He took a deep breath and went on, “Mr and Mrs Smith, I think it's only fair to warn you that uncovering information on these incidents won't be easy. Many of the locals are, justifiably, concerned about the impact these deaths will have on our trade. Business in this area is only just getting back to normal, a number of hotels and shops have closed down, and it's been a hard year for us all. If the other tourists find out there's been a series of murders it will-”

Buffy interrupted him, “You said those other bodies were all found on the opposite side of the lake?” She was trying to picture the area in her head. During their shuttle flight over here, Obi-Wan had gone into his teacher mode and shown her several maps of the area. It was mostly grasslands, but the crystal caverns were located in the mountains on the opposite side of the lake. The trouble was, not many of the crystal caverns were documented on the maps. She was going to need specialized local knowledge.

“That's right.” Manull added, “And before I found the girl's body there'd been a storm. The authorities think she'd fallen into the water on the mountainous side and drifted over in the currents. Whatever happened to her was done a long way from this hotel.”

Buffy looked to Obi-Wan to see if he'd any further questions. He gave a tiny shake of his head, and said, “You've been very helpful. Thank you.” As if he'd not used Force persuasion to make the man answer their questions.

“Do you know anything about the crystal caverns, Manuel?” Buffy asked hopefully.

Obi-Wan held his breath. Hoping the Force would be with him today. That Manull would prove to be an expert on the caverns, own detailed maps, and there'd be no need to trail around the shoe shops tomorrow.

“It's Manull, not Manuel. The crystal caverns? Those would be up in the mountains. There used to be guided tours of some of the more accessible ones before the war, but I believe they no longer run them. Something to do with them being used by the Trade Federation to store weapons and they haven't been fully cleared.” Manull held up his hands. “I'm sorry, I really can't help you further. Now, excuse me, I need to get back to work. Do enjoy your stay and your complimentary basket.”

Obi-Wan released the breath he'd been holding. Feeling disappointed. It seemed the Force wanted them to go shoe shopping tomorrow. He was not looking forward to it.


	151. The Watcher

Obi-Wan walked from the refresher pushing back the damp strands of hair away from his eyes. As he considered the plans he and Buffy had made for the following day, he took the pyramid-shaped holocron out of his pocket to check it hadn't been lost.  
Assured it was still there, he dropped his hand to hip level and, without thinking what he was doing, tapped the small device against his leg as he thought about the next day. Vexation flashed through him. Buffy was so obstinate in her plans to visit the shoe stores. He'd allowed her to have her way in this, but how could she be right? Why would a shoe shop be able to provide information on anything except shoes?

Buffy knew more about investigating and hunting vampires than anyone.

Obi-Wan's mouth twisted into a scowl. No, that wasn't true. He knew more about conducting investigations than she did. It had been sheer luck she'd discovered the location of Jar Jar's apartment while at the hair salon. Now, buoyed up by a one-off success, Buffy thought she'd be able to sail into the nearest designer shoe store and they'd happily reveal the whereabouts of the Sith vampire's lair.

Perhaps she was right?

Obi-Wan snorted softly. It was highly unlikely. Over the years he'd found it took hard work, diligent observation, and having the Force behind you to solve a case.

As the master in this relationship, it was up to him to make the plans. Why had he agreed to fall in with hers? She could visit the shops on her own. If she met a bounty hunter she'd need to deal with the situation. The hand holding the Sith holocron stopped tapping it against his leg and instead, his thumb rubbed across the side of the holocron tracing the etched hieroglyphs. A red glow burned deep within its depths but out of his line of sight, the sinister light went unnoticed by the Jedi.

“Jay,” he snarled, anger biting at him. Obi-Wan and Buffy might not have been lovers at the time, but Buffy should not have danced with other men. Nor should she have noticed that Jay was good looking or that his body was hard and toned either. She should have remained silently by the side of her master and remembered her place as his apprentice.

Except, he'd been the one who'd left her on the dance floor, it wasn't her fault others had come over to her...

The anger rose again. Obi-Wan Kenobi was the master here, not Buffy Summers. She should have followed on his heels. The apprentice always stayed with the master unless ordered not to.

That really wasn't fair on Buffy.

Putting the thought that he might be being unreasonable to Buffy on one side, Obi-Wan's thoughts took a different direction. He decided to conduct his own line of inquiries. The deaths the hotel owner had told them about needed further investigation. Barbecue fork accidents? Highly unlikely. That sounded like a cover-up. He'd find the location of the local law enforcement building while they were in town, slip inside, and question whoever was in charge of the cases.

The holocron vibrated slightly in his hand. Obi-Wan looked down towards the hand holding it, part of him registered the slight movement, the rest of his mind focused on his plans. Whoever decided to class those deaths as 'accidents' had better not try to obstruct him. He smiled, not his usual kind smile nor even the sardonic one. This one was far more sadistic. If whoever he was questioning tried to lie or prevaricate in any way he'd use Force 'persuasion' to unearth the truth.  
He'd always been warned to use this ability wisely and sparingly. Qui-Gon said a Jedi was only allowed to use a small amount of manipulation to extract knowledge or change minds. That a Jedi should never invade another's mind and forcefully rip the information from them. It might prove fun to test himself on a strong and unwilling subject. Tearing through those pathetic barriers set up in a non-Force user's mind and dragging the information out of them.

His thoughts increasingly dark, Obi-Wan came to a stop in front of the balcony doors. He didn't need to physically search for his apprentice to know her location. That swirl of darkness in the Force felt stronger than ever to him. He noticed her intense concentration and looked over, only to see her lying in the middle of the four-poster bed, her feet kicking idly in the air while browsing her datapad. Obi-Wan ran his eyes along her small bare feet, the lengths of her naked calves, along the backs of her golden thighs to...

That was HIS Jedi under tunic she was wearing!

Obi-Wan frowned. Unsure whether to be turned on by the sight or angered by it. He'd always been very careful with his clothing. As a Jedi he wasn't allocated much so why had she stolen his tunic? It wasn't as if she was desperate for something to wear. Out of the three large cases they'd brought with them his clothing had taken up space in precisely none of them. All his clothes had been pushed inside a single backpack. Not that he minded them being in a backpack, as a Jedi he was used to traveling light.

Obi-Wan eyed her sourly. His tunic was far too big for her. It hung halfway down her thighs and she'd rolled the sleeves up (creasing them!) so she could type without them getting in her way. Surely she knew it was too large for her? Why had she taken it? He'd opened his mouth to complain when suddenly, his throat constricted and his breath torn away.

He knew why Buffy wore the tunic.

It was nothing to do with clothes obsession. She wore it because it was his. They might be together each and every hour of the day but she wanted to feel even closer to him. She loved him so much she wanted his clothes against her skin.

The dark side influence that had been gathering like an open sore inside him was suffocated. The all-powerful feeling of being deeply in love sweeping all before it. All those previous dark thoughts that were alien to his nature completely forgotten. Obi-Wan's Force connection, overloaded by the sharp one-eighty degree turn from the dark to blinding light, overwhelmed him. Breathless he staggered back. Both mentally and physically reeling. The hand holding the holocron opened and the device slipping through his fingers. His reflexes somehow enabled him to snatch it, before it crashed onto the floor. Obi-Wan's fingers closed around it tightly. The now ice cold sharp sides biting into his skin. The Jedi didn't even notice.

Unable to process his thoughts, or deal with the huge surge in emotions he was experiencing. Obi-Wan turned. Walking out through the open doors onto the balcony and then across to the railing. His thoughts weren't making any sense. He wanted to drag Buffy into his arms and tell her how much he loved her. Yet something was stopping him. It warned him that love was for the weak. That it was dangerous and would distract him from the path he was set on.

In the throes of an unseen internal battle, Obi-Wan stared into the distance. The dramatic scenery in front of him remained unseen. Magnificent Nabooan natural beauty obscured by his myriad of tortured thoughts and emotions.

“There is no emotion, there is peace,” Obi-Wan whispered. “There is no ignorance, there is knowledge, there is no passion, there is serenity.”

He so badly needed that inner peace and serenity now.

“Peace is a lie, there is only passion,” the harsh words came from his mouth in a low snarl, unbidden.

Passion? But that too was forbidden to the Jedi. The same as love, personal attachment, and all the other strong emotions. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. He'd known from the beginning that learning to handle these strong and hitherto unknown emotions wouldn't be easy for him. He'd entered the Temple as a baby and had no idea about intimate relationships. This was all so new to him. Put a lightsaber in his hand and he'd fight, put a mystery in front of him and he'd solve it, put Buffy in front of him and he was lost in a sea of emotions.  
Buffy blamed his Jedi 'cult' upbringing. She'd gone on a long rant, saying any organization that stole babies and brainwashed them into becoming non-emotional adults was heading for a lot of trouble. She'd gone on to say that they might have gotten away with it so far, but in the future it was going to cause the Jedi Order all sorts of problems. Majorly bad problems.

Obi-Wan had politely listened and not argued. Deep down, he still believed the Jedi Order was trying to protect them. Children who were strong in the Force weren't common and, although the Order might seem a little extreme to outsiders, there was a reason for their methods. A Force sensitive child needed to learn control from early on. Not only of the Force, but, of themselves and their emotions. To be out of control was dangerous.

For some reason, Sineya came into his mind. Dark, ancient eyes in a painted face assessing him. She'd called him a Slayer. A small smile played across Obi-Wan's lips. A Slayer? He'd always delighted in the absurd and inside him, a bubble of amusement rose up.

He'd been dressed as a Cheeseman in the dream. How could the First Slayer have possibly mistaken him for a young Earth female?

He chuckled, and then his face broke out in an even bigger grin as another thought occurred to him. Palpatine had better watch out. From what he'd read, the Sith hadn't approved of love or powerful attachments either. He laughed out loud, as an absurd image came into his head.

Long, long ago, in a Sith Temple far, far away, there'd been a Dark Yoda teaching the Sith younglings that attachments were dangerous and would lead to the Light Side. No doubt, once you'd fallen to the Light Side, forever would it dominate your destiny.  
It was obvious he'd been spending too long with Buffy and Andrew. At one time he'd never have dared to think such ill-mannered thoughts about Grand Master Yoda.

The grin firmly in place, he finally became aware of something in his hand. Obi-Wan looked down. It was the holocron. Tutting crossly to himself, he shoved it back into his pocket. From the moment it had come into his possession, he'd been constantly feeling the need to check it was still there. The sooner it was gone from his life the better. Maybe, he should give it to Buffy and ask her to stamp on it.

Feeling more light-hearted, but knowing he needed to re-center himself, Obi-Wan placed his hands on to the stone railing and took a series of slow breaths. Focussing his senses on the here and now. Feeling the coarseness of the pitted surface of the rail grit under his hands, his eyes taking in the sight of a large wading bird paddling in the lake shallows, the feeling of warmth from the last rays of the sun on his face, and the breathing in the heavy scent of roses on the breeze.

Gradually, his balance came back to him and with it a sense of knowing his place in the Living Force.

The murmur of voices, and the soft ripples in the Force, came from his right and he looked over to a terrace below him. Unlit torches and strings of small lights were strung from the trees laid in preparation for dusk. Delicately colored ribbons floated in the gentle breeze from the lake. Obi-Wan noticed a plainly dressed man standing beside a podium, while a young couple stood in front of him, holding each other's hands. This was a sacred ceremony he was witnessing. He watched, interest piqued, as the young couple began to speak their vows. The only witnesses two silently watching droids.

Snippets of the groom's vows drifted across to Obi-Wan. “I swear to cherish you above all others... ...support and protect you through the difficult times as well as the good, whatever our lives may bring...”

The man's words echoing inside his head, Obi-Wan turned and walked back towards the bedroom.

Coming to a halt in the doorway, he blurted out, “Do you want to get married?”

“Huh?” Buffy's head shot up. She'd been researching and gone completely into the zone, caught up in her work. The hotel owner had mentioned guided tours of the crystal caverns and she'd found an old guide to the local area. There'd been a link and before she knew it, she'd been on a site talking about a set of crystal caverns she'd never read about before. She'd become so engrossed, she hadn't noticed Obi-Wan going out onto the balcony. Now the question took her by surprise.

“Do you want to get married?” repeated Obi-Wan, starting to feel a little foolish.

“Do you mean to Palpatine? Cos, that's a big no.” She shuddered. “I told you before there's no way I-.”

“To me.” Obi-Wan shuffled uncomfortably. This didn't feel right. Asking her had felt right. In fact, he felt as if they should have done this earlier. It was the way he'd asked her that felt wrong. Was there a special way of asking someone? He was a Jedi. This was out of his comfort zone and he'd never asked Qui-Gon that question or thought to look up how to make wedding proposals in the Jedi Archives.

And what if... what if Buffy didn't want to marry him? What if she was happy with the way things were? What if she didn't believe in marriage? Her parents had divorced. Had it put her off? Disillusioned her? He'd never asked her. And now he'd simply blurted out 'do you want to get married' like a clumsy oaf. He rubbed his chin, feeling like a complete nerd.

“To you?” Buffy repeated. He watched her nose wrinkle. That meant she was thinking. Obi-Wan regarded her nose suspiciously. Why would she need to think about it? Surely it didn't need to be thought about? She'd know if she wanted to marry him or not. It didn't need thinking about. Not for this amount of time.

Buffy put the datapad down, slid off the bed and came over to him. He wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. He couldn't feel anything from their bond. Why? Was she blocking him? Or was he now so stressed that he wasn't able to feel it?

Buffy tilted her head and gave him a considering look. “Obi-Wan, why do you want to marry me? Is it because you love me and want to make it official? Or is it because you think Palpatine won't be able to marry me if I'm already married to you?”

Obi-Wan let out a tense breath and his lips formed a relieved, dimpled smile. It hadn't occurred to him that, if Buffy was married to him, it would make it more difficult for Palpatine to marry her. He stroked his upper lip. That was rather a good idea, it had definite merit.

Buffy slid a hand onto his shoulder. Ruffling the damp hair tendrils at the nape of his neck, she said, “If it's the former, the answer's yes, but if the latter it's a no. I'm a bit old fashioned like that.”

She'd said yes! His grin became wider and she returned it with one of her own. The intoxicating feeling of being deeply in love flooded through Obi-Wan once more. This time he was more than ready for it and he channeled those feelings back through their bond. He didn't need to speak the words, words didn't come close to the love flooding their bond.

“Ah,” replied Buffy. “In that case, it's a definite yes.”

Dropping his head, he pulled her against him, his lips finding hers. Their kiss deepened. Buffy responding to him and pressing her curves against him, as his hands stroked her spine and then his hand moved up to tangle in her hair. When Obi-Wan broke the kiss, Buffy gave a groan of frustration and tried to pull him back.

“Needing more of those smoochies,” she huffed against his mouth, “Don't be mean. Give.”

Obi-Wan grinned in reply, blue eyes sparkling. “Jedi are never mean and are always willing to sacrifice themselves for others.” He wasn't completely sure of the procedure but, as a Jedi, he knew now was the time to spring into action. “I have another and better plan for us.”

Buffy gave him a narrow-eyed look. Obi-Wan's plans never turned out to be anything like she expected. He could be rather odd, especially when he got that mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

“We have everything here that we need,” he said excitedly. Pulling out of her embrace and ignoring the pout. Taking her by the hand, he led her out through the doors and onto the balcony. Stopping at the rail, Obi-Wan discreetly pointed to the wedding ceremony being held below them. “Look, there are the droids and the holy man. There's also a terrace overlooking a lake, a setting sun, and it's already-.”

“Wait!” Buffy looked from the wedding party to Obi-Wan, puzzlement pouring from her. “Ubi, you need to slow down. You've sorta lost me at the droids.”

Buffy had done a double-take when she'd seen the wedding below them. She knew Anakin and Padme had married secretly on Naboo in a very similar setting. Not that she'd watched the full movie, but she'd heard Andrew snuffling and seen him wiping away tears. He'd said he felt sorry for Padmé and Anakin, that they were doomed lovers like Romeo and Juliet, and the scene always upset him.

Buffy wrinkled her nose. Come to think about it, Padmé and Anakin had droids at their wedding too. She'd thought it was because they didn't have many friends. Perhaps it a 'thing' to have droids at your wedding in this galaxy? Or was Naboo like Las Vegas? Did you come here if you wanted something wild and whacky? Were droids wild and whacky? She shook her head. Seeing the worry in Obi-Wan's eyes appear at her head shake, she explained, “You need to work with me here, Obi-Wan. I'm feeling very confused. I'm not from a droid dimension, remember?”

“Ah, you're asking why there are droids present? I believe, for a wedding ceremony to be legal on Naboo, it has to be witnessed by droids. Other planets have different rules, I suppose yours has too. To tell you the truth, I haven't been to many weddings. I think they only invite the Jedi to stop a war erupting.”

Seeing her astounded expression, he explained, “Oh, they weren't love matches. It was business only.” He hesitated, before giving her a very sheepish look. “I had a Force vision that we'd marry on a terrace...” his words trailed away and his cheeks flushed.

Buffy was giving him an odd look. He hoped she wouldn't question him about the 'vision'. Truthfully, it had been more of a vivid daydream that he'd been indulging in whilst ironing his robes. Obi-Wan felt himself becoming hot and uncomfortable. He hadn't known that she'd liked him at the time so probably what he'd experienced could be classed as a fantasy. One he shouldn't have been having. Especially since there'd been clothes tearing, frolicking, and nakedness in it.

Buffy eyed him, bemused as she sensed his embarrassment. She looked at the couple below them, the droids, and then back at him. He could almost hear her brain turning this information over.

“Now? When you asked me to marry you, you meant now?”

He nodded.

“This instant?”

Obi-Wan nodded again.

“What about clothes?” She looked down at the Jedi tunic she was wearing and then touched her hair. It was still damp from the shower. “I haven't done my hair or make-up.”

“You're perfect as you are. And the droids won't notice your lack of make-up.”

“But we're supposed to be here on our honeymoon. Won't the hotel owners think it odd that we want to do it all over again?”

“Um, probably.” Obi-Wan had gotten so caught up in the moment it had slipped his mind they were posing as newly weds. How could he have forgotten? Disappointed, he looked towards the wedding once more. The couple were kissing while the droids looked on with approval. He imagined they were looking on with approval; it was hard to tell with droids. He sighed, “I suppose, this means we can't marry.”

“Oh, don't think you're wriggling out of it, Kenobi,” Buffy replied, wagging a finger at him. “It's just not gonna happen tonight.” Happiness made her smile appear extra dazzling. “I'm holding you to it.”

Obi-Wan had asked her to marry her! They might not have the huge wedding she'd dreamed of as a kid, but she'd long since put those dreams behind her. A Slayer was too busy trying to stay alive to dream of future weddings. Nope, there may be no tiara's and swooshy dresses for Buffy, but the most important part was that Obi-Wan wanted her as his wife. They were a couple in love and once they'd officially married everyone would know. Her brow furrowed. Except they couldn't tell anyone as it needed to be kept secret.

Putting the confusing thought to one side, Buffy went on, “Once we've investigated these mysterious deaths and the crystal caverns we can look for another hotel that holds weddings. We can find one with a nice balcony and two droids and organize an evening service. I've got to admit, I'd prefer to wear a nice dress and looked pretty on my wedding day.”

The Jedi nodded, still feeling cross with himself for forgetting they were undercover as husband and wife. He felt as if he'd been thwarted. His eyes were drawn to the horizon to where the sun had dropped behind the mountains.

“We'll have another chance for a sunset wedding, Ubi,” Buffy said stepping close to him. Wrapping her arms around his waist and snuggling against him, a smile on her lips. Obi-Wan Kenobi had asked her to marry him!

“Yes, yes of course. And afterward, we'll have decades of sunsets with one another,” Obi-Wan agreed as he relaxed into her softness, breathing in the sweet, vanilla scent of her hair conditioner. There'd be lots of sunsets for them to enjoy together in the future. He felt sure of it.

Inside his pocket, the pyramid-shaped holocron glowed dark red, while an unseen ghostly form watched from within the Force, its angry eyes on the Slayer.


	152. Obi and Buffy fluff

The following morning was a peaceful one for the Jedi and the Slayer. The idyllic location and the tranquil atmosphere of the Overlook Hotel were completely undisturbed by nosy Jedi Masters, roving Sith Lords, vexing vampires or any other intruders. Reluctant to leave such a peaceful place behind, Buffy and Obi-Wan only set off to the nearest town far later than they'd intended. By the time they arrived in Berenko, it was well past noon and the place was full of noisy tourists.

“Buffy, are you positive you'll be able to find these shops?” Obi-Wan asked. They'd dropped down into one of the quieter alleyways just off the main center.

It was a warm day on Naboo and Obi-Wan's hair gleamed burnished rose-gold in the strong patch of sunlight that shone down to where he sat in the speeder. Although the question was directed at Buffy his eyes were on the crowded street that lay not far from them. As he spoke, several speeders flew over them and a family of bickering Gungans strolled past.

As usual, there was a crease of worry between Obi-Wan's eyebrows. Buffy noted it and decided to add a good quality moisturizing sunscreen to her shopping list. Considering he was a Jedi, and well educated, he was surprisingly ignorant when it came to skincare and the special needs of redheads who burned easily. She'd need to educate him. She didn't want him suffering from the effects of premature aging and turning into Alec Guinness before his time.

“Yes, I'm fine, Mr Smith.” Buffy waved her datapad at him. “I've got everything covered.” That was the beauty of having a datapad, it directed you to wherever you wanted to go.

“You have a list of all the stores you're visiting?”

“Yep. They're listed and all locations have been downloaded onto my map.” She gave him a reassuring smile and waved the datapad at him once more. Then she made a show of slipping it into the inside pocket in her purse so he'd know she was stowing it somewhere safe.

He frowned again, clearly not satisfied. “Your com-link needs to be kept on your person, in case,” he pointed to her purse, “you lose that. Don't forget, you have all the emergency codes for the Temple should you not be able to contact me. I inputted them myself.”

Buffy smirked. “Yes, Mom. I've also got my clean underwear on. You know, in case I'm run over by the speeder bus.”

Obi-Wan's expression became disapproving. “It's nothing to joke about. In this type of situation, communication is of utmost importance between a master and his app-,” Buffy's eyes bore into his, “er, two people working together on a mission. One should always remember that. To believe in the Force is one thing, putting your trust in blind luck is entirely another.”

Buffy rolled her eyes, he was going all Gilesy on her with his accent. That always meant he was becoming stressed. Perhaps it would put him at ease if she told him she'd had a lot of success fighting demons using only blind luck? Of course, she'd had failures as well. Such as dying.  
Oh, no, she'd better not say anything. It would only stress him out further and increase his chances of developing forehead lines.

The Jedi chose to ignore Buffy's exasperated eye roll and continued, “Should you notice anything untoward, anything at all, call me immediately. Don't wander off investigating by yourself. Remember, Jar Jar Binks knows that you are on Naboo. It's entirely possible he's already contacted Jango Fett, who no doubt-”

“Ubi!” Buffy interrupted loudly. She'd heard all this on the journey over and didn't need to listen to it again.

She paused, as two men wearing official uniforms glanced across to them as they walked past. Were they cops? Buffy wasn't sure, but since she'd been accused of killing her sister Slayer, Kendra, back in Sunnydale she'd developed an aversion to law enforcement officers.

Once the two men had exited the alleyway, she went on, “You're gonna give yourself stomach ulcers worrying about me like this, Mr Smith.” Putting her exasperation to one side Buffy gave him a little smile. “Honestly, I'll be fine. You go and do your thing with the local authorities and I'll go and do mine with the shoes.”

Normally, when out in public, Obi-Wan always stayed close by in case a bounty hunter showed up. Used to his constant presence she was taken aback when earlier he'd suggested he'd go off and make his own inquiries. After thinking about it, for a good half a second, she realized how much more fun she could have shopping without Obi-Wan. While it was true that he'd follow her around the shops in a stoic Jedi-type way, she could do without the guy's judgemental gaze each time she took a pair of shoes to the tills. Even if he said nothing, and tried to hide his dismay, Buffy knew he'd be vibrating 'she's a shopaholic' down their bond. It wasn't his fault. He was a Jedi. They thought owning two pairs of boots meant they were set up for life.

She looked up from her musing to find Obi-Wan watching her closely, a look of suspicion on his face. Buffy folded her arms. Glaring back obstinately. He shuffled uncomfortably in his seat yet still made no move to depart.

Unfolding her arms, she pointed down the street. “Go. Do your investigating thing. Now!”

“You know how to find me?” the Jedi pressed, still ill at ease. In his opinion, Buffy looked rather too happy at being left to her own devices.Obi-Wan thought she might pout and insist he tagged along to provide a second opinion on her shoe choices.

He hoped she wasn't planning to do something risky. He'd made the decision to leave her on the basis she'd be in a busy built-up area and Jango Fett or another bounty hunter wouldn't risk an open attack in a shoe shop. Obi-Wan realised he was having second thoughts. The last time he'd left her alone for a few hours she'd 'sort of' become engaged to a Palpatine. Going off her previous history, he'd probably come back to find she was now the bride of Darth Desolate.

Buffy eyed the Jedi narrowly. She could almost taste his doubts. Niceness wasn't going to work. Her inner Slayer told her that if he wasn't going to be driven away by words she'd need to resort to violence. Darting forward, she leaned right over the door and made a violent assault on the Jedi's mouth with her lips.

“Hmmph,” he muttered into her mouth, before putting an arm around her, pulling her against him and giving in to the kiss.

When Buffy eventually released him, she wore a little triumphant smile. It was such fun going into sneaky Slayer mode and taking the Jedi by surprise. Especially as, once he'd succumbed, he sent out those fizzling showers of pink sparkles through the Force that she was fast becoming addicted to.

As Buffy pulled away, the smirk still on her lips, she felt a sharp and strong tug through the Force. Taken by surprise, she overbalanced. With a squeak of horror, she fell forwards, headfirst into the speeder. Her head and the top half of her body crashing, embarrassingly, onto Obi-Wan's lap. Mortified, she squirmed and began pushing herself upwards. Only for Obi-Wan to wrap his hands around her shoulders and lift her level to his face.

With a smile at her dismay, he tutted softly, “Mrs Smith, such behavior! I'm shocked at you.” And then he tapped the end of her nose with his finger.

Buffy could see the playful sparkle of mischief in his eyes. When she made no reply (she was too shocked), he went on, “You're going to have us both arrested for sexual indecency.”

Realizing hanging over a speeder door with a red face and her mouth open was never a good look, Buffy slid away from him. Lost for words, she stepped away from the speeder and fiddled with her purse's shoulder strap trying to gain time. It wasn't fair. People were looking over and Obi-Wan wasn't even blushing! The guy just sat there. There was a smug grin on his face and he looked totally unselfconscious. Obi-Wan mentioning sex in a public place and not blushing! It was, like, unheard of.

It seemed the combination of being out of sight of the Jedi masters and masquerading as newlyweds was turning him into Xander or maybe even Spike. That was sort of scary, in a breathless and fun type of way.

“Oh, and another thing...” his voice trailed away as he looked at her.

Buffy still feeling breathless, noted those dimples he turned on her were like weapons. They affected her brain cells and caused her to have bad urges to climb back into his lap and stay there. What made it worse was that Obi-Wan knew how she felt. His smile became wider and those dimples at the corners of his mouth deepened.

“I'm heading east,” he pointed to the right which must be east, then arched a sardonic brow at her. “It's a good thing one of us is blessed with a keen sense of direction.”

The engine hummed back into life as he engaged the repulsors. Slowly the speeder lifted and began to turn. “I shall be at our designated meeting place in precisely two standard hours. Call me, if you are running late.” He looked back over his shoulder, traces of the smirk still on his face. “And do try to stay out of trouble, Mrs Smith!”

Before she'd gathered her scattered thoughts, and formed a witty reply, he'd shot off. The hired speeder quickly disappearing into the lines of traffic that flowed above the rooftops of the buildings. Buffy gave a huff of annoyance, before turning towards the town's busy intersection.

Yet no matter how cross she was with him, her face glowed with happiness and the soft smile refused to leave her face.

….................................


	153. Answer me this...

Finding a place to park in a busy tourist town like Berenko wasn't easy, even for Obi-Wan. Eventually though, after much to-ing and fro-ing, his patience paid off. The opening Obi-Wan spotted was only a short walk from the building that housed Naboo's version of a police force. The Jedi quickly lowered the speeder down and set it neatly into place. Then he picked up his Jedi robe from where he'd left it on the back seat and gave it a good shake, to remove all the creases.

Once he'd wrapped the oversized garment around him, Obi-Wan immediately felt more professional and much more like his old self. It was surprising how he missed wearing those traditional robes. He guessed the most he'd ever do was vary the shade of brown.

A wry smile came to his lips. Buffy probably despaired of his fashion sense. That amusing thought led to another, far more depressing one. How would he feel when he left the Order and traded those brown robes for full-time civilian clothing? Just the thought of it made him feel ill at ease.

“I wish there was some way I could remain a Jedi,” he muttered.

Obi-Wan looked around guiltily. He shouldn't have said that out loud. Buffy was insistent he never spoke the 'wish' word in case a vengeance demon was listening. Why had he stupidly spoken out loud? He might wish he could stay in the Order, but that didn't mean he wanted to lose Buffy.

The frown came between his brows as he closed his eyes and stretched out with his Force senses. Testing the currents for anything around him that could be dark. Anything that might be a vengeance demon. Or any kind of demon for that matter. The Force showed him only the signatures of normal sentients around him. Nothing demonic within range. That didn't completely reassure him. Buffy was much more attuned to finding demons in the Force than any Jedi was. He knew there could be one stood in front of him and he'd miss it.

Opening his eyes, he looked about him carefully. When no demon sprang out, proclaiming that his wish had been granted. Obi-Wan relaxed. Shrugging off thoughts of demons and his uncertain future, Obi-Wan began to fasten the brown robe. Taking simple pleasure in touching the soft woven fabric, the robe's deep pockets and the way it completely concealed the space smuggler outfit he wore underneath. There was still the blaster hanging off his hip. He pulled out the weapon, pointed the barrel towards the sky and gave it a dirty look. Despite both their aversions to blasters, Buffy had insisted he wore it.

'It's to complete the Harrison Ford look', she'd said, 'you're gonna need all the right accessories to pull it off'.

Obi-Wan wasn't sure why it was so important he pulled off the Harrison Ford look, but Buffy seemed to think it a good idea. She'd claimed it would give Andrew nightmares and then giggled. Since he enjoyed watching her smile, he'd happily gone along with the idea. Now, that decision left him with the problem of where to hide the space pirate's weapon. A Jedi wouldn't carry a blaster hanging off his hip. Unwilling to leave it behind, he shoved the weapon deep into the pocket of his robe, threw the holster into the back of the speeder and set off for the security force's building.

Obi-Wan easily found the place as the previous night he'd researched the town and committed a map of the area to memory. As Qui-Gon's padawan the older man had taught him the wisdom of knowing a location and having a basic map of the area in your head. It always came in useful and had served him well, many times in the past.

There was a plaza in front of the building. Here Obi-Wan stopped amongst the crowds of tourists and market sellers to run his eyes over the building's frontage. Traditionally Nabooan in design, the building boasted a colonnaded facade, wide steps leading up to a decoratively carved doorway and above all a domed and turreted roof. Despite the classical architecture, Obi-Wan knew from missions that the security system inside would be far from old fashioned.

As he entered, he noticed the scanning device as he passed beneath it. Obi-Wan grimaced. No doubt that dratted blaster pistol in his pocket had activated an alarm somewhere on their security system. While it wasn't illegal to carry a weapon here, it wasn't exactly commonplace either. That blaster should have been left back in the hotel room. His lightsaber wouldn't have registered as a weapon. It was far more discreet. Now he'd lost the chance of staying off their radar.

This was confirmed when Obi-Wan crossed to the reception desk. From all directions came a low mechanical hum, as every security droid in the room turned to monitor him. And to his right, the uniformed woman busily working at a terminal stopped her work to give him a suspicious glare.  
Inwardly, he sighed. Ah yes, it appeared he'd been flagged on everyone's datapad as a man of violence due to carrying a blaster in his pocket. Oh, goody. Thank. You. Buffy. Like I needed this.  
It was his own fault, though. He should have learned by now that Buffy's crazy ideas led him into trouble.

A harried-looking woman came over to greet him and Obi-Wan responded with a polite bow. The woman's suspicion felt like a thin, jagged line through the Force and once again he blamed the blaster pistol in his pocket.

With no trace of his inner annoyance, he requested in a gentle voice, “Good day to you. I'd like to speak to someone in regard to the bodies found in and around Lake Bahlar recently.”

The woman stared at him blankly.

He wasn't sensing anything but confusion from her so he explained further, “Each of the bodies had puncture wounds to the neck. The official cause of death for the young girl was a wild animal attack. The other victims all died as a result of falling on their barbecue forks.”

As he expected, the mention of barbecue forks jogged her memory. He felt her start.

She stared down her nose at him.“Are you a reporter?” Her voice was sharp and disapproving. Her dislike for the press evident in her tone.

Obi-Wan didn't blame her. After seeing the way CNN produced so much drivel regarding the relationship between Buffy and Palpatine he didn't hold them in esteem either.

“I'm a Jedi, not a reporter,” he replied. He kept his words even, his voice calm and he made sure to speak without hesitancy. The Force told him she disbelieved and distrusted him, which was annoying as he'd been sending out waves of reassurance through the Force. It must be that dratted blaster.  
He went on, “I'm here conducting an investigation at the personal request of Queen Amidala.”

She gave him a hard look, still unconvinced.“Very well, I'll see if someone will speak to you. If you'll wait here. Please, take a seat Mr ?”

This was a test. Obi-Wan easily sensed it. She knew 'mister' wasn't the correct title for a Jedi. Had she'd dealt with a Jedi in the past? If so, who?  
Obi-Wan didn't want to reveal his own name. There were too many enemies who knew of his close association with Buffy. Needing to use another Jedi's, he'd intended to use Mace Windu's. Now he hesitated, unsure if that was wise. Master Windu had recommended Buffy stay at one of the honeymoon hotels. Had he stayed in this area? Had he met this woman? Obi-Wan knew he couldn't risk using Mace Windu's name. He also knew he'd hesitated over this far too long.

Obi-Wan gave the suspicious woman one of his slow easy smiles and, with an almost imperceptible finger wave, said slowly and firmly, “I'm Master Qui-Gon Jinn.”

The woman left, looking slightly stupefied, and Obi-Wan waited.

A short time later, the door opened revealing a middle-aged overweight man with a strong receding hairline. He stood with a caff mug clutched in one hand and a datapad in the other. His eyes scanned over those waiting before coming to rest on the robed figure of Obi-Wan. The Jedi rose to his feet, taking in the man's stained tunic, heavy jowls, and large stomach paunch as he did so.

“Are you looking for me?”

“If you are...” The man referring to his datapad.”Master Qui-Gon Jinn?”

Obi-Wan gave a formal Jedi bow of greeting. The gesture failed to put the man at ease. He shuffled uneasily, sliding his datapad under one arm and moving the caff mug from one hand to the other.

“I'm Officer Coltreeve. I'm willing to discuss those cases with you. If you'll come with me?” Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked back through the doorway. Obi-Wan quickly following.

The officer led him down a succession of narrow corridors and into an elevator. There they were joined by four uniformed enforcement officers who greeted Coltreeve politely but guardedly, before speaking in low tones amongst themselves. The Jedi reached into the Force. Sensing wariness, dislike, irritation, and even more wariness. None of those emotions were directed towards him. It was Coltreeve who they regarded with contempt and suspicion. Why? No stray thoughts explained why.

From the plain-clothed officer stood silently beside him, Obi-Wan sensed a wave of contempt for his fellow workers. Towards himself wariness and underlying another emotion that was much harder to define. Something underhand, something elusive... Was it glee? No, it wasn't glee. It was something else. Some dark secret he gloated over.

What sort of dark secret? Did he know vampires existed? Why gloat?Was it because he'd fooled people into believing the deaths were all accidental? Fork accidents? Who'd thought of using that odd excuse? Coltreeve was an officer of the law concealing murders. Why? Bribery? What did he have to gain?

Buffy hadn't believed they'd died of fork impaling. She'd said it was just like Sunnydale and the Mayor was most likely behind it all. Obi-Wan had quickly done a search on his datapad and reassured her that Berenko didn't have a mayor.

After they'd risen a couple of levels, Coltreeve led Obi-Wan to a small, messy office. A stack of data-sheets lay scattered across the desk. On a large plate was an extra-large size half-eaten pastry, and there was also a board game with pieces in play.

“Please, take a seat,” Coltreeve pointed to a chair before moving around the desk and dropping, heavily, into a padded chair.

Obi-Wan sat, his eyes moving over to the holo-picture on the man's desk. It appeared Coltreeve had a family. The Jedi noted that the wife and daughter's hair was styled to perfection and their clothes expensive. Something he might have missed before he'd met Buffy.

“I'd appreciate it if you placed all your weapons onto the table,” the officer said coldly. He leaned back in his chair, his arms resting on his belly. The man's brown eyes staring pointedly at the Jedi's robe pocket. “I know you've got a blaster pistol hidden in there and I'm sure you'll have the metal cylinder that all the Jedi carry. The...” He frowned, black eyebrows almost meeting in the middle as he tried to remember the weapon's name. With a pleased expression, he exhaled, “Lightsaver!”

“Lightsaber,” corrected Obi-Wan, tugging the blaster pistol from his pocket and laying it down on the desk. The lightsaber was far more reluctantly laid on the desk. A Force pull could always bring it back into his possession, but a Jedi never liked to be without his weapon. Not to mention you'd meet some idiot who'd try to pick it up and switch it on.

The officer made no move to touch either of the weapons. His eyes went to the lightsaber and a thin smile came to his face. Obi-Wan supposed it reassured him he was dealing with a real Jedi.

Obi-Wan couldn't help remarking, “I could have killed a Jedi and stolen it from him.”

Coltreeve jerked his eyes away from the weapon, scanning Obi-Wan's face. “No, you've got that look about you. That self-satisfied look I've seen on all the other Jedi faces.”

Obi-Wan blinked, self-satisfied? Is that what people thought of the Jedi? Who had this man dealt with previously?

The officer scratched at his belly before jabbing a stubby finger towards the blaster. “It was the blaster that threw me. I heard the Jedi only fought with lightsabers. I heard something in their religions says other weapons aren't holy enough for them.”

Obi-Wan kept his face impassive. “Well I'm a Jedi, and I carry a blaster. You must have heard wrong. However, now you know that I'm a Jedi, perhaps you'd care to tell me more about the victims found near the lake. Be assured, my interest lies only in uncovering the truth and that I've been sent here by the Queen.”

It was the truth, if one looked at it in a certain way. Lord Vader had been the one asked to investigate, but she'd been happy enough to leave this task to him.

'Cops and Buffy are totally non-mixy,' she'd said, 'so you can go on your own. If they try avoiding questions you can always wave your hand at them. You're good at that type of thing. Just don't over-do it. I don't want to find any cop groupies have followed you home.'

Now, Obi-Wan gazed at the officer his face open and guileless. He was quite prepared to use Force persuasion if he had to, but he'd rather give the man a chance to provide the information of his own free will. He waited. Time passed. Coltreeve, apparently, was having an inward debate with himself over the wisdom of sharing this information. Suddenly, he flipped open his datapad and fired off a list of victim details. He included names, dates, locations, and also gave an overview of their injuries.

“There were 'four' victims who died of barbecue fork accidents?” That information was new. Obi-Wan wondered if the man would now try to convince him of the dangers of running with a barbecue fork in his hand.

“Yes, four. The last two were migrant workers here searching for work. We managed to keep their deaths a secret from the public. The barbecue fork explanation is pure fabrication, of course.”

Obi-Wan stilled and slanted the man a narrow look. That admission was unexpected. Why was he admitting this?

Coltreeve leaned back, his chair creaking under the weight. “To be honest, Master Jinn, when we found the first victim we were at a loss. The coroner and the medical examiner put their heads together and came up with a mountain tiger attack. It's not unlikely. Every so often one comes down from the mountains and attacks a walker or one of the farmers. We genuinely thought she'd been attacked, fallen into the lake and bled out in the water.”

“What about these fork incidents?” The Jedi's earnest blue eyes bore into the man.

“Ah,” Coltreeve leaned forward, picking up the half-eaten pastry and took a large bite before putting it down again. As he talked, he chewed. “The second victim, mmph, he had puncture wounds to the neck. Mmph, he'd been at the lake that evening, mmph, barbecuing.” Coltreeve swallowed the remains of the food inside his mouth, for which Obi-Wan was grateful. “His partner came back from swimming to find him dead. Barbecue fork in hand. The other victims were all found in that vicinity and we decided that death by misadventure would put their loved ones' minds at rest.”

“How considerate,” Obi-Wan replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Inwardly, he winced at his slip. His sense of justice might be outraged, but allowing emotions to show like that could easily jeopardize the investigation. And yet, something in the Force urged him on, “Or is this less about consideration for the bereaved and more to do with local business owners? Business owners who approached you to say a serial killer was bad for profits.”

Coltreeve reached for his mug. He tried to hide his scowl as he drank and swallowed noisily. He's playing for time, Obi-Wan thought. Angry and doing his best to hide it.

“That is true.” The officer put down his mug. “I was approached by several business owners worried that murders might affect trade. However, you must remember it wasn't me who gave the official cause of death. It was the coroner. Once he declared them to be cases of clumsiness there was no need for me to investigate any further.”

“Clumsiness?” was Obi-Wan's pithy reply. If the man knew the medical examiner and coroner were hiding the true causes of death than he was guilty of conspiracy by silence. There were three of them involved in this deceit. He wondered again what their motive was.

Greed. It came to the Jedi sudden startling clarity. The man was motivated by basic greed. He was greedy not only were food was concerned but also with credits. Someone was paying him and the examiners to conceal these murders.

The chair squeaked as the officer leaned forward with surprising swiftness. “Look, this isn't what you are making it out to be! After the second victim, our orders were to do it this way!” Coltreeve lowered his voice. “The minister for our country heard about the deaths and became concerned about how it would impact on tourism. He told us to log all the deaths as accidents. That way we wouldn't alert the murderer and he'd be bringing in his own outside team to conduct the investigation. I thought at first you'd been sent by him. Which leads me to wonder why you don't know this?”

There were lies below the man's words but there was also the truth. But was there more truth than lies? A minister was behind this? That sounded as if the rot went deep into Nabboan politics if that was the case. If the man was telling the truth that is. The Force told Obi-Wan the man was dishonest and used to thinking on his feet to hide his deceitful nature. He was hoping to fluster the Jedi.

Obi-Wan replied, his accent becoming stronger, “As I've said previously, it was the Queen who personally requested me to investigate not-.”

Coltreeve cut him off with a wave of a large, pudgy hand. “I think the problem is we are coming at this from different angles,” he said. He picked up his caff again, took a tentative sip and pulled a face – the liquid was now cold.  
“You say you've been instructed by the Queen? Well, everyone on this planet knows Jar Jar Binks helped to fight the Trade Federation alongside her. The Gungan minister has the Queen's ear and she has his. He will have consulted her and in response, she'll have sent for you.”

Only Obi-Wan's intense Jedi training meant he was able to maintain a sabbacc face. Jar Jar Binks was the minister for this country? Jar Jar he knew to be a Sith? Jar Jar who'd become a vampire? That changed things.

“Look, I'm hiding nothing from you here and putting myself on the line.” Coltreeve gestured to the datapad lying on the table. “All I've done, all we've done is follow orders. I'm happy for you to make copies of all the victims' files and then you can study them at your leisure. I'll even give out my personal com-link number and if you've any questions I'll do my best to answer them.”

The Jedi eyed him. That was a dismissal. A sign he wanted the interview to end and anyone, Force sensitive or not would know it. Deciding to take the files before the man changed his mind, Obi-Wan slid his datapad towards the officer's. Once the files had transferred he stood.

“Thank you. You have been most helpful,” said Obi-Wan, giving him a short bow. A little too helpful, thought the Jedi, but he didn't voice it.

Coltreeve remained seated. “You'll be able to find your own way out, I presume?”

At the Jedi's nod, he pulled the plate towards him once more, took another bite from the pastry and began munching.

As soon as the door closed behind the Jedi, Coltreeve licked his fingers and dropped the pastry back onto the plate. He touched the control panel on his desk. An image of the outside corridor sprang up. The officer watched as the Jedi walked to the elevator. He changed the image to one of the reception area. Again, his eyes followed the Jedi as he left the turbolift and walked to the main door. Another viewscreen was called up. This one showed the Jedi walking down the steps in front of the building and out into the square where he soon became lost in the crowd.

Reassured, Coltreeve took out the holo-com disk he'd hidden at the back of a drawer. He activated it and waited. After what felt like a long time, a blue holographic image of a robed man flickered in the center of the desk.

“Master Sifo-Dyas,” Coltreeve exclaimed, almost bursting with excitement, “You asked me to contact you when someone made contact regarding the bodies?”

“Well?”

“I've had a Master Qui-Gon Jinn here, asking a lot of questions. I provided him with all the answers, as I was told to,” Coltreeve paused. “He was carrying a blaster which threw me, but he also carried a lightsaver, like you said a Jedi would.”

“Lightsaber,” Sifo-Dyas corrected wearily, before looking over at something out of Coltreeve's field of vision. When he turned his face back to the officer his expression was thoughtful.

“Master Jinn?” he asked. “I'm surprised he carried a blaster. Then again, he likes to be thought of as being a rebel and he's a tendency to stick his nose where it doesn't belong.”

Sifo-Dyas looked away again and Coltreeve felt certain the man was being told what questions to ask. “What did this Jedi look like?”

“Self-assured, in his twenties, reddish-fair hair, he -”

“Wait!” the former Jedi master interrupted, “Show me his image!”

“One moment.” Coltreeve's fingers ran over the desk control once more. The image of Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared, entering his office and taking a seat.

“Ah, that's not Master Jinn.” The smile of Sifo-Dyas became both sly and knowing. “You've had a visit from his latest padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. That he's here and not Qui-Gon is far more interesting to us. He's Lord Vader's sidekick.” Sifo-Dyas's voice became a low rasping growl, “Was he accompanied by a small blonde woman?”

“She wasn't with him,” replied Coltreeve. “I know what the Slayer looks like. My wife watches CNN's gossip channel and they did an hour long feature on Lord Vader's hair and make-up.” He added bitterly, “I wanted to watch the pod racing but she insisted I watched it with her.”

“Lord Vader won't be far.” Master Sifo-Dyas's face twisted with hatred. Coltreeve thought the man's face became bumpy and disfigured. The moment passed and the man's face morphed back once more. Coltreeve put the strange effect down to a glitch with the holoprojection.

“ My guess is the two of them are staying in the area.” Sifo-Dyas mused. “Consider finding them your priority. Start with the lake resorts. Once located don't approach them, contact us. Did you give Kenobi of the exact location each of the bodies was discovered?”

“I gave him everything I had in my files. I also told him Jar Jar Binks wanted the murders concealed and that he intended to organize his own investigation.”

Master Sifo-Dyas rubbed the palms of his hands together. “Good, good. In fact, this is excellent news. We didn't expect her to come here so quickly. Not after the little fiasco she caused with some of our Order at the museum in Theed. This almost makes up for those losses. We just need something to draw her to us, at the correct time...”  
He looked over to whoever stood out of sight and nodded. “Bait? Ah, quite so. We'll put that into effect tonight, my Lord. I'm sure she won't resist her beloved crying for help.”

The ex-Jedi master looked to Coltreeve who stood by, listening impassively. “You'll be well rewarded for this, Coltreeve. If you can find Kenobi and Summers even more credits will come your way.”


	154. ShoeMania

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few people asked about master Sifo-Dyas and his turning into a vampire.
> 
> I first introduced this master and Buffy in chapter 66, “Oh, yeah. You and Whose Army?” In which Buffy lets him know she isn't happy with his taking Force sensitive kids and also warn him privately that she knows of his plans for a clone army.
> 
> Next in chapter 118 “M.I.A” she is questioned by the Council. He was seen arguing with her and later disappeared, which the Council consider suspicious. (not that they are pointing any fingers at her :) )
> 
> Then once more he was mentioned by the vampires in Naboo's museum. Chapter 162 “Trust Me, I'm A Jedi.” He is in charge of recruiting for the New Order.
> 
> And then in 163 “Hello, There,” one of the vampires says to Obi-Wan that....“I don't take orders from the Gungan,” snarled Master Jai. “My orders come from Master Sifo-Dyas and he answers only to Darth Desolate.”
> 
> So there you have it. I've been building layers and plot twists for a long time now. It is one reason why I haven't rushed this story.  
> Once finished, if you'd like to reread it you will spot them. Oh, and some are set up for the sequel.
> 
> And a few big story arcs before the story has finished. Musey told me to do them. I hope I can write to her liking.

After his meeting with Officer Coltreeve, Obi-Wan Kenobi began threading his way through the crowds thronging the main plaza and the adjoining walkways of Berenko. As he walked, he mulled over their conversation.

The whole interview had seemed off, from start to finish. The creases in his brow deepened. Why was that? His mind ran through the interview. Coltreeve had become very talkative when shown Obi-Wan's lightsaber. Was it because he'd seen them in the past and associated them with the Jedi Order? He'd also happily thrown the Gungan's name onto the table and excused the cover-up by saying a private investigation would be carried out. If that was so why hadn't he become suspicious when no outside investigator had shown up? Was it because the orders had come from a minister and he didn't wish to jeopardize his job?

No, that still felt wrong. What was he missing? Obi-Wan had a feeling something important was staring him in the face yet he was blind to it. The Force was not helping. In fact, ever since they'd arrived on Naboo it had felt more cloudy than ever. The Dark Side was at work here. He thought of Buffy and a Slayer's ability to see straight into the Dark Side of the Force.

Obi-Wan had a sudden urge to find her. He opened their bond fully and was almost knocked off his feet by the sensation of intense excitement that came flooding down it. With a small shake of his head at the excitability of his apprentice, he steadied himself.

This bond he shared with Buffy was very different from the one he'd shared with his master. Long before Obi-Wan had come along Qui-Gon had mastered his emotions and it was rare that any strong feelings slipped through their link. Buffy, on the other hand, had no such restraint. Her strong emotions ripped through their bond unfettered. For Obi-Wan, who'd been taught from an infant to keep his emotions in check, it was rather disturbing. He'd offered to meditate with her to help her with her control, but that suggestion hadn't gone well. When he'd led her to the isolated deep meditation room she'd given him a knowing look and asked if meditation was what he'd really come there for. It had been, but she really should know better to implant strong suggestions into his head.

So why this level of excitement? Buffy wasn't as work motivated as Qui-Gon. She might have uncovered a vital piece of information or simply trying on a pair of 'must-have' shoes. Reaching a quiet spot in the shadows of a building, away from all the tourists, Obi-Wan took out his com-link.

“Ubi!” Buffy yelped. Her voice was high-pitched and she sounded breathless. In the background, he could hear voices raised in anger. Someone yelled and someone else was screaming excitedly. There was a dull thump as if something had just landed against a hard surface, followed by a squeal of outrage.

That sounded like a fight. Where was she?

Obi-Wan didn't have a lot of experience in shoe shops. Despite that, he'd never have classed them as places that would attract scum and villainy. He narrowed his eyes at the com-link he was holding. “Where are you, Buffy?”

“I'm not sure” her voice sounded odd. It became more muffled as she snarled, “Those are mine! Clear off and find your own!” In the background, a male voice whined something unintelligible in reply. Her voice became clearer as she moved the com-link closer to her mouth. “Uh, sorry about that. I had to stop a guy from stealing my shoes. Honestly, it's like, totally hectic in here.”

“Give me the coordinates, I'll be right over.” If this was a shoe shop he didn't like the sound of it. What kind of shop was it that had thieves trying to steal their customers' shoes?

“Coordinates? I don't know -. Oh, my God, they're bringing out more SHOES!” she cried and began to laugh hysterically.

The Jedi winced and tensed. Partly from the way she'd yelled shoes and partly because her screeching caused the sound muffler on his com-link to make a high-pitch whine. What was going on with her? Why was she screaming and laughing? Her laughter sounded odd. This wasn't right. The Force might be cloudy but those currents around him warned something untoward was happening. There was danger here. What sort of danger?  
Deal with the here and the now, Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon's gentle voice chided inside his head. Yes, his priority was finding her first. He'd investigate the cause of her behavior later.

“Buffy, forget the shoes for a moment,” Obi-Wan's voice slowed, carefully articulating each word while at the same time sending waves of calm down their bond. “I want you to look at your datapad. Check your coordinates and read them out to me.”

“I can't. It's in my purse.” She sounded distracted. He could hear her grabbing something and then mutter, 'those are so prrreeeetty.'

“ You've lost your purse?” Thank goodness she'd kept her com-link on her as he'd instructed, otherwise finding her would have been more difficult.

“No, my purse is over my arm.” She sounded puzzled by the question. He could hear her moving through a busy room, she kept muttering ''s'cuse me, s'cuse me' and 'oops, sorry'.

He found himself pinching the bridge of his nose as a strong wave of stress and uneasiness hit him. Why wasn't she listening to him? Through their bond he sensed the strange frenzy rolling off her. “Then use your datapad to check your coordinates.”

“I can't!” Her voice was almost a wail, “If I put these shoes down someone will grab them.”

Obi-Wan frowned. Why was she being so awkward? “I'm sure you can keep hold of one box while you look in your purse.”

Silence.

He winced. “Exactly, how many pairs of shoes are you holding?”

Buffy whispered, guilty, “A lot.”

Now, he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. “Surely you have some idea where you are?” He'd check for the area on his datapad and combine it with his ability to sense her through the Force.

“Oh, Ubi, this place is so amazing,” her voice rung with almost religious reverence. “It's like the best shoe place in the entire galaxy. I'm so lucky to have found it. I was in one of the other shops asking about the crystal caverns and someone mentioned a pop-up shop selling designer shoes at low prices. I came straight here.”

Obi-Wan noticed she hadn't told him her location. She was acting oddly. Buffy clearly had a shoe addiction but this was out of character, even for her. “And the name of this amazing shop?” he cajoled. “Once I find you, I can hold your shoes. This will enable you to look for more shoes.”

“That's a good idea,” she replied slowly. He heard her drop something, curse, and then the sound of her struggling to pick it up without dropping the rest of her shoes. As she bent down, he heard a Gamorrean's squeal of anger coming from somewhere near her. A Gamorrean? What the blazes was a Gamorrean doing in a shoe shop on Naboo? Again he felt the wave of uneasiness. He'd a bad feeling about this, although that wasn't a new feeling, not since he'd turned into a Jedi-Scooby.

“It's called ShoeMania,” said Buffy. “It's on a side street, behind Berenko's main art gallery. If you follow the small walkway alongside the gallery you'll come to a square. There's a fountain with a Duckman in the middle squirting water from his mouth. Turn right at the Duckman. At the top of this street, you'll see a large abstract statue representing Cultural Nakedness And Eroticism.” Buffy lowered her voice, “You'll need to avert your eyes. It still might be too much for you.”

Obi-Wan's lips quirked. “I'm sure it won't be. I've seen you naked and managed to survive the shocking experience.”

“Oi! I'm not shocking. And less broadcasting of my...” she dropped her voice to a low whisper, “nakedness. Someone could be eavesdropping nearby.”

He replied smugly. “My Force ability is vastly superior to yours and it tells me that no eavesdroppers are within range. I'm also quite sure that any statue in a public place won't have the ability to embarrass me. They never have.” He heard her snort and he ignored it, continuing, “Now, don't leave the premises, I'm coming straight to you.”

“Oh, I'm not gonna leave any time soon. They keep bringing more shoes out and I want them all.” She was smiling. He might not be able to physically see her but there was definitely a gleeful smile in her voice.

She'd got her Republic credit card with her.

In his mind's eye, Obi-Wan had a horrific image of himself flying back to the Overlook engulfed in shoe boxes. He definitely had a bad feeling about this. He needed to find her. And find her fast.

…....


	155. Chapter 155

Buffy was right. The statue at the head of the street was rather obscene for a public space. Feeling hot and bothered, Obi-Wan averted his eyes. When had Buffy researched Gungan anatomy? Had she looked it up in the Archives during her study sessions with Master Windu and Master Ki-Adi-Mundi? He supposed she must have. Buffy was keen on researching alien heart positions.

Putting all thoughts of the unpleasant statue to one side, he turned his attention onto the winding street lying beyond it. It was a side street, like many others in this town, although this one looked more run-down than most. Was it awaiting regeneration after last year's invasion?  
Although Obi-Wan couldn't see the entrance to ShoeMania, a line of eager buyers were waiting for admittance. Deciding a little reconnaissance of the area was necessary, Obi-Wan strode past them.

The street was surprisingly neglected considering it was in a prime location close to many of the town's cultural buildings. The majority of the structures were empty and the building housing ShoeMania looked neglected and in a bad state of disrepair. Most of the windows had been boarded over at some point and the only one bare of shutters lay close to the door. Obi-Wan meandered over to the window, pretending to be interested in what the place had to offer.

Eye-catchingly displayed was a dazzling selection of gem-encrusted shoes along with several advertising signs. One announced 'ONE DAY SALE', another 'CRAZY PRICES', while a third bragged 'DESIGNER FOOTWEAR'. Obi-Wan's sharp eyes noted beneath the larger lettering was a disclaimer. This was in much smaller print. He leaned in closer trying to make out the small writing. 'No refunds'.

“Hnnnnk!!”

Obi-Wan's heart froze. That sounded uncomfortably familiar. He turned, slowly, to face the source of the sound and his heart sank. Stood in the shadows of the doorway was a large Gamorrean. Surely it wouldn't be one that he knew? But yes, it was. He knew that boar. The guard was one of those from the club where he'd discovered Amba Kroi. Obi-Wan turned his gaze back to the window, thinking. The Gamorrean's didn't have a large presence on Naboo, yet twice now he'd run into them.  
Why would a Gamorrean need to stand guard on a shoe shop? A den of iniquity he could understand, a shoe sale was more of a mystery. Was this really an innocent shoe store or was it a cover for something nefarious?

He reached out, connecting to the Force and paying attention to what he sensed. The Force warned him there was a dangerous combination of dark violence and high spirits in the area. That was out of the ordinary. Obi-Wan sighed. He should have expected something like this. Only his padawan would have found such a dark and seedy place in a nice town like Berenko.

“Come in. Hnnnk. Come in!” called the Gamorrean.

Obi-Wan waited and then joined the rear of the line. As he passed the boar, he sensed the creature's small piggy eyes boring into the back of his neck. Had he been recognized him as a patron of the sex club? Uneasy, he followed the other shoppers into the main section of the store. Once there, the Gamorrean door security was temporarily forgotten.

Obi-Wan stood alongside the other gaping newcomers, only his long hours of Jedi training preventing his jaw from dropping. He could safely say, he'd never been in a shoe shop like this one. The room was packed with shoppers. They were browsing large shelving racks that had been wheeled into the room by very old and basic droids. People rushed from rack to rack, crowding around them, frantically pulling shoes from the shelves. Each face shone with a mixture of sweat and desperation.

Directly opposite him, at one of the newly wheeled in shoe racks, a fight had broken out. Two men throwing clumsy punches were quickly joined by women, who threw themselves onto their backs. The men staggered as the women began striking them with fists and shoes. One man attempted to dislodge his attacker by spinning. The movement causing them to collide with onlookers who were knocked off their feet. They fell, dropping their shoes. One began to crawl on the floor in a desperate scrabble for the shoes she'd lost. The other jumped into the fight, laying about with fists.

A prickle to his senses made Obi-Wan look over to the rear of the store. On a higher level, a group of Gamorreans stood on a raised balcony, intently watching the shoppers. The Jedi tilted his head, eyes narrowing, appraising them. He couldn't see any obvious weapons, but they all wore helmets with protective chin guards and breathers. Obi-Wan frowned. There was definitely more going on here than met the eye.

The fight across from him became more violent as more and more shoppers became caught up in it. Obi-Wan watched as the fighting took them towards a shoe rack. The Force told him they'd fall into it and he took several steps back. A moment later the fighters crashed into it, sending shoes flying and the rack falling onto a droid.

The loss of stock and the damaged droid prodded the watching guards into action. Two of them left the balcony, lumbering down the stairs and shoving the unwary out their way. One snatched a woman's hair, yanking her backward and throwing her across the floor. Next, he grabbed the man she'd been hitting, spun him around and throwing a punch to his cheek. There was a sickening crunch, his head snapped back and he dropped to the floor.

Obi-Wan winced. The Gamorrean species certainly wasn't known for its diplomacy. He continued to watch, as the same Gamorrean grabbed the neck of the remaining man and twisted his arm cruelly behind his back. Meanwhile, the second Gamorrean snatched a dark-haired woman with an excited squeal, yanking her forward before throwing her to the floor. Landing heavily, she lost her grip on the last pair of shoes she'd held onto. Shoes that were eagerly snatched up by another shopper. The fallen woman screamed. Seemingly more frustrated at her loss than being manhandled.

Obi-Wan frowned deepened. This wasn't normal behavior. The Force around him lay in jagged discord and was warning him. But of what? He looked around, inspecting those in view. It appeared the fight hadn't put off any of the shoppers. Most were still browsing the shoe racks. The only ones showing concern were those who'd entered the building at the same time as him.

Why were the shoppers so intent on shoes? As Obi-Wan wasn't a tall man, not like Qui-Gon, he needed to stand on tip-toe to look over the shoppers' heads to see the shoes on the nearest rack. What he saw didn't impress him. He might not be a shoe aficionado, like Buffy, but the shoes on the racks looked nothing like those displayed in the store window. He turned around, his eyes scanning the rest of the racks. As far as he could see, every rack contained similar shoddily made shoes. Surely Buffy wasn't interested in these?

Which reminded him. Where had she gone? He sensed nothing coming from their bond.

He tracked her by using the Force, focussing on her unusual swirl of darkness and finding her behind a towering shoe rack. Her back faced him and she was stood on the tips of her toes as she stretched up, trying to ease a pair of orange sandals from one of the higher shelves. She turned towards him and a jolt of shock ran through Obi-Wan. Buffy's face was paler than he'd ever seen it. Her eyes were ringed in dark circles and her beautiful hair hung in limp sections over a sweaty brow.  
The creases in Obi-Wan's brow deepened as he concentrated on the Force. His connection becoming stronger as he searched the currents looking for something... anything. And the Force provided him with the answer.

“Obi-Wan!” Buffy squealed, rushing across to him holding a pile of shoes against her chest.

Obi-Wan gave her a distracted nod, his attention on the Gamorreans once more. Those helmets had breathing devices built into them. He lifted his chin, to gaze at the ceiling above him. Criss-crossing the ceiling were lines of pipework with downward-facing vents, no doubt part of the system that cycling the building's air. He wasn't able to hear over the excited chatter of the store patrons, but he sensed a gas was being pumped into the room. He rubbed his chin as he ran his eyes along the conduit.

“Can you hold my shoes?”

The Jedi pulled his eyes from the pipework, startled by the question. Buffy, normally so attuned to his emotions, seemed unaware of his distraction. She took his silence as agreement, smiled, and began handing over the shoes, piling them up against his chest. When Obi-Wan took a pair of sandals from the pile to examine them more closely he saw they were Gungan sandals. A male Gungan's sandals.

“Why do you want these, Buffy?” he asked. “It isn't as if they'll fit you.”

“They do! I've tried them on. They're lovely.”

That confirmed it. She'd been drugged. They had to leave. Throwing all the shoes to the floor, he grabbed her hand and tried to pull her towards the entrance.

“We need to get out of here.” He waved his hand, risking using Force persuasion. “ We must go now.”

“But my shoes!” Buffy wailed. She dug her heels in, quite oblivious to his use of the Force and determined not to leave her shoes behind.

“You're acting under the influence of Spice gas,” replied Obi-Wan.

She blinked, confused. He went on, “Spice gas is a mind-altering drug. The Gamorrean's are pumping it through the air conduits to drive up sales. We need to go.” He shot a worried glance towards the ceiling. Those vents were dispensing gas and already he could feel its effects. Fumbling in his pocket, he pulled out the Temple issue breather he'd brought with him.

Buffy dithered. Exasperated at the delay Obi-Wan popped the breather into his mouth, grabbed her around the waist and threw her across his shoulder. Buffy let out a squeal of protest, but he ignored her, using the Force to guide him as he ran for the store entrance. Only to find his way barred by the Gamorrean from earlier. The heavily muscled creature stood in the corridor, his legs apart, trousers hanging at half-mast and thin t-shirt hoisted over the protruding belly.

“Hnnk, you!” he snarled, recognizing Obi-Wan. “Troublemaker, hnnk, after females again. Hnnk, my sister be crazy, hnnk, wanting to mate with a weakling, like you. Hnnk”

Hanging over Obi-Wan's shoulder, Buffy tensed. Away from the gas her Slayer metabolism was rapidly clearing her head and driving it from her system.

“His sister wants to mate with you? I don't think so.” Twisting her body, she looked around Obi-Wan until she saw the guard. To the Jedi's mortification, she began to laugh, “Hey, has Miss Piggy been hitting on you?”

Obi-Wan removed his breather. “It's nothing to laugh at, Buffy,” he scolded. No doubt she'd ask for all the embarrassing details later. For Force sake, he hoped she wouldn't mention it to Quin, the Kiffar would make his life a misery.

Dragging his thoughts from the future to the here and now, Obi-Wan addressed the guard, “You need to step aside and allow us to leave.”

The Gamorrean's snout wrinkled in distaste, his small piggy-eyes almost completely disappearing into the folds of his face. “Hnnk, Let go of the female. Hnnk. Filthy pervert. Hnnk”

Buffy giggled and Obi-Wan recoiled in horror. “I'm not a pervert,” he protested hotly. The words 'I'm a Jedi' on the tip of his tongue, but he was here undercover. “This is my wife.”

“Hnnk, little wife, hnnk, hnnk, hnnk,” chortled the Gamorrean. “Can't get a better one. Hnnk hnnk.”

Knowing Buffy wouldn't take that kind of insult well, Obi-Wan lowered her to her feet. He almost felt sorry for the pig-like creature.

“Did you just call me 'little'?” Buffy snarled. She stepped forward, dwarfed by the Gamorrean. Prodding the boar in his large belly she went on, “No one calls me little or my husband a pervert.” She gave the boar another prod, making him grunt, “Aww, I made the little piggy grunt. Well, let's see how loud you squeal when I kick your ass to market. Wheee, wheee, wheee.”

Born on a planet where females were prized for their aggressiveness, the boar was more amused than offended. He laughed, “Snnurt, snnurt, snnurt. You little but funny.”

Buffy kicked out, landing a blow to his shin. As the creature bent forward, to rub his leg, she planted a powerful uppercut to his soft snout and sent him staggering back into the wall.

Obi-Wan reached out, putting a restraining hand on her shoulder. ~We're wasting time here. If we fight and are arrested it will blow our cover.~

Buffy bristled with annoyance. Then she gave a quick nod.

Pulling the blaster from his pocket Obi-Wan leveled it at the boar. “Don't try to stop us or else I'll blast you into a thousand pieces.”

The Jedi and the Slayer slowly moved past him. The muzzle of Obi-Wan's blaster trained on the guard the entire time. Once a safe distance away from the building, the Jedi lowered the weapon and, after giving it a disgusted look, shoved it back into his pocket. Neither spoke until they'd walked through the crowded square and halted at the fountain. Both Jedi and Slayer stood, eyes watching, senses scanning, to see if they were being followed.

Finally, Obi-Wan turned his attention to Buffy. With an ordinary person, he'd have checked their Force signature to see if they were healthy, but with Buffy being a Force void it wasn't that easy. However, he felt relieved to see her color had returned and the dark circles had disappeared. No doubt, her renown Slayer metabolism had kicked in.

“I've never heard of Spice gas used for that purpose before,” said Obi-Wan quietly. The sound of water cascading from the fountain behind them was loud but he didn't want anyone passing them to overhear. “It affects judgment and causes excitability. In this case, it creates a shoe buying frenzy. I doubt the Gamorreans came up with the scheme themselves. Most likely they're employed by a crime lord who masterminded this.”

“How did you know they were drugging us?” Buffy asked. She'd sat on the wall surrounding the fountain and, since many others were doing the same thing, Obi-Wan sat next to her.

He slanted her a glance, holding back a mischievous grin. “I knew something was going on when I developed a strange urge to purchase a pair of silver high-heeled shoes. Luckily, reason prevailed. I realized they'd clash terribly with my robes.”

Buffy smirked and bumped his shoulder with hers. “My job here is done. Those fashion talks have finally born fruit. You can become the next Cordelia.” Realizing what she'd said, she gave a fake shudder, “Ugh, scratch that. There's no way I want you turning into Cordelia.”

“I shall endeavor not to.” He grinned at her. “ Actually, it was my new awareness of shoe fashion that alerted me to your drugged state. You told me those Gungan sandals were lovely.” Her mouth twisted in a silent moue of horror and he almost laughed. More seriously, he added, “There were also more physical signs. Like your pallid face, dilated pupils and the sweat on your upper lip and brow.

“Hey! I don't have a sweaty face,” Buffy protested. She shoved him, playfully. The push would have sent most Jedi, or non-Jedi, tumbling backward into the pool. Luckily, Obi-Wan was so attuned to her that he sensed the move and braced himself.

“Your face IS sweaty,” he replied smugly.

Buffy hurriedly pulled down her sleeve and used it to dab at her hot face.

“Thanks for the rescue, Obi-Wan.”

The Jedi smiled back at her. Buffy's praise always created a warm glow of happiness inside him. She went on, “You're like a knight in shining robes, charging in to rescue a drugged, sweaty damsel from-”

“...a Spice gas breathing dragon,” he finished.

“Umm, no. I was thinking, less Spice dragon and more ugly shoe dragon.” She fake shuddered once more, before asking, “So... do we report the place to the cops? Or did you break into the police station and are now trying to stay off the radar? I've got to be honest. It doesn't feel good letting them get away with this.”

“I'm in complete agreement.” Obi-Wan took out his com-link and began to enter Coltreeve's code. “And I know someone in a position to help.” Then he added, cryptically, “Or maybe, he won't.”

“Officer Coltreeve, here.”

Obi-Wan held the com-link between them so she could hear their conversation.

“Officer Coltreeve, we met at your office earlier. This is Qui-Gon Jinn.” Buffy's eyes widened. Obi-Wan quickly shook his head at her. ~I'll explain all later.~

“Master Jinn?” the man sounded surprised. “I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. Is something wrong? Can I help?”

Coltreeve sounded eager. Too eager. Beside him, Buffy tensed, as Obi-Wan let the flash of suspicion travel through their bond.

Obi-Wan continued, “I'd appreciate your help. I've stumbled across a gang using Spice gas to drug the general public.”

“Where?”

“At a shoe store called ShoeMania. It's in a dilapidated street behind the Berenko art gallery. My colleague discovered them whilst making inquiries.”

“A colleague?” Coltreeve's tone was sharp. “You didn't mention a colleague before. Is she with you now? What's your colleague's name?”

Beneath Obi-Wan's eye, a tiny muscle twitched in reflex. Why had the man assumed his colleague was female? He slid a speaking glance at Buffy, to see if she'd noticed the slip. She stared back, green eyes intent. Obi-Wan had no intention of revealing Buffy's real name so he gave the first one that came into his head. “I'm working with Siri Tachi.”

Buffy's jaw dropped and her stare turned into an ice hard glare.

“So your colleague, Siri Tachi, discovered these criminals?”

Obi-Wan ignored the shimmer of darkness coming from Buffy. “That's correct.”

“She was making inquiries inside a shoe store? Does Siri Tachi often visit shoe stores?”

“She makes inquiries wherever she needs to. I've worked with Siri many times before and she's excellent at her job,” Obi-Wan repeated, feeling irritated. This man seemed keener to learn about Buffy/Siri's habits than ask details of the crime. Also, he'd no idea why Buffy's death glare had intensified but it was putting him on edge. “The shop these criminals are running will be gone in a few hours. Could you send someone out straight away?”

He heard the lawman hesitate, before saying, “I'll organize officers to attend immediately. Are you and Siri Tachi staying at a hotel in the area? I'll call around later and give you both an update.”

Obi-Wan sensed there was more to this than a helpful exchange of information. “I'm unable to do so. We are yet to find accommodation.” Aware the man would suggest a place to lodge, he continued, “I'll contact you, shortly. Thank you for your help with this.”

Cutting the call, Obi-Wan stroked his chin thoughtfully, feeling the prickles beneath his fingertips as he mulled over the conversation. It had been... disturbing. Out the corner of his eye, he could see Buffy. She drummed her heels rhythmically against the wall and her mood was dark. He eyed her warily, wondering at the annoyance pouring off her. The only thing he could think might have caused it was her not being allowed to pummel the Gamorreans herself. Buffy enjoyed doling out retribution. It would be best to take her mind off it and ask her thoughts on Coltreeve.

“You noted the way Coltreeve guessed you were a female and his interest in you?”

Buffy's lip curled. “I was too busy noticing how you called me by your ex-girlfriend's name.”

No one could scatter Obi-Wan's thoughts as Buffy could. He froze. How did she know? It could only be the dratted Jedi Temple gossip mill. Who'd told her?

“Siri Tachi is neither my girlfriend nor an ex-girlfriend. We were merely close friends,” he said, his voice tight.

“Girlfriend,” Buffy slowly repeated, “Big smoochies too, from what I've heard.”

Sithspit she'd heard the gossip!

“Definitely. Not,” he replied. He used the same tone Qui-Gon used with him when a subject was out of bounds. A voice that brooked no argument. The problem was Buffy wasn't his padawan. She was his girlfriend and his attempt at avoidance only made her more suspicious.

“Yeah, Siri Tachi and that other one you used to hang around with. Er, Sateen Krazy. They're both your love interests, depending on who you talk to.” She didn't tell him how she'd heard. Not long after arriving in the Star Wars dimension, she'd 'innocently' asked Andrew if Obi-Wan had a love life. The young watcher had enthusiastically filled her in until she'd begged him to stop.

“It's Satine Kryze and no, they're not,” Obi-Wan hotly denied. He squirmed uncomfortably on the wall. Knowing she was watching him and taking his embarrassment for guilt. “You shouldn't listen to Jedi Temple rumors. A Jedi knight doesn't indulge in relationships so we don't have exes.”

Buffy continued drummed her heels against the wall. It was hot in the Nabooan sun but she didn't think sunburn was why Obi-Wan's cheeks were so red. “Then why are you burning up with the embarrassment?”

“Because I am being accused of doing something I haven't done!” he spluttered, once more his Jedi calm shattered by the Slayer. “I don't have ex-girlfriends!”

She tutted, “I don't mind you having exes. It's you calling me by their names that's totally offensive.”

“They aren't my exes and -.” Obi-Wan stopped, as a thought occurred to him. “Are you jealous?”

“Have I anything to be jealous of?” Buffy asked, examining her nails and pretending to look disinterested. People passed them by. No one gave them a second glance and, for once, Buffy felt as if they were a normal couple and not a Slayer stealing time out to be with a Jedi.

“Definitely not,” he answered as he folded his arms inside his Jedi robe sleeves. “There was never anything to be jealous of.”

Neither spoke for a long moment, both staring over in the direction of ShoeMania.

Finally, Buffy replied, “I'm glad. We've got something special and it's good to know an ex isn't about to jump out the woodwork.” Her hand reaching out to him at the same time he reached for hers. Palms meeting and warm fingers curling around each other.

“As if you've anyone to be worried about,” said Obi-Wan, his voice husky. “I was never this Jedi poster-boy you make me out to be, but I've always been wary of breaking the rules and forming an attachment. If you hadn't arrived in this dimension I'd have stayed a Jedi until the day I died.”

Her face fell and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “There's no need to be so glum about it. It's my decision and I'm glad you're here. Without you, I'd have missed so much.” With his trademark teasing smirk, he added, “For instance, I'd never have become a Slayer.”

Buffy grinned in reply, “Don't get above yourself bathrobe wearing Jedi-guy. You're not a Slayer, no matter what Sineya said.” Her expression became more thoughtful. Why had Obi-Wan been allowed into the Slayer desert? Why had Sineya pointed to each of them and said the word Slayer? She was still thinking when Obi-Wan suddenly jumped from the wall.

“Greed!” cried Obi-Wan and looked at Buffy, expectantly.

“Huh?” Buffy asked, confused. “Did I, like, blink and miss half the conversation? Is there a rewind button? Ubi, you need to do the 'splainy. Not all of us majored in deciphering weird exclamations.”

Looking rather self-conscious, Obi-Wan explained, “My comment on missing out sparked the idea. That and thinking about the greed on the faces of ShoeMania's customers.”

Buffy shot a reproachful look in the direction of the shoe store. “You sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan waved the comment off. “You were acting under the influence of Spice gas. However, greed is in Coltreeve's nature...”

“The guy loves shoes too?”

He ignored her joke. Instead, he began rubbing his finger over his top lip, in a way she was fast becoming accustomed to. Obi-Wan had gone into deep thinking Jedi mode.

“I'll give you a detailed report later but, for now, the cliff notes version will suffice,” he said. He didn't notice how his words caused her to smile. He continued, “Coltreeve was in charge of investigating the suspicious deaths in the vicinity of the Overlook. At first, I thought he'd simply been bribed by local business owners to disguise the murders as accidents, but then he became very talkative. He informed me it was the Lake country's minister who'd personally requested the deaths to be classed as accidents. A minister who happens to be Jar Jar Binks.”

“What?!”

“Quite. It surprised me as well,” said Obi-Wan. “Although being a Jedi knight I naturally hid it far better than you ever could, padawan-mine.” She rolled her eyes and he grinned back. “Coltreeve assured me that he'd only been following orders, but I believe he was following the credits. It wasn't the local businesses who paid him off, but Jar Jar.”

“And you think he's still paying him off?” said Buffy, slowly, her nose wrinkling as she thought.

The Jedi nodded, pleased that she'd come to the same conclusion. “It wouldn't surprise me. I think he'd been warned by Jar Jar that the Jedi might investigate, but it's his interest in you that I find most alarming. I believe he's had a warning Lord Vader is on the planet and, in my opinion, Jar Jar will pay him well for your location. That's why I refused to give him the address of our hotel.”

“It sounds as if you made more progress than I have.” Buffy pulled her face. “All I got was the holonet address of a former Crystal caverns guide. And gassed. Yeah, mustn't forget gassed, drugged and almost losing my shoe cred.”

Obi-Wan tried not to smirk. This wasn't a Jedi v Slayer competition, but he felt that he'd won this round of the investigations. Feeling generous, he gave her a consoling pat on the knee. “Never mind, at least you found a fresh lead.”

The whir of low flying speeder engines overhead caught their attention. They watched, as a Nabooan squad speeder lowered into the square a short distance away scattering the tourists. Everyone in the square turned curious eyes onto the craft. Especially when a squad of uniformed men climbed from the speeder and headed in the direction of ShoeMania.

“Looks like your friend Coltreeve is gonna break up the Spice gas party,” said Buffy.

“Indeed it does. Let's not linger longer than we need to,” Holding out his hands, Obi-Wan helped Buffy down from the fountain wall. Not that she needed help, but she took his hands anyway, jumping neatly and landing gracefully in front of him.

“Are you hungry?” the Jedi asked. At Buffy's nod, he went on, “I was thinking we could go on a picnic.”

“To the park?” There were a lot of pretty parks on Naboo. They reminded Buffy of the good times in Sunnydale when she and her friends had taken time off from studying and slaying to goof around like normal teenagers.

“I was thinking of finding somewhere more... private,” replied Obi-Wan. For months now a scene had been playing out in his mind of him and Buffy picnicking in a meadow with a dramatic waterfall behind them. “On the drive over I saw the ideal spot. I thought it might be a fun thing for us to do.”

Walking beside him, Buffy raised an eyebrow and teased, “Picnics in isolated meadows? Exactly what sort of fun are you thinking of, Mr Kenobi?”

Unabashed, he replied, “Romantic fun.”

“Romantic fun? And you wearing your Jedi robes too.”

“Ah, one of the first things a Jedi learns is how to remove his robe quickly. It's all part of a padawan's training.”

“Like levitating things,” replied Buffy, not meeting his eyes.

Obi-Wan's lips twitched. “Now that, is something I'm very keen to practice.”


	156. Palpatine's visitors

The Visitors of Sheev Palpatine

At a remote clifftop villa in a select area of Naboo, Sheev Palpatine (clad only in a black silk dressing gown) rested his arms on the balcony rail and stood, gazing out into the night. Above him, two of the planet's moons shone down on the reflective surface of the lake in front of the villa.

The view was one of the main reasons he'd purchased the place. He liked to spend long hours staring out at the surrounding scenery and even commissioned paintings to grace the walls of his offices on Coruscant. Another reason for the villa's purchase was its remoteness. Only a select few were allowed admittance, for it housed many of the Supreme Chancellor's more private and unusual collections. Some of which would have horrified the Jedi and raised the eyebrow of even those with no Force sensitivity.

To any idle observer (and there weren't many of those around) who spotted the man leaning on his balcony, they'd assume he was simply enjoying the view. Something he always did when visiting the villa. However, this time Sheev Palpatine's mind was focused on something else entirely.  
He'd connected to the Force. Searching out through the currents for any trace of the Slayer who, as always, was hiding her location from him. She was so fascinatingly elusive and he craved to learn the secrets behind her skills.

From the moment Buffy popped into his dimension he'd sensed the ripples in the Force. At first, he'd been concerned. The presence of another Dark Side user was bound to make any ambitious Sith wary. After all, it had taken him years of planning to kill Darth Plagueis. What if this new Dark Sider was as bad? But then he'd met the newest Chosen One - Buffy Summers- and known instinctively they were made for one another. Together they'd be unstoppable. He would become the Dark Emperor to her Killer Queen and, once they'd learn the secret of eternal life, they could rule the galaxy forever.

Where was his little Sith Queen? Buffy had such an enviable ability to hide her presence in the Force. His mouth twisted into an evil smirk. Inter-dimensional Force void! Palpatine chuckled. Only the Jedi Order would fall for that one. They were all so pathetic they didn't deserve to draw breath, especially Yoda.

If their first mistake was giving her house-room, than their second was setting their squeakiest clean knight the task of watching her. The inexperienced knight had been out of his depth from the start. She'd groomed him and then, when he'd wavered, brought him to heel by 'kindly' lending him Darth Maul's lightsaber. Those crystals were charged with all Maul's hate and anger at the Jedi. Squeaky Clean hadn't stood a chance against the Dark Side saber's onslaught.

Palpatine let out a delighted cackle. Clever Buffy and what stupid Jedi! Hadn't history shown them that time and time again more Jedi fell to the Dark Side than Sith fell to the Light? They should have learned by now that the Dark Side was the most dominant aspect of the Force. It would be the Jedi's arrogance, narrow-mindedness, and their inability to learn that would lead to their downfall. That and his well-laid plans. His face soured. Some of those plans hadn't turned out as well as they could have done, but no matter. There was always a backup plan.

The Supreme Chancellor lifted a hand, running his fingers through his thinning hair. Beneath his fingers, the winged style that he'd favored for decades felt outdated. It was time for a more up-to-date look. He needed something to make him look younger.

Perhaps, he needed to adopt a more modern style of clothing too? A classical style was all very well, but it put years on you. Was black his color? He twitched his dressing gown self-consciously. It could be draining to the skin when one matured. He grimaced at his own indecision. It seemed he'd neglected his fashion sense in his quest to become the Supreme Chancellor.

His face softened. Buffy would notice if he sported a new haircut and restyle. When he'd exited the shower and found her 'mistakenly' in his bedroom he'd seen the way her eyes lingered on his body. She'd been impressed and he'd enjoyed her attention. Maybe he should start wearing a more casual outfit? Something open-necked, with a medallion to draw the eye?

But that might cause the Jedi to notice his toned physique and guess it came from combat and lightsaber training. It wouldn't do to warn them before he had everything in place. He comforted himself with the thought Buffy would soon be his wife. There was no real need to openly drop the disguise.

The Slayer wouldn't be disappointed with him as a husband. Ensuring one was in the peak of fitness was a priority of a Sith Lord. All those long meditation and training sessions did wonders for a man's stamina and vitality, no matter what his age. Palpatine could safely say, he hadn't met a woman yet who hadn't been stunned into silence by his prowess between the sheets.

Still, it was a pity the Vengeance demon hadn't sent Buffy to him earlier. If only she'd seen him coming into his prime, before all those Dark Side rituals had taken their toll on his handsome features. They'd have made a powerful couple even at a young age. Of course, Darth Plagueis might not have been happy about it. Although the Sith were allowed relationships, his Muun master would have sensed the Slayer's power and he'd wanted to conduct experiments on the Slayer in his laboratory. That would have been messy and unfortunate. Palpatine wasn't sure for whom, his old master or the Slayer.

A prickle across his brain's synapsis heralded a Force vision. Eagerly, Palpatine opened himself up to receive it.

Sheev Palpatine sat on a low wall outside a red-bricked school. Above him, the sun blazed down on the courtyard and around him milled the students. He was a teenager again, with all the depressing awkwardness that came with it.

(The Supreme Chancellor shuddered. He'd forgotten about being a teenager.)

Surrounding him were all his friends. (Friends? He couldn't remember friends.) A warm glow filled this young Sheev. Not only from the heat of the sun overhead but also the warmth of friendship and the smile of a very young Buffy Summers.

The Slayer looked around fifteen years of age. She was pretty, in a cute, upturned nose kind of way. The kind of way that turned a teenage boy's head and led to embarrassing fantasies and the urge to carry her schoolwork.

“What do you think Steve?” Buffy asked, giving him that special smile that sent his heart into a flutter. “Do we research demons in the library later or do we sneak out to hunt vamps in those creepy Sith tombs you told me about?”

The Force vision faded leaving the Supreme Chancellor feeling off-balance. Had the Force shown him an alternate past? He wasn't sure he liked it. It had felt too golden and centered in the Light Side. Where was the power-hungry edge he'd remembered having as a boy? He'd craved adrenaline rushes, power, and cared for no one. If he'd met Buffy, would all that excess energy have been channeled into fighting vampires? It was a thought that left him floundering.

Palpatine scowled. No matter, that past hadn't happened. The only thing that mattered was the future. In every version, he'd seen the Chosen One standing at his side robed in darkness. His loyal and willing servant, er, Sith Queen, faithfully slaying all who came before her as his enforcer. If only she wasn't so dratted slippery to pin down.

From the beginning, he'd sought out a way to manipulate her. Shoes. He'd thought he'd cracked it with her shoe addiction. It had seemed so easy, but the plan had been foiled by Dooku. The aging Count had informed him that, as a single lady, Buffy should not be accepting gifts of clothing from a suitor. It was bad etiquette and would reflect poorly on her reputation. The idea was outdated by a few centuries, yet Buffy had listened to the Count.

Palpatine had considered his other options. Attachments were often a weakness and he'd seriously considered kidnapping Andrew. However, there was something about the Watcher that made him uneasy. Despite the boy's being one step away from an imbecile he seemed to have a good grasp of current galactic affairs and knew how to summon demons. From Palpatine's own experience with Sith rituals, he knew someone with those powers should be treated with caution. After all, he didn't want to wake up to find he'd been kidnapped by a demon and left stranded in another dimension. Nor was he all that certain Buffy would notice or care if Andrew went missing. She often appeared frustrated with her apprentice-watcher and might think he'd done her a favor.

A faint sound coming from his bedroom pulled Palpatine from his thoughts. His mouth curled downwards, as he slowly turned towards the balcony doors. Knowing what he'd see and disliking the intrusion into his musing.

Two slightly-built figures wearing long maroon robes froze as they felt the man's eye on them. They'd been told not to leave the bedroom until he ordered them to. Although neither had defied him, Palpatine's anger grew. How dare they disturb his concentration! How dare they be so submissive, so spiritless, so common and, most of all, so blatantly not HER.

The Supreme Chancellor bit back the anger, his face displaying only the benevolent smile he was famous for. With a wave of his hand, he beckoned the pair over.  
Fear rolled off the two blonde women. Palpatine leaned back against the balcony, feeling the coolness of the stone through his silk robe and reveling in the way his Sith powers thrived off fear. Those tear-filled downcast eyes irritated him. What had they to cry about? They were being well paid and should count themselves lucky to be here.

He'd the sudden urge to throw them over the balcony rail and listen to their screams as their bodies bounced along the jutting rocks.

“Come, come closer to me,” his voice was low, almost seductive. “You know I won't hurt you.” His smile became patronizing.

Paid for their obedience in all things, they shuffled closer. It had been a long time since Palpatine had soiled himself with a whore. Only the restless, burning need in his blood had driven him to contact a discreet whoremaster. A whoremaster who, for the right money, would not only provide merchandise to your taste but didn't care what condition they were returned in.

Palpatine's nostrils flared, as the sour smell of their fear reached his sensitive nose. Even their smell was offensive, nothing like Buffy's heady Dark Side perfume. Her scent had intoxicated him. He'd almost lost control before the Jedi masters and that was something he'd never thought he'd do. It had taken steely determination to regain his calm, only for him to be almost undone once more when the Slayer death glared him. She was far more exciting than the pathetic creatures cowering before him. They trembled like pathetic prey animals. Buffy would have stood before him like a dangerous predator.

He reached out, lifting the chin of the one to his right. His pale thin fingers sliding over the swelling on her jaw, his thumb grazing the cut to her lower lip, before moving up to trace egg-shaped lump on her cheekbone. Fractured? Possibly. Not that he cared. She'd been particularly annoying. Strutting into his presence as if she was something special. Palpatine's nostrils flared, the only sign of his growing anger.

He'd soon knocked the idea that she was special out of her. She was nothing! Her only value lay in a passing resemblance to the Slayer. There was wine in his cellar that cost far more than her. A whore was a whore no matter how high class she claimed to be.

He exhaled and let the edge of the anger go. A Sith Queen, on the other hand, was a jewel beyond price and her refusal to be tamed only increased her value. As a true connoisseur, Palpatine knew that the rarest and finest things took time and patience to acquire.

Dropping his hand from the whore's face, he turned his gaze onto the other woman. What a long, delicate slender neck she had. Her skin fine and unblemished. In contrast, the Slayer's was marked with scars from those vampires she'd battled in the past. The whore's creamy expanse drew his eye again. It gave him the urge to call the Force and crush its false perfection.

Taking a deep breath, he savored the spikes of terror rolling off them.

“ You've been...” his words trailed away. What had they been? “...ah yes, disappointing.”

The woman with the bruised face gave an involuntary gasp.

Palpatine's voice dropped, becoming harsh and cruel, “Any cheap whore plying her trade in the lowest levels of Coruscant would have provided me with more entertainment.” He allowed the mask to drop and reveal his true Sith face.

The women dropped their eyes, having seen it earlier and knowing better than to flinch.

“Take my hand,” he ordered the one who'd been so sure of herself. His words were laced with Force persuasion. He already knew her mind was weak and defenseless. Pathetic. Buffy's mind shield was like Mandalorian steel door. Nothing entered and nothing escaped. Force knows, he'd tried to pry his way in often enough.

“And you too, my dear,” he crooned, holding out his other hand to the remaining whore.

She took it, without raising her eyes to the pale face. Refusing to look at the deep grooves etched around his mouth and eyes.

Holding their hands, he nodded to the chair placed against the balcony rail. “Up you go. Let me see how pretty you look standing high in the moonlight.”

The pair scampered up, wobbling as they attempted to balance on the thin rail. Intent to follow instructions. Desperate to keep their balance.

“Dance for me, ” Palpatine crooned, his voice a low growl.

Like marionettes the pair began to dance, turning in circles, struggling for balance yet determined to appear graceful. The Supreme Chancellor stepped back, watching their dance in fascination. Would they fall? Or would the Force be on their side tonight? They danced quite prettily, considering their deaths hung in the balance.

When he became bored, he clapped politely and walked over with a brisk stride. As he held out his hands ready to take theirs, an amusing thought occurred to him. A small Force push and they'd fall. He'd enjoy listening to their cries as they fell to their deaths. There was nothing like a kill to invigorate him.

But it would take a long time to remove the mess. His favorite view would be spoiled and that would be a tragedy. Allowing his mask to replace his real face, he became the perfect gentleman as he helped them down.

“Ladies, you had a lovely time here tonight,” he said slowly, impressing the thought deep into their minds. “You drank wine and listened to my poetry reading. The bruising you have is from losing your footing on the way home. Wine can be potent, perhaps you should drink less.”

He waited until they'd repeated his words back to his satisfaction, before sending them away. When he was certain they'd gone, he moved back to his spot at the railing and stared off into the night.

Was his Sith Queen having fun? She might be out there right now slaying someone with her red lightsaber and dark one. Taking life forces and pretending she wasn't enjoying it. Would Kenobi be with her? Had his lightsaber changed to red yet? Or was he keeping his change of allegiance under wraps still? He hoped the knight remembered his place as an apprentice and didn't try making a move on his Queen. That could cause things to get ugly, fast.

Tonight's fiasco with the whores had impressed on Palpatine that the time had come for his Queen to be at his side, whether she came willing or not. Palpatine took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He'd let nothing stand in his way. Nothing ever did. Not for long. The image of her new apprentice, Kenobi, rose in his mind once more. A small sneer pulled on his lip. No matter, the ex-Jedi would meet his end soon enough, the Force had assured him Lord Vader would take care of him.

A commotion in the Force currents caught his attention. It appeared his guards had stopped someone trying to get into the villa. Palpatine wasn't expecting visitors. He tilted his head, feeling out with his senses, but the mingling of Force signatures made it difficult to identify the visitor. Whoever it was, the guards were bringing them into the main residence. They must believe this person either had something important news or was important to him.

Important to him... Could it be the Slayer?

Making sure his gown was firmly wrapped around him, Palpatine briskly walked through his bedroom and out onto the landing. The sound of voices and a struggle became louder.

“Pleeze, ex-squeeze me. Isa musta see de big bossman. Supreme Chancellor of Naboo and all de Republic. Much important, dis is.”

Palpatine frowned. What was that idiot Gungan, Jar Jar Binks, doing here? He was supposed to be missing, presumed dead. The Supreme Chancellor walked down the elegant stairway, his bare feet silent on the treads. He stopped a few feet from the bottom and looked down on the group before him.

“What is the meaning of this?” he asked haughtily.

The captain of the guards stepped forward, his face red and apologetic. “Beggin yer pardon, Sir. The Gungan minister claims he's information for your ears only. He says it's important he talks to you, tonight.”

Palpatine's eyes moved from the guards holding onto the struggling Gungan's arms and then on to the obnoxious Jar Jar's face.

“What do you want, Jar Jar?” he asked.

“Sowwy for disturbin youse. Mesa big news. Maxi big bombad news,” Jar Jar's protruding yellow eyes flicked to the guards before he leaned forward in their grip. “Mesa knows a big secret,” the obnoxious creature mouthed the word 'Sith' at the Supreme Chancellor, tilted his head and smiled ingratiatingly.

Palpatine tensed. Sith? Had the vile creature found out his status as a Sith Lord? What did he want? Jar Jar stared back at him, smiling. Those yellow eyes looking, surprisingly, intelligent in the dim hallway lighting.

“Wait in my study,” barked Palpatine. “I'll dress and be with you shortly.”

.............

A/N 2;

Okay, the force vision was from Musey who suggested a write a story where the Naboo Highschool was the new Sunnydale, Giles was a Jedi Watcher, the Watchers Council is the Jedi Council, Buffy is a Slayer and 'Steve' Palpatine is a Xander/Willow/Angel character. Someone with more than a hint of darkness and the ability to fall  
I don't have time to write it, so I left the plot bunny hopping about. If anyone wants to use it feel free.

There are plenty of clues in there to my story plot. Or a sequel. ;)


	157. Slayer DreamTime

In The DreamTimeBuffy lay on the ground blinking her eyes rapidly. Everything felt out of focus. Raising a hand to her face, she wriggled her fingers and squinted. Yeah, even her hand was blurry.

“Have I been drugged or something?” she asked. “Or, maybe, thrown into a lake?”

No one answered her and, since she seemed to be breathing normally, it was safe to say she hadn't been thrown into a pond. Which was good, since drowning in a pond hadn't been that much fun last time she'd done it.

So where was she? She sat up, inhaled deeply to center herself in the Force (as Obi-Wan would say) and gagged.

“Phew, something around here stinks.”

Her eyes began to refocus and she blinked rapidly hoping to help it along. That smell, it reminded her of graveyards. No, not just graveyards. Graves. Old graves. She'd smelled it before in tombs and other long-forgotten places. What else smelled of old grave dust? The skeleton armies of the undead? Zombies?

“Has something died near here?” She didn't expect a reply. Her senses weren't registering anything.

“You're dreaming, Fool!” a hoarse voice rasped next to her ear.

All the tiny hairs on the back of Buffy's neck stood up. Rolling to her feet (and almost tripping over the Jedi robe she was wearing), Buffy dropped into a fighting crouch, scanning the immediate area. Her hand automatically moving to her utility belt, searching for a stake and frustratingly coming away empty. Where were her weapons?  
As she asked herself that question, the hilt of Mr Smoky, appeared in her hand. Its dark smokey blade with the blood-red pulse springing to life with a soft and menacing hiss.

“Whoa, that's handy,” said Buffy brightly, waving the hand holding the darksaber in the air. “Get it? Hand-y?”

The creepy voice didn't reply and Buffy noticed the bad smell had faded.

“Oh come on, Stinky. It deserved a quick har, har,” she quipped. “And if you think that's bad, you should hear Obi-Wan's one-liners.”

She was alone in a dark wood. A thin mist hung in the air, adding to the general spooky atmosphere. Somewhere out of sight she could hear the sound of water dropping from a great height. A waterfall. There were lots of waterfalls on Naboo. Did she know this place? Where was this? All Buffy could see was mist and trees...

A small noise came from behind her. Buffy tensed. That sounded like the rattle of skeletons! Her heart hammering in her chest, Buffy span back into that direction. Mr Smokey raised and at the ready, senses straining, scanning for skeletons marching towards her.

Only to see nothing but trees and mist.

“Is that you, Stinky?” The wind blew away her words, locks of blonde hair blew into her face and eyes. As she raised her hand and pushed it behind her ear, she heard the rattling again, this time from closer by. She turned, this time looking down, to see dry leaves rolling towards her, their sides rattling on the ground.

“Leaves! God, I'm so mentally challenged.” She switched off the darksaber.

“Dreaming,” Buffy muttered in her sleep. The creepy voice was right, this was a dream. “Need to notice stuff,” she whispered into her pillow. Giles taught her to notice details in Slayer dreams and Buffy was aware enough to remember his advice.

Dream Buffy cocked her head, hearing the sound of children playing and crossed the woodland to look.

Pulling down a branch, she gazed out at a playground scene. Bright sunlight shone onto the area, waves of heat in the air creating a shimmering effect. Small groups of parents chatted, others pushed their children's swings, more sat on benches holding babies on knees. A sandy-haired boy ran across her line of vision. His small legs pumping, heading for a man stood with his back towards her. The boy grabbed the man's legs and the man scooped him into his arms. On the other side of the park, a slightly older dark-haired boy and a red-haired girl argued over a book. Closer by, a group of teenagers rushed past, passing a ball between them and shouting happily to one another. It all seemed so normal.

“Girls and boys come out to play  
The moon doth shine as bright as day  
Leave your supper, and leave your sleep  
And join your playfellows in the street.”

“Drusilla,” murmured Buffy, her hands balling into fists. She'd recognize the crazy vampire's singsong voice anywhere.

Dream Buffy's attention shot to the trees to her left. The crazy vampire must be hiding in the darkest part of the thicket, watching the kids playing. Careful to avoid being seen, Dream Buffy began to creep towards the singer.

“Come with a whoop, and come with a call,  
You may be Jedi but you'll still fall,”

The vampire laughed manically. That laughter sounded close by. Buffy increased her pace, determined to confront her. She'd almost reached the spot when the singing started up again in a new direction.

“Escape down the ladder and crawl up the wall,”

The Slayer took off, intent on catching her.

“The tomb of the Sith will be the end for you all.”

Buffy frowned, turning on her pillow. The tune was familiar but not the words. Drusilla had altered them. Was she threatening the children she'd seen playing? Or the Jedi? Who was going to end up in a Sith tomb?

A giggle of insane laughter came from just ahead and Dream Buffy surged forward.

Only to find herself standing in a moonlit graveyard in front of a very familiar tomb.

“Spike?” Dream Buffy wrinkled her nose, examining the door of the vine-shrouded tomb. She raised her hand, intending to give the old door a push, only to realize that hand held Mr Sparkly. The crimson red blade sprang to life, lighting up the area around her. She smiled. That was going to surprise the smug British vampire. Holding the blade down and to one side, she gave the door a push with her free hand. It swung open with a long, ominous creak and Buffy stepped forward into the tomb's darkness.

Only she wasn't in Spike's tomb, but a dark corridor. Buffy held up the red blade looking to the front and to the rear. The hellish flickering light only partially lit the corridor. She'd the impression the corridor was deep underground. Earth pressed down on her from all sides and she had the urge to claw and kick her way out, as she'd done on waking in her grave.

Holding the red blade of Mr Sparkly vertically, she moved silently down the rocky passageway. Every so often she'd come across the entrance to another corridor but she continued walking down the wider one, only stopping when her way was blocked by a set of doors.

Turning the handle, Buffy entered to find the dream setting had changed once again. This was the mansion where she used to meet Angel. Everything was still here just as she remembered it. Except... one thing was different. Over the fireplace hung a painting she'd never seen before. It was a landscape of Coruscant, the senate building looming in the foreground.

Coruscant? Why would she find a painting of Coruscant in Angel's old home? Buffy tensed in her bed. Sensing the dream was about to become darker.

“There's someone behind me, isn't there?” Dream Buffy said, spinning and holding Mr Sparkly defensively in front of her.

Stood across from her was a figure wearing a long, black hooded robe.

Buffy cocked her head. “Is that you, Sid?”

“I'm hurt,” Angel's voice came from under the dark hood. “I thought our love was eternal, yet you mistake me for another.”

Buffy tensed, her eyes darting around the room before looking to Angel once again. This was Angelus, not Angel.

“What's wrong, Slayer? Nothing else to say to the man you swore you'd always love?” Angelus sneered, “All alone now? No friends coming to your aid? No hope, no weapons-?”

“Ugh, are you blind?” Buffy swished Mr Sparkly from one side to the other with a dramatic flourish. She walked towards the figure preparing to fight, if need be.

Buffy moaned softly in her sleep. Did dream Angelus have a message for her? Or was it part of her messed up unconscious forcing her to repeat that horrendous moment in her life?

Without warning, the cloaked vampire flung himself at Dream Buffy, his claw-like hands outstretched to grab her by the throat. Below the hood she glimpsed yellow eyes, a distorted ridged face and, instinctively, she thrust the red blade forwards to impale the vampire.

He hung, hoisted in the air by Slayer strength, the Sith blade embedded through his stomach. Buffy gritted her teeth and yanked back her arm, withdrawing the blade and letting the vampire fall onto his knees in front of her. Angelus tilted his head back to look at her, the dark hood falling from his face...

It revealed, not the face of her old love, but Obi-Wan's. The Jedi's wide eyes stared at her, shock and confusion at how she'd betrayed him. Just like Angel's had been when she'd done the same to him.

“B- Buffy?” he groaned. Obi-Wan's eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped forward, disappearing into a heap of empty robes.

“NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

In her bed, Buffy woke. Panting hard, she sat upright in the darkness a hand pressing against her forehead as the echoes of her dream died away. There was a metallic taste in her mouth making her feel like gagging. Next to her Obi-Wan slept on oblivious with his back turned towards her. Buffy leaned over, to check on him. Her senses assuring her he was uninjured, her heart too traumatized to believe it.

Watching him die had felt so real.

She ran her fingers lightly across his cheek. Taking comfort in the warmth of his skin, the way his short beard prickled her fingers and watching how his lips curl upwards at her touch. He was alive. Obi-Wan was alive. It had only been a dream.

Part of her wanted to stay there, stroking the Jedi's face until he woke, but the inner Slayer was fidgety. Needing something to slay or at least something to do. Leaving Obi-Wan to his rest, Buffy picked up her datapad and went out onto the balcony. A gentle breeze blew from the lake and the first streaks of light heralding dawn were emerging on the horizon. Buffy ignored the view, pulling out a chair from under the table and sliding into it.

She began to type everything she could remember from the dream. There'd been the drugged underwater feeling, followed by the creepy, insulting voice. The kids playing in the park. Drusilla's song. She wrote all the words as she remembered them as they felt important. Finding Spike's tomb, the corridor under the earth, the mansion, the senate painting, the hooded figure that she'd thought at first was Sid. Angelus's words to her and finally she wrote about impaling Obi-Wan on the red Sith blade. That was the most difficult section to write. His look of betrayal had been the same as Angel's when she'd thrust a sword into him and sent him to a hell dimension.

“Oh, crap!” She'd realized something else. Something Buffy knew she'd never type in case Obi-Wan read it.

She'd never been into Star Wars movies, but Buffy knew how Darth Vader killed Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Had the PTB sent her to this dimension to follow the same path as Vader? She chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes gazing blindly at the growing streaks of grey light across the lake. Then her face hardened. No, she wasn't going to follow that course. It wasn't her fault she'd accidentally become Lord Vader and Palpatine had fallen in lust with her. She was no naive Anakin, to be lured with promises of power over life and death. She knew exactly what Sid was and all about his bad skin condition.

What if Obi-Wan went dark and not her? Her mind obligingly throwing up the memory of their fight in his apartment. He'd admitted he'd nearly fallen to the Dark Side. What if he went dark again? Was that why the figure of Angel/Angelus had appeared in the dream. Did it represent Obi-Wan's light and dark side? Was it a clue to his downfall?  
Yet even at his darkest, Buffy had sensed more confusion than evil inside the Jedi. She'd been able to see beyond the darkness to the man struggling to make sense of himself and his emotions. Emotions the Jedi Order taught their members to avoid rather than understand. Obi-Wan had battled the Dark Side as well as her that day and assured her that he'd never go dark again. She didn't think he would.

But her dream had shown him dying and it had been her blade that had killed him.

“What are you doing?”

Buffy looked up to see Obi-Wan in the bedroom doorway. The Jedi looking half-asleep as he yawned and dragged a hand through sleep tousled hair. She wasn't sure whether to burst out crying because he was going to die or fling herself into his arms and smother him with kisses because he was alive.

She settled on doing neither. “I had a dream,” Buffy replied, slamming a lid on her emotions.

“And was it so bad that you needed to write it down, instantly, in order to remember it?” Obi-Wan was fast at seeing the truth in any situation, sleepy or not.

“Uh-huh,” she replied, “It was a bad, bad dream. A Slayer dream.”

He padded across to her, his toes curling on the smooth stonework, his tunic looking rumpled. A few errant chest hairs showed over the neckline of his loose pajama top. Fine threads of red gold catching the dawn light. So vibrant and yet so fragile. Just. Like. Him.

“Is this a Slayer dream as in prophetic?” he asked. “Or a Slayer dream where you kill demons in a gory way that the Jedi Order would never approve of?” There was a sly smile on his lips and a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

“I killed you!” she blurted. The memory of him dying caused another wave of nausea and she swallowed hard.

He stopped at the other side of the small table from her. His fingers tracing the edge, his blue eyes burning down into her. “How?”

The lump in her throat made it difficult to get the words out. “Impaled upon Mr Sparkly.”

“Oh.” Obi-Wan looked away, staring across at the sun rising beyond the lake. Jewel bright colors playing across the mountains and lake and the promise of a beautiful day ahead.

Buffy chewed on her bottom lip, watching him. Knowing his quick mind was running through what she'd told him. What would he make of it? How was he going to react? She couldn't sense anything via their bond as she' was too scared to open it. To let her know the depth of her fear over this.

“Is this because of the shoes?” he asked.

Buffy stared at him in silence, not knowing how to take it. The Jedi suddenly grinned at her and she rolled her eyes, frustrated he wasn't taking her seriously. “Har har, you got me there Kenobi. Are you not the slightest bit concerned about this?”

“You told me once Slayer dreams are often warnings rather than a clear vision of events as they will unfold.”

“That's true, but this dream-”

“It was a dream. Buffy, dreams fade,” he gently chastised. He thought of his own bad dream that plagued him for years. The dream padawan who brought a deep sadness into his life. It had worried him for so long and now it didn't. Hadn't that dream passed? So would Buffy's. He continued, “This dream upset you deeply, but I guarantee the feeling it left behind will-.”

“I killed you, Obi-Wan! I was talking to Angelus. He attacked me, I stabbed him and the hood fell back to reveal your face.” A shiver ran through her as she remembered. “You fell to the ground and disappeared into a heap of empty Jedi robes.”

“Now that, sounds like a very dramatic death exit,” Obi-Wan replied. He perched on the table looking down at her and stroking his chin, tracing the beard. “Disappearing into empty robes. I quite like that visu-.

“ Don't say it!” Buffy managed to choke out. Her throat felt constricted, it was hard to get the words past the lump in her throat.

Springing to her feet, she covered his mouth with her fingers. Eyes burning with unshed tears. Imploring him to take this seriously, to take her seriously. This wasn't the time for sardonic humor. She couldn't lose him. Didn't he realize that? How could she remain in this dimension without him by her side? There'd only be emptiness. No family, no friends (Andrew didn't count - he only added to her anxiety levels), Angelus was more right than he'd ever been.

Anakin. The threat of losing Padmé in childbirth had been the final straw for him. Buffy knew she'd do everything in her power to stop the dream and make sure Obi-Wan lived. Apart from choking him to death, killing Jedi kids, and becoming Palpatine's apprentice. Because, as far as she was concerned, to do all that you had to be some kind of psycholoony to start off with.

“I swear, I'm not going to kill you, Obi-Wan,” she promised him. “I'll fight all in my path to keep you safe.” Hot tears spilled down her cheeks. Buffy brushed them angrily away, only for more to appear. She was like that statue, the one in the square in Berenko. Except, where water flowed from his mouth, hers flowed from her eyes. She'd gone from resolute Buffy to waterfall Buffy in seconds.

Obi-Wan dragged her into his arms and squashed her nose against his chest. She wriggled, to get breathing room and tried not to look at the damp stains her tears had already made on his top. Instead, she dragged in deep breaths of Obi-Wan's sharp clean scent.

“Shhh,” he rocked her, sending waves of reassurance and pink sparkles to her through the Force. “I don't believe this means you're going to kill me. It most likely symbolizes something else. We just need to determine what that is.” He pulled them both down onto the chair she'd vacated, with Buffy sitting on his knee. “Have you written the dream down fully? Left nothing out?” he asked, going into all-business Jedi mode.

She nodded. Knowing the cool tone he used with her was a cover. He was only one step away from panicking, not by the dream, but her tears. The sneaky Jedi was trying to distract her.

“It's all... there,” she hiccuped and pointed to the datapad lying open on the table. “Giles... he made me keep a detailed diary of Slayer dreams. So we could... make sense of it... later.”

Obi-Wan gave her a speculative look. “Ah, so now you are telling me Slayer dreams are not visions of the future but merely symbolic?”

She knew what he was really telling her to think about. “Yeah, they can be symbolic...” she said slowly, thinking back to past dreams. Maybe he was right and his death symbolized something else. “They usually foretell the future though or something that's happening right now that will cause problems in the future.” Her brow furrowed, as she tried explaining how Slayer dreams worked. “The clues are either visual or spoken. It's recognizing what's the what, that's the hardest part. Over the years Giles and the Scoobies became good finding and interpreting them.”

“Hmm,” Obi-Wan replied, his eyes on her datapad now, although he still kept one arm around her waist. He read out loud, “Smell of death. Creepzoid, a raspy voice comes from nowhere. 'You're dreaming, fool.' It gave me the wiggins.” He regarded her thoughtfully. “Was this voice male or female? What species? Human or not?”

“I've no idea. It was all low, raspy, and sounded Sithy. It wasn't Sid. This was an even creepier voice than his.”

“Sithy?” asked Obi-Wan, his voice sharp. “This Sith-like voice came from nowhere, told you that you were dreaming but didn't speak to you further?” continued Obi-Wan. “Was it part of your dream or something from the Force, invading it?”

“Like a Force ghost?” At Obi-Wan's nod, Buffy shuddered. “Eww, do you really think my dream was invaded by a Sith Force ghost?” She didn't appreciate a voyeur peeking into her dreams and making inappropriate comments.

“I'm not certain,” Obi-Wan replied, as he went back to reading the dream report. “However, we know Jar Jar raised a Force ghost and the way you attract Dark Side creatures. We can't rule out that it hasn't latched onto you.”

Buffy looked around her, half expecting to see a ghost standing in the shadows staring at her with glowy eyes. “Another Sith stalker. That doesn't make me happy. I vote for Andrew setting the Death Star on it.”

The Jedi shot her a confused look. “The Death Star? Don't you mean the Dark Reaper? I think the Death Star is from the Star Trek dimension.”

Buffy nodded quickly.

Obi-Wan considered everything he'd heard of the Sith super-weapon, the Dark Reaper, before shaking his head. “No, Master Yoda is right. The Force Harvester is far too dangerous to uncover and I certainly wouldn't want to use one of Andrew's Force sucker-outer inventions. If it is around, we need to find another way to deal with this Force ghost.”

He pointed his finger at the screen, bringing her attention back to her dream entry. Her tears had dried and, although he was loathed to return to the subject that created them, he knew it needed addressing. “Now, I want to ask more questions about this dream report. I'm sure if we put our heads together, we can figure out all the clues it's trying to tell us.”

.............


	158. Chapter 158

“Master John Smith! Madam Smith, please wait for a moment! I must speak to you!” The silver droid waved frantically at the young couple standing below him by the small land-speeder.

Buffy wondered who he was waving to, before belatedly realizing it was them. She shot a guilty look at Obi-Wan. After giving the droid a wave, to show that he'd heard him, Obi-Wan arched a knowing eyebrow at her. Through their bond she could feel him, itching to give her a lecture on the importance of keeping your cover while on a mission. Not that she could blame him. Ignoring someone shouting your fake name was always a dead giveaway.

Suppressing an eye roll at his smugness, Buffy busied herself arranging the picnic blanket over the picnic hamper. She hoped the droid wouldn't keep them here for long. After going over the freaky Slayer dream with Obi-Wan earlier, she'd been looking forward to their afternoon exploring the surrounding countryside.

Obi-Wan had gone all Giles over her Slayer dream. He'd asked a lot of questions, some of which she hadn't been able to answer, and made his own set of copious notes. Finally, he'd sat back, doing the Kenobi thing of stroking his bristly chin, before letting her know the conclusion he'd drawn from it all. He thought his death scene represented her guilt over him leaving the Jedi Order.

Was he right? The image of him dying on her blade and the desolation it caused her had seemed so real. But then she remembered how Angel had been in the dream. For a long time, dreams of killing Angel had haunted her and she still felt a lot of guilt over it. Was Obi-Wan right about this? Slayer dreams were tricky things to pin down even for a trained Watcher. She'd seen Giles rubbing his glasses and pinching his nose enough times to know that. Buffy winced. Yeah, she did feel guilty he intended to give everything up for her.

Obi-Wan, being Obi-Wan, spotted her newest guilt trip straight away. He'd tutted, saying it shouldn't make her feel bad and that leaving the Jedi was the right thing to do. Seeing her still unconvinced, he'd cut ditched the talking and gone straight in for sizzling hot smoochies in the hope that would convince her. He'd even, sneakily, turned up the heat by sending out showers of pink sparkles through the Force. They always turned her legs to jelly and made her inner Slayer purr with pleasure. Later, he'd suggested they spend a fun afternoon exploring the countryside and poking around the Sith tombs. Now, the stupid droid was delaying them.

As she watched it, hopping down the steps with its overly-stiff knees, Buffy remembered the cop from Berenko. Had he tracked them down? Was he waiting for them in the hotel? Is that why the droid didn't want them to leave? The cop would think she was Siri Tachi, Obi-Wan's ex-girlfriend. Buffy scowled, her eyes hardening as the droid approached them.

“Thank goodness I caught you! A hologram call has come through for you.” The droid's head tilted from one side to the other, his round optical receptors looking excitedly at Obi-Wan. “The caller is from the royal palace at Theed.”

Droids weren't supposed to have emotions or be sentient, yet it seemed to Buffy they often developed personalities over time. Usually eccentric ones. This one was puffed up with pride at having taken a call from the royal palace.

“Ah, thank you,” replied Obi-Wan, who was always nice to polite droids. “Is the holocom projector in the office?”

“Yes, Sir. If you will follow me, I'll take you there directly.” The droid took off at a fast, mincing walk with Buffy and Obi-Wan following behind.

“It must be Shmi,” mused Buffy, keeping her voice low. She didn't trust strange droids. “No one but Padmé and Shmi knows we're staying here.”

“Hmm, possibly” replied Obi-Wan non-committally. “I have a bad-”

“Feeling about this?” finished Buffy, with a little smile.

The Jedi looked affronted. It made Buffy feel bad for teasing, especially since he'd been so patient with her over her dream. She gave his shoulder a friendly bump, then gave him a sidelong warm smile.

“Sorry, Ubi. I didn't mean to ridicule your feelings. Something's wigging me out as well.”  
She slid her hand into his and he responded by gentle squeezing it before they broke apart, as they began climbing the steps to the villa entrance.

“There's something in the Force that's elusive,” said Obi-Wan, his eyes on the droid ahead of them. “ A change to the currents, as if something is gathering momentum.” He gave her a shamefaced look. “I suppose that... my concentration should be on the here and now?”

“No, I get you. You're looking at the bigger picture. To me, it feels as if a giant snowball is rolling towards us and it's getting bigger and bigger.” She shrugged. “I always get angsty like this when the apocalypse season is about to start.”

Once they arrived at the office, Obi-Wan took the holocall while Buffy shooed the droid away. She made sure it had gone out of sight before returning and closing the door.

“Stupid, nosy droid,” she muttered. Then tensed, as she overheard Obi-Wan say, “Yes, Master Windu. I can hear and see you.”

~What's Nick Fury doing on Naboo?!~ Buffy brain messaged him. She knew Obi-Wan didn't like using their bond when near the masters, but it wasn't as if Nick was in the same room. There was no way the Jedi master could eavesdrop on their brain messaging.

~Shmi is relaying the call from the Temple. Please, let me concentrate.~

Buffy moved over, to enable her to see the dark Jedi master's hologram better. He was hovering about a foot over the floor and intermittently flickering, suggesting the hotels reception wasn't the best. What did the Jedi master want?

“Knight Kenobi, Shmi Skywalker has given the council some very disturbing news,” intoned the grim Jedi master's voice.

Shmi must still be part of the conversation, but out of sight. Buffy wondered if the call was about Padmé? She liked Padmé. The girl reminded her of Dawn and Buffy hoped nothing bad had happened to her.

Mace continued, “It appears that at some point during the night our Supreme Chancellor disappeared from his villa.” Mace paused, looking over to someone out of their line of sight. He nodded, then turned back to Obi-Wan. “Obi-Wan, did Buffy go out on her own at last night?”

~The cheek! He's trying to say I've done Sid in.~ spluttered Buffy, through their mind link.

~Shhh!~ Obi-Wan urged her to be silent.

“Master Windu,” the young Jedi knight replied, “Buffy didn't leave the villa at all last night. In fact, she was drugged at a shoe store in Berenko so I suggested a quiet night in to allow her to recover. She left my sight only to use the refresher a couple of times.”

~Tell him all my intimate stuff, why don't ya!~

~Shhhh!~

Master Windu folded his arms into his robe sleeves, his face intent. “Could she have evaded you? What about after she'd retired to her room for the night? Or are you... sharing a bedroom?” He let the question hang in the air, delicately, and Obi-Wan flushed a deep scarlet.

Sensing Obi-Wan was about to crumble and confess that he'd slept with his arms around her for most of the night, Buffy gently pushed the Jedi to one side. “Standing right here, Nick!”

The hologram image of the master flinched and looked embarrassed, “Buffy! I'm sorry I didn't-.”

Buffy waved her hand and interrupted him. “There's no need to grovel. You've accused an innocent woman of murder, but I'll accept your deepest apology.”

“I haven't accused you of murder!” said Mace Windu, looking disturbed. A condition he often found himself in around Buffy. “I was merely hoping you'd know something about Palpatine's disappearance.”

Mace looked over to the side once more, obviously listening to someone in the same room as him. Buffy bet it was Yoda. Nick Fury was the green dwarf's sidekick. When Mace turned to speak to her his expression was sheepish. “Er, Buffy... Did you meet Palpatine last night to indulge in a session of carnal pleasure? Did you... er, leave him lying exhausted in your love nest somewhere?”

Buffy glared at him, silently, in a way only a Slayer could.

“I'll, er, take that as a yes, then?” Mace tried for a jocular laugh, failed, and cast a worried glance at Yoda who'd decided to remain in the background during the call.

Buffy didn't reply, but around her, the room became darker and colder. She was going to kill Yoda when she got back. She was going to light up Mr Sparkly, turn him inside out, skin him, and make herself a pair of green gloves. Next to her, she heard Obi-Wan groaning softly.

On Coruscant, Mace Windu shivered. “It was a joke! I knew you were going to say no.”

“I'm rather horrified that the Jedi Order even thought the question needed asking,” Shmi Skywalker cut in. “The Queen wanted Lord Vader to be made aware of Sheev Palpatine's disappearance only because of her close relationship with him. It was not to accuse her of murder or sexually exhausting the man.”

“Thanks, Shmi,” Buffy called out. “I wasn't impressed that Yodel asked me that question either.”

Mace Windu blinked a few times but maintained his Jedi poker face.

Shmi continued, “The Queen is worried that the meeting Palpatine had with Jar Jar Binks might be linked to his disappearance. It seems strange that the Supreme Chancellor vanished shortly after Jar Jar's unscheduled late night visit.”

~He met with Jar Jar!~ Buffy stopped giving Nick the evil eye to shoot a fast look at Obi-Wan. The Jedi's troubled eyes met her.

As Buffy was no longer giving him the stink eye, the projected hologram image of Master Windu took the opportunity to mop his damp head and wipe his sweaty brow with his sleeve.

~Not good.~ Obi-Wan vibrated with worry.

~And disappearing afterward is totally weird.~ Buffy bit her bottom lip, wondering what Jar Jar had talked about with the Sith Lord.

Obi-Wan moved to stand closer to Buffy so he could become part of the hologram and stroked the bristles on his chin as he took in this new piece of information.

“Jar Jar had a meeting with the Supreme Chancellor?” the young Jedi asked. On the Valiant, Palpatine had accused Buffy of killing Jar Jar. He'd offered to cover-up her supposed crime and now he was meeting with the Gungan? Indeed this was not good news. “What was the meeting about?”

“We don't know,” replied Shmi. “Jar Jar's meeting was neither official nor pre-scheduled and why he turned up at the villa demanding to speak to the Supreme Chancellor is a mystery.”There was a pause, before Shmi added, “I've got the captain of the guard's report in front of me. I'll tell you what it says... The Supreme Chancellor Palpatine spent the evening at home. He worked in his office before eating dinner. After 9 pm, two young ladies arrived from the local poetry club to give their opinion on a poem the Chancellor had written.”

“A poem?” asked Buffy, wrinkling her nose. Sid's poems weren't very good. She pitied anyone who had to listen to them. In fact, if she had the choice of being zapped by Force lightning or listen to the Sid recite his poem, she'd go for the Force lightning.

“That's what it says here,” Shmi replied. Sounding surprised that the Supreme Chancellor enjoyed poetry evenings. “The three of them retired to Palpatine's private quarters. The guards say the two ladies didn't stay long and they left together in a hurry.”

“I bet they didn't like his poem,” Buffy whispered to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. The Jedi didn't like the Sith's poems either.

Shmi cleared her throat. “At around 10 pm, Jar Jar Binks arrived at the villa's gatehouse. He was extremely agitated and insisted on speaking to the Supreme Chancellor despite the late hour. According to the guard, Jar Jar left after a short meeting. Later, the Supreme Chancellor emerged from his office, said he was going to retire for the night, and asked to be wakened at his normal time. Palpatine seemed pale, but he was in good spirits. In the morning, the droid who took in Palpatine's Jawa juice discovered the Supreme Chancellor missing. After a thorough search, the captain contacted us for advice.”

“And have you been able to contact Jar Jar?” asked Obi-Wan.

“We've had no response to our calls. That isn't unusual for Jar Jar as he's always losing his comlink,” Shmi answered. “Also he likes to spend a lot of time off-world, exploring different parts of the galaxy.”

“Obi-Wan, you'll understand why we find this all deeply worrying,” Mace's dark eyes bore into Obi-Wan's. They both knew that Palpatine and Jar Jar were Sith and had hoped that they were unaware of each other. If they were working together, gathering a Sith vampire army, this could be catastrophic for the galaxy.

“Any signs of a struggle at Sid's villa?” Buffy asked. Was Sid working with Jar Jar or not? When she'd almost strangled Jar Jar on board the Valiant he'd been gleeful. Although that could have been because the Sith were into violence rather than a personal dislike.

They all waited for Shmi's reply.

“Not according to the guard. They also reviewed the security systems around the villa perimeters and none of the alarms had been triggered.”

“Sid might have sneaked off on his own,” mused Buffy, “Maybe he needed to do something private.” Vampires liked using long-forgotten passageways, no doubt the Sith Lord also knew ways out of his villa that weren't on public record. “I'd like to know what Jar Jar said to him. Did that make him leave the villa?”

“His visit could have been part of a plot to lure Palpatine out,” replied Mace Windu. “The Chancellor leaving of his own accord, it would create an ideal opportunity for abduction. If so, it's likely we'll soon get a message from the kidnappers.”

“Can't we tell them to keep him?” smirked Buffy. “It isn't as if he'll be missed.”

“Buffy!” gasped Shmi.

The way the older woman said her name reminded Buffy of her mom, scolding her. Shmi was the only one in the conversation who didn't know Palpatine's true nature. Buffy guessed her comment had come across sounding callous.

Shmi went on, “Time and time again Sheev Palpatine has put the needs of the galaxy before his own comfort. I know he's older than you, but it's taken him until now to realise how empty his life is. He's in love and wants to marry you. And you're laughing because his life is in danger?” Shmi's voice lost its rebuking tone, becoming sad, “You should have more respect, Buffy.”

“It isn't like that Shmi-.” Buffy began, but the older woman cut her off.

“You don't know how lucky you are. I wish could meet a man like Palpatine. He'd make a good husband. He'd give you his all.”

“But I don't want his all!” Buffy shot back. “That's the problem! He keeps trying to force his all onto me! I'd prefer it if he kept it to himself.

“Buffy doesn't want Palpatine,” cut in Obi-Wan. Buffy could hear the undercurrent of annoyance in his voice. “He insists on-.”

“He's trying to woo her!” Shmi argued back. “I know it's a little old fashioned, but that's the kind of man Sheev is. He fell head over heels in love with Buffy and it's his goal to win her over. Most people, who've been watching CNN's celebrity channel, think Buffy and Sheev should have a fairy tale ending. They see her as a young and beautiful refugee, thrown into this galaxy at the whim of a wicked demon. They want a powerful, rich bachelor to sweep her off her feet, deck her in diamonds, and treat her as his queen. What's so wrong about that?”

“I'm not Julia Roberts for a start,” said Buffy, “and, believe me, Sid is no Richard Gere.” She hadn't realized Shmi saw her and Palpatine's imaginary relationship as a fairy tale romance. Darth Sidious playing the part of romantic hero wasn't the first thing you thought of in the Star Wars dimension.

“Can we get back on topic, please?” Mace asked politely, but firmly. The way Shmi was championing the Sith Lord was nauseating. “I've no doubt the Senate and the Nabooan Queen will pay any ransom to have the Supreme Chancellor returned safely.”

He waited to see if Shmi had anything else to say to his comment. After a moment of silence, he continued, “Once we've established that he's been kidnapped, and hasn't merely gone on an errand, Obi-Wan will take charge of the investigation.”

Over Buffy's shoulder, Obi-Wan nodded and dutifully replied, “Yes, Master Windu.”

“Keep your com-link on you at all times in case I need to relay your instructions,” he gave the young Jedi knight a tight smile. “Have you and Buffy plans for the rest of the day?”

Obi-Wan nodded, “We're exploring the Sith tombs.”

Mace grimaced. “In that case, may the Force be with you.” Mace's eyes dropped to Buffy, his face thoughtful. Surprisingly he didn't address her next, but Shmi.

“Shmi, should Jar Jar make contact I'd like you to inform us straight away. If he appears at the palace I recommend he is immediately confined to quarters. We'll send someone with experience to question him. He is our most important witness in the Supreme Chancellor's disappearance.”

Buffy nodded in approval. That was the best way of protecting Padmé and the rest of the palace until they could prove Jar Jar Binks was an evil vampire. It was a pity the Gungan cleared out his Sith ritual room before the Jedi investigators could grab the evidence. Without it, Padmé was going to take some convincing.

“Yes, Master Windu,” Shmi replied. Her voice business-like once more. “I'll speak to the Queen and explain everything you've told me.”

Obi-Wan politely gave a small bow and took a couple of steps back. Buffy waved and the call cut.

................


	159. Chapter 159

“There's a lot of crystal caverns in this part of the mountains,” Buffy remarked, she was trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.

Since Obi-Wan had insisted on driving, she played with her datapad that the Jedi had hooked into their vehicle's geolocation system. Her datapad now projected a 3d image of the surrounding landscape, with marked locations of every crystal cavern she'd discovered. Every so often, Buffy would swipe at the image, to look at the terrain from another direction or zoom in on a particular cavern complex.

“Look!” She abandoned the projection to lean forward and point out the windshield. “Up there. That's the main entrance to a famous series of caverns. It's in all the guide books and hundreds used to flock here before the invasion.” Buffy pointed her finger slightly upwards. “Can you see that dark hole? There! Just above the speeder park. That's where the Trade Federation shot up the entrance and the reason they've never reopened them.”

The speeder slowed down, Obi-Wan squinting up at the plateau cut into the mountainside. He couldn't see any dark holes above the speeder park. Not that he'd any intention of admitting it, but Buffy's eyesight must be better than his.

“You know we won't have time to explore the caverns today? Not only are the tombs quite extensive but we'd a really late start,” he added repressively. Obi-Wan knew how much research Buffy had put in on these caverns and disliked the fact she was going to be disappointed.

“I was thinking we could do the caverns tomorrow,” she replied. She pushed the 3d image of the mountain around and then zoomed in on the cavern features.

“Didn't you say the crystal caverns extend all the way into the mountains?” continued Obi-Wan. Surely, Buffy realized the cavern systems would take them weeks to explore? Had she not realized they might not have much time left on Naboo? The Jedi council had asked him to investigate Palpatine's kidnapping and that mission would take precedence over this.  
He slanted her a look, watching as she zoomed in on another cavern further on. Obi-Wan hadn't said anything to her but he'd a niggling feeling the council might use this as a way of splitting them up.

Buffy sighed loudly, her mind on the caverns. “Yeah, there's a huge network of tunnels and mines to explore. I thought the sewers and tunnels under Sunnydale were extensive but these blow those out the water.”

She sat back, quietly browsing her datapad once again, their high-powered speeder soon leaving the blaster-pocked mountain behind them.

“The further into the mountains we go,” Buffy began, “ the more complex the mines become. Some join up to the old plasma tubes which run all the way down to the planet's core. Those they never opened up to the fee-paying public.” She added primly, “In case one of the tourists wandered off, became lost forever, and then sued them.”

“Yes, I imagine there's a lot of lawyers lurking in those subterranean tunnels,” snarked Obi-Wan, a grin tugging at his lips. “You know, deliberately waiting for clients who are lost forever to show up.”

Amused, Buffy smiled at the image he painted. “You'd be surprised, Ubi. Some of the nastiest law firms operate from the deepest, darkest hell dimensions. I know one that...”  
Her words trailed off, her attention caught by the flashing bar on her datapad. They were getting close to their destination.

“We're almost at Death Valley!” Buffy squeaked eagerly, before twisting her mouth with distaste at her own excitement. When had patrolling graveyards become a fun thing to do? It must be the result of all the graveyard patrols she'd done as a teenager. It had given her life-long issues and turned her into a graveyard nerd. If she didn't watch out, the condition might progress and the next thing she'd know, she'd be wearing over-sized cardigans and collecting gravestone rubbings.

Obi-Wan nodded silently. He'd known for a while now how close they were. Not only had he been monitoring the figures counting down on the nav-comp, but his sense of unease had been increasing. As a Jedi, he'd been intensely aware that Dark Side was growing stronger the closer to the tombs they got.

As their small speeder came out the last pass between the mountains, Buffy and Obi-Wan looked around them. They'd come out in a narrow valley; on either side mountains rose steeply, their sides covered with lake pines. The sun didn't seem as strong here and Buffy shivered at the sudden chill. She twisted in her seat, stretching back to grab for her jacket that lay just out of reach on the back seat. It was just out of reach, she stretched her fingers further, and the jacket slid towards her with a Force pull. Buffy stared at her fingers for a moment, before giving Obi-Wan a narrow look.

The Jedi gave a small smirk.

She smiled back. “Thanks, Ubi. You want me to grab your robe while I'm here?”

“No, I'm fine,” Obi-Wan assured her, as he examined the terrain ahead and compared it to her 3d image. The valley widened, the trees above them sparser and there was more rocky ground. Unlike in the previous valley, no birds called and swooped overhead. The only wildlife he saw were small rock lizards which quickly scuttled away as they flew past.

“I can see why they didn't put this place on the tourist map.” Buffy shivered again. “It's not exactly picture postcard-worthy.” She tugged on the black leather jacket and began moving her stakes around.

The speeder slowed to a crawl and Buffy looked up from the stake she'd been pushing into the waistband of her trousers. In front of them, the valley floor dropped suddenly away and in the lower section, the ancient Sith had built their tombs. There were so many of them! Buffy blinked with surprise. The tombs hadn't been logged on the map and she'd no idea there'd be this many.

From her vantage point, she could see how each one varied from its neighbor. Some reminded her of the pyramids, others looked miniature like Greek temples. She could see a couple that were circular and bore an uncanny resemblance to the government buildings she'd seen in Theed. There were also much smaller ones dotted around that wouldn't look out of place in Sunnydale. Each tomb different from its neighbor and all in a bad state of decay.

Despite that, Buffy was still impressed. “Wow.”

“The smaller ones are the oldest.” Obi-Wan's voice was tight and strained as he allowed the speeder to close in on the nearest tomb. Every fiber of his being, every mitochondrial, screaming this place was filled with the Dark Side. Those buried here had been the arch-nemesis of the Jedi. The transgressions of the dead stained not only the monuments they'd been laid to rest in but the very Force around them. The Jedi swallowed the lump in his throat and continued hoarsely, “As I was saying... The smaller ones were found to be much older than the ornate ones. No one knows why these Sith chose to be buried here.”

Buffy took in the wall of the nearest tomb they'd drawn alongside. The side of it was decorated with a carved frieze, it depicted an army hacking people to death in grisly slaughter. Arms and legs forever in the process of being severed. Further along, another section showed prisoners being gutted alive, while their companions watched and screamed for mercy. Part of her recoiled at the depiction of torture, but another part, the part awakened by Giles's passion for ancient history, appreciated the ancient artwork. “That's so cool.”

Her words left Obi-Wan speechless. The word what? spluttered down their bond.

“It's Giles's fault!”

Obi-Wan looked at her blankly.

Buffy explained, “The Man-of-Tweed studied history at Oxford. That's like a Sith academy for the academical types. Anyway, he insisted I studied his musty old demon books that were all about prophecies and death.” She added sourly, “Usually mine. Giles was such a bad influence on me. I now find myself appreciating ancient architecture and pictures of sadistic battles carved on the sides of demonic tombs.”

“Well, I'd rather you didn't,” Obi-Wan replied, cutting the power to the engines. “As a Jedi, it's rather uncomfortable to have a girlfriend who's into Sith art.”

Climbing from the speeder, Buffy took a moment to stretch out her stiffened muscles before walking to the tomb entrance and peering at the hieroglyphs. She couldn't read a word of ancient Sith, but that didn't make it any less fascinating. Giles would love it here. She could imagine him, pushing his glasses further up his nose as he took out a notebook and pen to furiously start scribbling. He'd say it was a 'once in a lifetime opportunity' and there might be 'clues pertinent to the current situation' hidden around them. The image was so strong it set off an all to familiar ache. Grief and loneliness sweeping through her. Giles was gone. She'd never see any of them again.

Before the emotion completely engulfed her, she turned to Obi-Wan. The Jedi was in the process of pulling on his robe. The sun came from behind a cloud, catching the golden strands in his hair and shining onto his face. Buffy's heart did a little flip, her loneliness easing. She had Obi-Wan. The guy was the best part of the Star Wars dimension. Handsome, loyal, caring, and brave. He might be a little stuffy at times, like Giles, and he'd an annoying tendency to treat her as a padawan, but instead of putting her off, she found it made her love him all the more.

Back in her old dimension, normal guys had a tendency to be intimidated by her Slayer side. Obi-Wan didn't have that problem. He was a Jedi, he'd his own set of freaky Force powers to play with. Not only that but, once he'd realized she wasn't out to murder the innocent, he'd even tried to train her in the Force.

Buffy watched the man smoothing his robe so that it was crease-free. In another person, his persnickety ways would frustrate her, yet it only made Obi-Wan more adorable. He was her Jedi. Despite his neat-freak tendencies she was in love with him. Yeah, completely head over heels in love with the guy. Her Slayer dream be damned, there was no way she'd ever hurt him.

The thought of her dream let her thoughts led to Angel. Back when she was sixteen she'd loved the vampire with every fiber of her being. A sweet teenage girl's love for a mysterious man who stepped from the shadows to help her. It all seemed like another lifetime ago. Since she'd died and been resurrected since then it probably was. Now here she was, completely smitten with someone she'd once thought only existed in the movies – Obi-Wan Kenobi. Even Sineya was fascinated by him. A smile curled Buffy's lips, that's because he had Pink sparkles.

Catching the direction of her thoughts, the Jedi finished smoothing his robe, looked over and raised his left eyebrow.

“Padawan-mine, what are you thinking?” he called. From the cocky smirk and roll of his hips, as he sauntered towards her, he knew exactly what she was thinking.

“Hopefully, non-padawan thoughts,” she replied cheekily. “I'd hate to think that those padawans I see following their masters around think the same things about their teachers as I think about you.”

The smile he gave her in reply was gratifying, but through their bond, she caught the edge of worry.

Attempting to lighten his mood, she asked, in a rough approximation of Qui-Gon's voice, “Do I sense apprehension, and a deep feeling of dread, Obi-Wan?”

The Jedi snorted softly. “You'd be correct.” He pulled the voluminous robe around him more tightly and eyed the Sith hieroglyphics behind her head with blatant distaste. “The Dark Side of the Force is strong here. Do you not sense it?” He found it hard to believe, after all the meditating they'd done, Buffy was still unaware of the Dark Side.

Buffy shrugged, replying “I haven't noticed.”

She closed her eyes, took a series of deep breaths, and concentrated. Next to her, Obi-Wan's Force signature shone brighter than ever. Oh, there was a pink shimmer to the edge that was interesting. She could easily become distracted by that. Knowing the Jedi was waiting to see what she sensed Buffy, reluctantly, pulled her attention away from the man to reach out into the Force.

Around her, the Force appeared a little distorted, as if more concentrated around the tombs but there was no sense of darkness. Definitely, nothing setting off her spidey-sense. Buffy reached out once more. Was the strength of the Force weaker further from the valley? Or did it only feel that way because she was a novice?

She opened her eyes, to find herself looking straight into intense blue ones.

“Nope,” she replied, cheerfully. “I'm not sensing any creepy Dark Side here.” Seeing the disappointment in his face, she added, “The Force feels stronger here, if that's any use?”

Obi-Wan still seemed dismayed by her Force un-awareness. Buffy guessed she'd flunked today's padawan exam. Truly, she'd make a terrible Jedi.

Knowing Obi-Wan was a born worrier, she gave him a reassuring smile. “I'm a Slayer, remember?” she reminded him. “I wasn't born in this dimension. Also, I was chosen to hold back the forces of darkness. Note, that's forces of darkness and not Darkness of the Force. To me, there's only one Force. No up, no down, and it hasn't got a sticky side.”

“Sticky side?” The Jedi's brow furrowed with bewilderment. “Why the Force, would the Force be sticky? I've no idea what this stickiness is you're talking of. However, you're right. You haven't the years of training a normal padawan has.” Putting his hand on her shoulder he gave it a consoling squeeze. “ Despite this, you've made good progress. You were able to recognize that the Force is much stronger here.” He looked at the tombs surrounding them. “This must have been a place of great power at one time.”

They skirted around the circular tomb and came to a smaller and older tomb. Buffy thinking about his comment about the Force being strong here and his concern about the Dark Side.

“Is this, like, a Hellmouth to you?” she asked. If this was a gateway to the hell dimensions she wondered why she hadn't sensed it.

Obi-Wan shook his head as they stopped at the tomb's entrance. “No. It isn't a Hellmouth. I've never heard of any in this dimension.” He scratched at the bristles on his chin, they were making his face itchy and he wasn't sure if he should shave them off or not. “Throughout the galaxy, there are places where the Force is much stronger than others. Perhaps, that's why the Sith chose to be buried here.”

Buffy slipped inside the tomb to look around. Obi-Wan eyed the place warily. Should he follow her? Before he reached a decision, Buffy reappeared again.

“Well, that's disappointing.”

Her comment made Obi-Wan wonder what she'd been hoping to find. He hoped it she wasn't planning on bringing home skeletal remains or Sith weapons. “Everything here is tainted by the Dark Side,” he cautioned again.

“Yeah, they probably conducted lots of creepy Sith rituals here,” Buffy replied happily and wandered off to explore the next tomb. Obi-Wan trailed behind, watching her discreetly in case she managed to find something dangerous.

After a while, Obi-Wan gradually began to lose his abhorrence for his surroundings. More and more often he paused, studying the macabre depictions carved along the sides of the larger tombs and attempting to decipher the hieroglyphs. He'd always been curious and his analytic nature soon had him striving to classify each tomb by date order and power of the inhabitant.

Buffy, meanwhile, had ignored the more elaborate tombs in favor of the older, more simple structures. From his position on the raised plinth in front of the tomb, Obi-Wan could watch her eagerly darting between the small tombs. The Jedi stroked his upper lip again, taking in her keen expression. Was she hunting? He reached out, using their bond to gain an insight into her motives. All he sensed was her disapproval and annoyance at the wilful act of destruction on the ancient site.

Obi-Wan called over, his voice echoing in the tomb behind him. “The Jedi archaeologists who came here did so long ago. ”

Buffy paused in her investigation of a ramshackle tomb. Most likely one of the oldest on the site.

He continued, “In those days, it was even more imperative to remove Sith artifacts and destroy the contents before they are discovered by others.”

“Why?”

“For a start off, in those days there were a lot more Sith around. Also, for a Force user there's grave danger in Sith artifacts,” Obi-wan answered. In his pocket, the Sith holocron began to glow a dark red, its power singing out through the Force to him. It went unnoticed, the Jedi far too focussed on educating Buffy to fall under its thrall.  
“The Sith often laid traps in their personal items. A lure to corrupt the weaker Force user, gain power over them and force them to do their bidding. Secondly, you've seen for yourself how these items can be used in rituals. Don't forget, the vampires raided the museum looking for specific Sith artifacts.”

“Bane's bone,” said Buffy thoughtfully. Something was dancing on the edge of her memory from that evening. Something the vampires had said before the fight broke out. It was important, but what was it?

Obi-Wan nodded, giving her a stern look. “This is why I continually warn you against starting a collection of Sith weapons. They might look pretty, but they are lethal.” Knowing she was going to leap to the defense of Mr Sparkly, and not wanting an argument, he quickly went on, “One of the tasks the Jedi Archaeologists face is identifying dangerous items. Once identified they are either destroyed or moved to the hidden vaults inside the Temple.”

“Andrew says he's dying to have a good snoop in there,” Buffy responded. She rubbed the palms of her hands against her thighs, then grimaced at the dark stains she'd made on her trousers.

Obi-Wan tutted, he'd have lent her his handkerchief if she'd asked. He never left home without a clean one in his pocket.

“What happened to all the bodies, Obi-Wan?” In every tomb so far the sarcophagus had been broken open and its contents removed. Buffy hadn't said anything, but she was becoming worried. Had Jar Jar called in earlier and stolen them all?

“The Jedi removed the remains. I suppose they were cremated and the ashes scattered,” he replied, before musing, “The ancient Sith seemed to bury their dead, while the Jedi have preferred cremation.

“That's interesting,” Buffy wondered at the different burial practices. Was it because of how they viewed an afterlife? “The Jedi believe that after death you become one with the Force. What about the Sith?” she asked. “Do they believe they go back to the Force or do they believe in resurrection?”

Deep in Obi-Wan's pocket, the glow from the holocron intensified. Inside the Force, something that had once been long dead but recently regained its awareness, began to materialize.

“I've no idea what the Sith believed in,” Obi-Wan replied honestly. “They don't teach Sith history to the initiates or the padawans,”

The Jedi's hand hovered over his robe pocket, his eyes on Buffy's face as he watched the tiny wrinkles appearing on her nose. A gust of wind blew through the tombs, whipping locks of hair into her face. Obi-Wan's hand moved from the pocket. His fingers, instead, tucking the long strands behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheeks, a tender smile on his face as he looked down on her. Pink sparkles shimmered in the Force as the Jedi dipped his head, touching her lips with his own. Tasting her mouth, breathing in the scent of her, filling all his senses with the Slayer.

Inside his pocket, the Sith holocron's evil glow faded and the Force ghost screamed silently in frustration before vanishing.

Obi-Wan was the first to break the kiss. Stepping away when he realized they were heading for a full-scale smooching session in the middle of a graveyard. Buffy moaned with disappointment, she tried to grab at his robe and reel him back in, but he moved out of her reach with an apologetic smile. The Slayer might not have any worries about making-out surrounded by Sith monuments, but the Jedi did.

Deciding a distraction was in order, Obi-Wan launched into a lecture. “Considering there's been such a long and closely entwined history between the Sith and the Jedi, I find it odd the subject isn't spoken of or taught at the Temple. I'd never heard of them until meeting Maul. Their existence came as a complete surprise to me.  
It was only after meeting Maul that Master Yoda explained some of our history to me. At one time, the Sith and Jedi were one order. We've no real idea why they split into two. Possibly, the Sith's interest in the Dark Side and their increasing quest for power divided them from the Light Force users. Whatever, the Sith went on to cause devastation and immense loss of life around the galaxy. None of this is in the Archives, I might add. Or at least, in no section I've ever had access to.”

“Yoda probably has a pile of holocrons telling the real course of events stashed away somewhere,” grumbled Buffy, who was still feeling thwarted of smoochies. Since she knew the location was putting Obi-Wan off, she turned her attention back to investigating the tombs. She began running her fingers over the effigy of a Sith Lord carved into the wall.

After an uncomfortable moment watching Buffy's fingers probe the statue, Obi-Wan realized she looking for a secret compartment. He wasn't sure how he'd feel if she found one. He supposed it depended on what it contained and if she wanted to keep it as a souvenir.

Buffy stopped pressing on the figure and looked over her shoulder with a sly grin. “Count Dooku told me he'd access to lots of forbidden holocrons when he was younger. Siffy's master made a habit of studying them in his room so Dooku and Siffy used to sneak in and watch them when he'd gone out.”

Obi-Wan pursed his lips with annoyance. The wily old ex-Jedi shouldn't be bragging about his youthful wrongdoings. The older man might have once been a great Jedi master, but these days he was a bad influence on the Slayer.

“I take it by 'Siffy' you mean Master Sifo-Dyas?” Obi-Wan finally asked. He thought it rather disrespectful to address a man, who'd once been on the Jedi council, as 'Siffy'. On the other hand, Sifo-Dyas had become a Sith vampire and was corrupting other Jedi by turning them into vampires. He deserved to be called something far worse than 'Siffy'.

Buffy smirked.

“I can't say it comes as any surprise.” Obi-Wan swished his robe in irritation. “Count Dooku has a habit of poking his long nose into things he shouldn't.”

In his opinion, Buffy and Dooku's relationship went far deeper than was right and proper. They were only supposed to be master and lightsaber apprentice, she wasn't his padawan. Dooku was even telling the other masters that he no longer agreed with the Jedi council and he only remained at the Temple to be with the Slayer. Obi-Wan had also noticed the way the older man watched Buffy when he thought no one was watching. The fact the fascination went both ways, caused Obi-Wan many a flash of jealousy.

He looked at Buffy searchingly, asking, “There's something rather dark about Count Dooku, don't you think?”

“Oh yeah. He'd make a great Sith Lord or a fine master vampire.” Buffy's casual reply irritated Obi-Wan. “Not that I want him to become a Sith or a vampire. I wouldn't want to dust him, as he's like one of the movie classics.”

They drifted apart. Obi-Wan moving away, chewing over her reply, and pretending to inspect a tomb built in the shape of a pyramid. Buffy setting off for one of the oldest tombs, it had been built partly into the mountainside and looking ready to collapse. Pausing at the tomb's entrance, she ran her hand over the weather-worn inscription that ran beside the door. Buffy had no idea what it said, but she got the same vibe from the place as she had from Spike's crypt. She peered into the gloomy darkness inside. She could imagine the blonde vampire muttering about his tv reception and complaining if you disturbed him during an episode of Passions.

That caused some disturbing memories to resurface and changed her mind about exploring the inside of the tomb. She looked over at Obi-Wan, whose shoulders were hunched and seemed in a mood about something.

Deciding to leave him to his thoughts, Buffy circled around the structure to the slope behind it. Above her, the trees grew more sparsely. Their roots clinging desperately to the thin soil and shale of the mountainside. Putting her hands on her hips, Buffy looked around her. There was a smooth rocky ledge some thirty-foot above her. She'd have a great view over the roofs of the tombs from there.

Buffy began to climb. Using her enhanced Slayer ability to leap from one stony outcrop to another. Other times she used the trunks of trees or their lower branches to pull herself upwards. Her shoes scrabbling for purchase on loose rocks as she climbed. When she finally hauled herself onto the ledge, she crouched, dusting her hands and trouser legs off before rising to her feet. Below her, Obi-Wan followed a frieze that wrapped around the tomb walls. His brown robe standing out against the background of dusty gray stonework before he disappeared out of sight. Shading her eyes, Buffy scanned the network of tombs below her.

A sudden gust of wind got up, sending the tree canopy swaying and bringing with it the faint sound of a waterfall. More gusts came, sending the trees bending and creaking. The wind howled across the mountain, causing her clothing to flap about her, and sending long hair flying into her face. She dragged it from out her mouth and eyes, trying to trap it behind her ears before remembering the hair tie in her pocket.

As she pulled her hair into a low ponytail, she heard the soft whispering coming from the trees.

Buffy tensed, her senses on the alert. Goosebumps rising on her arms as she waited. That whispering, had she imagined it? She could have done. What about the faint tingle on her Slaydar? Had she imagined that as well? Buffy stretched out with all her senses. Above her, more branches creaked as the wind whipped them harder. Around her feet, old leaves blew out from sheltered places, the noise as they rolled away sounding like the rattle of dry bones.

She waited, and despite her unease, she neither saw nor heard anything out the ordinary. Nothing triggered her senses, nothing made her Slaydar tingle or showed up as a Force aberration. Still feeling on edge, she went back to raking her fingers through the knots in her windblown ponytail and waited. She was just about to give up and head back to the tombs when she heard the whisper in the wind once more and this time she could make out the words.

“Girls and boys come out to play...”

Buffy spun. Instinctively, dropping into a fighting crouch. Those words were from her dream. Her eyes darted upwards, searching in the direction she believed the voice came from. She looked at every tree, peered into the patches of sparse bushs growing around her, searching for signs of someone, or something, hiding. Not seeing anything, she began to creep. Moving slowly upwards. Avoiding dry twigs that might crack underfoot and give her movement away. Upwards she crept, the Force guiding her steps, her inner Slayer driving her onwards.

“Come join your playfellows in the street...”

Buffy paused, cocking her head, eyes squinting. The voice sounded further away, yet Buffy was sure she'd headed in the right direction. She shook her head, it felt fuzzy. In fact, the whole situation felt like a dream. Was she really climbing a mountain? Or was she lying in her bed dreaming? The Force nudged her onward and, this time, she fought against it. Buffy looked down at her fingers digging into a rock she'd been holding to steady herself. The stone crumbled beneath her touch and one of her fingernails broke. She winced. That proved it. She was here, but was the voice real?

She climbed onwards, the sound of running water becoming louder as she climbed. Ducking below low hanging branches and pushing her way through the undergrowth, determined to find the singer. Her Force connection disappeared at one point. It resulted in her foot sliding sideways on a loose stone and hitting a rock outcrop with her shoulder. She clung to the rock, watching the stone bounce its way down the mountainside. Taking a deep breath, Buffy centered herself again before restarting her climb. Once more, the Force guided her steps.

She climbed. Heading for the source of the song, the waterfall. Knowing that she needed to find the children before Drusilla did.

“Buffy!”

Driven on, she ignored the faint call. She had to find the children. The ones that a vampire sang of. The ones who'd left the safety of their home and were destined for a Sith tomb. It was her duty to protect them. Protect them from a gathering cloud of darkness ready to steal away their souls if she wasn't there to stop it.

“Buffy!” The man's shout came from a distance, almost completely drowned out by the noise of the water hitting the rocks as it cascaded into the pool.

~BUFFY! Where are you?~ Down their link, Obi-Wan's urgency and concern were so high-pitched that it pierced her trance-like state. Without realizing, she'd been unknowingly shielding from him.

Buffy stopped. She was in the process of hauling herself higher. The fingers of one hand struggling to gain a hold on a slimy rock, her other grasping a tussock of grass that grew out of a crevice. She'd no recollection of climbing this high, her mind focused only on reaching the waterfall in the next gully. She instinctively knew it lay beyond the trees, just out of sight. It was tempting to ignore Obi-Wan, climb over this last stretch, and see what she'd needed to find so badly.

~Buffy, the Temple has called.~ Obi-Wan was impatient. Now that he sensed that she wasn't injured he was perplexed at her absence. She guessed they must have news of Palpatine.

~Be right there.~ Reluctantly, Buffy began her descent. She'd be back. Whatever had drawn her here was important, too important to dismiss.

........


	160. The Force Sings To Me

Buffy found Obi-Wan sitting on the speeder hood, his arms in a classic Jedi sleeve fold. He tilted his head, watching her approach. His inquisitive eyes checking her over, searching for signs of injury, and taking in the dirt on her clothing. Buffy noticed that he kept their bond empty of his thoughts and his emotions. He was also wearing his Jedi poker face. She knew to most people they'd assume by his face that he was a man with no worries. To her, those deepened furrows between his brows and the set of his shoulders rang a loud alarm bell. He was a Jedi desperately holding on to his calm. He'd probably been chanting the Jedi mantra over and over again inside his head all the time she'd been away.

“I thought we weren't supposed to wander off?” he gently chastised.

The scolding question made Buffy feel a little better. Whatever worried him, it couldn't be that bad if he still rebuked her like an errant padawan.

Without waiting for an answer, he continued, “As soon as I turned my back you disappeared.” He raised an eyebrow and nodded to her clothing. “Have you been excavating a grave?.”

Buffy glanced down at her dirty clothing, before tilting her head to examine the man in front of her. Obi-Wan hid his deeper emotions behind a wall of sarcasm. This emotion didn't feel like worry anymore. It went deeper than that. She reached out, gently pushing aside his shielding, and sensing the emotion she'd rarely felt in the normally level-headed and calm Obi-Wan.  
Fear.  
Someone had planted a seed of fear in her Jedi. Who'd done it? It must be the Jedi council. What had they'd said to him?

“It's the call, isn't it? What's happened? Are you alright?” she asked. More concerned for him than the Jedi Temple or Palpatine.

Obi-Wan unfolded his arms. He held his com-link in one hand and he waved it at her. “This is what's wrong.” Buffy noticed he actually scowled at the device, as if it was the com-link's fault for giving him the bad news. “The update from the council isn't good.” He sighed and pushed a hand through his hair, before pocketing the device and muttering, “I should have expected something like this. I've had that bad feeling for long enough”

“Councils are always trouble,” Buffy replied sagely. “I've never had any luck with them. They're full of pompous ass-hats who think they've got a right to run your life. So... what did I miss?”

“Palpatine's kidnappers have presented their... demands to the Senate.” A tic played under Obi-Wan's eye. He rubbed at his face trying to ease the tension from his facial muscles. Buffy noticed the pause, small but significant, and waited for him to explain further. “The Republic is willing to pay the ransom but are looking to the Jedi Temple to make sure the exchange goes without hitch.”

A strand fell from Buffy's ponytail into her face. As she pushed the lock of hair behind her ear, she noticed the dirt gathered underneath her fingernails from her mountain climb. She glanced across to the mountain, which still called to her, and back to the Jedi. “We sorta guessed this before.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “And now we know the full extent of the demands.” The Jedi went on, “The kidnappers have asked for 10 million in Hutt credits for the Supreme Chancellor's release.”

Something in his wording caught at her attention. “You said, 'demands' so credits isn't all they want, is it?”

“It's the way they want the exchange done that's a little odd.” Obi-Wan slid off the speeder hood, closed the distance between them, and put his hands on her shoulders. His eyes were dark with worry. “That's the part I'm not happy about and I informed the council as much.”

Buffy studied his face. “I get the feeling it's something to do with me, right?”

His lips folded into a thin line. “They want 10 million Hutt credit for the safe return of the Supreme Chancellors and they've asked for you, by name, to deliver those credits to them. They claim that as you're Palpatine's girlfriend, you need to be the one doing this.”

“That doesn't sound too bad,” she replied. Handing over a suitcasecontaining someone else's money to a bunch of gangsters wasn't going to be a big deal. Being mistaken for Sid's girlfriend was the worst part of it.

She gave Obi-Wan a reassuring smile. “I don't mind doing the exchange, honestly.” When he didn't reply, she joked, “I've got to say, I'd prefer to keep the cash and let the kidnappers chuck Sid down the nearest energy shaft. That's the best place for him.”

Her joke didn't raise a feeble smile and Buffy sighed. Obi-Wan had missed the best part of the movie. “Look, I'll drop off the cash, get Sid, and come straight back-.” She stopped when something akin to pity appeared in Obi-Wan's eyes.

~What?!~she almost screamed down their bond.

“The kidnappers have stated to ensure they're allowed free passage, you must stay with them. Once they consider themselves to be a safe distance away, they'll put you into an escape pod and ejected. I doubt this is their real plan.  
Darth Desolate and Jar Jar put a bounty on your capture some months ago. Since Jango Fett failed in his attempts, it's likely this set of villains took on the contract and intend to hand you over to them.”

“Crap,” replied Buffy. That didn't sound good. No wonder Obi-Wan was worried.

She stepped forward, leaning her head onto his chest and feeling his arms go around her. Was she seeking comfort or giving it? Maybe both. Buffy breathed in the comforting scent of the Jedi. Her hands pressed on his back, feeling the texture of his robe under her fingers and, more reassuringly, the solid form of his body beneath it. Knowing she'd got his support strengthened her resolve. She'd dealt not only with a Hell goddess but also the First in her dimension. A bunch of kidnappers and rogue vampires were going to be rank amateurs in comparison. She wasn't alone, she'd got Obi-Wan.

His breath blew onto her neck as the Jedi whispered, “I don't want you doing this. Say no. The Temple can tell say you're away on a mission and they can't find you.”

Buffy pulled back, placing a hand on either side of his face. “I need to do this, Obi-Wan. It's time I took those vampires on.” She pressed a finger onto his lips. “ It isn't as if I'll be alone. I've got you and the Jedi-Scoobies to rely on. I'll count on you all to...” She frowned, a sudden thought striking her. “Did Yoda tell them I'd be happy to do it?” Buffy slipped out of the Jedi's embrace, sparking with anger. It was one thing to make her own decision, but she hoped Yoda hadn't volunteered her. “I bet he did! I bet he thought it was a good way of getting without me. The mutant frog!”

Obi-Wan winced. “I don't believe so,” he replied, keeping his voice calm. He'd no idea what Yoda's stance was on this but it worried him whenever Master Yoda and Buffy were at odds. “They informed the Senators you were on a mission and they might not be able to contact you in time. The decision is yours and you don't need to make it straight away. The kidnappers have yet to re-contact with the details of when and where the exchange will take place.”

“I'm going to do it, Ubi.”

Part of him balked at the thought of Buffy walking headlong into a trap and yet, if their positions were reversed, he wouldn't refuse either. He rubbed the bristles on his chin. The main problem wasn't her inability to fight in a hostile situation, but her lack of experience with technology in this dimension. If something happened on the ship, and she wasn't able to contact them, she'd be on her own. In Obi-Wan's mind's eye, he saw explosions in space as she mistook the blaster canon sequence for a distress beacon. Force! Could they inject her with a tracking device the kidnappers wouldn't be able to find? That way he could take a ship and -.

“I think the Force was speaking to me before,” Buffy blurted out, cutting through his thoughts. “It's either that or I'm going mental.”

Obi-Wan blinked, his head slowly turning towards her, all his thoughts scattered at the sudden switch in subject. “The Force spoke to you,” he repeated, wondering if he'd heard her right.

Buffy nodded. It felt uncomfortable admitting she could hear someone singing when there wasn't anyone around. Her cheeks pink, she said, “It was singing a tune.”

The Jedi pinched the bridge of his nose. Just when he thought life couldn't possibly throw anything else at him Buffy came out with this. How could she hear the Force singing a tune? That simply didn't make sense. Was she ill?

Raising a hand, he laid the tips of his fingers lightly on her forehead, causing her to frown. Closing his eyes, he reached outward. Buffy Force signature was like no other's. That strange alien darkness inside her bound by magic. As he checked her vitals, Obi-Wan thought he felt something spark, before it vanished from sight. He concentrated harder. There was no sign of an aberration in her brain, she felt warm but without a fever, and her heartbeat was as strong as ever. She felt completely healthy and totally normal. As normal as any inter-dimensional Slayer could ever be.

“I'm not crazy, Obi-Wan.”

The Jedi nodded, removing his fingers from her forehead.

“So what's your verdict, Dr Kenobi?” Buffy asked. “Have I got some weird Force illness that's making me hear things?”

“Nothing I can sense,” he replied. “What did the Force sing to you?”

“It sang 'Girls and boys come out to play',” She pointed towards the mountain. “The voice came from up there, in the trees. Like it did before.”  
At his blank look, she tutted impatiently, “Like in my dream! I thought it was Drusilla singing, but I think the Force mimicked her voice and made me climb the mountain.”

“It made you?” Obi-Wan stilled, every muscle on alert. “It made you, you say? Did it ask you to do something out of character? Did you develop the sudden urge to inflict pain? An urge to kill, perhaps?”

His mind was racing. They were in the valley of the Sith where the Dark Side of the Force was strong. Could Buffy have fallen under the thrall of a long-dead Sith? Obi-Wan closed his eyes once more, the furrow in his brow deepening, as he used his Force perception to check around her. The Dark Side shrouded everything in this valley yet he could sense a definite shift in the currents towards her. Where his Force presence guarded and shielded him, Buffy's Slayer side appeared to accept it and yet there was no sense of it trying to overwhelm her.

“Did I want to kill someone? ” Buffy wrinkled her nose, thinking over his question. “Yeah, sure I did. I got a tickle on my Slaydar when I was up there. That always gives me the urge to hunt and inflict pain with Mr Pointy. That's totally normal for me.”

She moved past him, heading for their vehicle. Switching on the speeder, she turned on her datapad, and then the speeder's geolocation system. While she waited for the program to load, she explained, “There was a waterfall in my dream and there's one on the mountain. I need to find it. Do you remember the song I told you I heard in my dream?”

“The Force sings it to you?” replied Obi-Wan. He'd been thinking about this. It wasn't the first time Buffy claimed the Force told her to do things. Usually, she informed him it told her to have a shower, wash her hair, or visit the hairdressers. He'd always assumed she was being sarcastic, now he was at a loss to know what to believe.

From her datapad, a 3d image of the valley projected upwards. “Uh-huh,” she answered, sliding into the speeder seat. She began zooming in and tilting the image, trying to find the waterfall. “During the climb, it came into my head that my job is protecting children. I'm not sure if it's, like, a metaphor for the innocent because in my dream I saw Willow and Xander as little kids.”  
Buffy stopped spinning the image in front of her. She'd spotted a gully on the projection and she began zooming in. “Something is going on up there. I'm not leaving until I find out what it is.”

Obi-Wan stared at the darkened spot on the projection that slowly enlarged to become a waterfall. “And you need to do this now? Before we hear from the council and rescue Palpatine?”

Buffy smiled. A predator's smile. “There's no better time than the present,” she said crisply, leaning back in her seat and giving Obi-Wan a clear view of what else she'd found.

There was a cavern system in the mountain. One with a plasma tube that no doubt led all the way down to the bowels of this planet.


	161. Chapter 161

Obi-Wan might only be a young Jedi knight, but during his time as a padawan, he'd proved to be immensely resourceful and adaptable. These talents had earned him praise in the past and they were also turning out to be extremely useful whilst in Buffy's company. The Jedi took one look at the location she'd shown him and slid into the speeder seat beside her. His brows drew together, as he scanned the 3d image; his mind turning to plotting the best route to their new destination.

“If we follow this gully from the valley floor,” he said, zooming in on the image, “it will almost bring us to the point you climbed up to. However, there is an alternative route.” He pointed to another gully further along the valley floor, “ we can zigzag through the sparser trees and arrive here.” His finger jabbed at the projection not far from the waterfall's main plunge pool.

“No more climbing?” Buffy said feeling relieved. Not that she minded climbing. It was just that they hadn't much daylight left and there was something about the mountainside that wigged her out. Plus, if they used the speeder to get there, they'd have more time to explore before it got dark. “Can we really take the speeder all the way up there?”

“We'll go as far as we're able,” Obi-Wan replied, as he engaged the repulsor lift. Their speeder lifted, and, with a soft touch to the thruster, the Jedi swiftly steered the vehicle through the graveyard.

Once they'd left the Sith tombs behind them, reached the second gully, and began to climb, Obi-Wan glanced over at Buffy. She'd been furiously checking her datapad since they'd set off, trying to find out more about the crystal cavern that lay inside the mountain. From the small frown marring her face, he guessed she wasn't having much luck.

“Have you sensed anything?” he asked. Then he added, more tentatively, “Or is the Force calling to you?” He still wasn't sure what to make of her declaration that the Force had sang to her.

Buffy stopped scrolling long enough to glance at him, before taking a much longer look at the landscape around them. She noticed that a light mist had begun to descend, once more reminding her of her dream.

“The Slaydar is silent,” she admitted, her scowl deepening. “I'm not getting the smallest ping. And before you ask, I've already tried searching the Force. I couldn't sense anything with that either. I know I heard a voice up here and I really want to find out what's going on. What about you?”

“Oh, I'd prefer an early night,” Obi-Wan couldn't help saying. “You know me, I'm a creature of habit. A simple man who's happiest with a couple of hour's meditation and a nice cup of tea before my bedtime.”

“You adrenaline junkie, you,” muttered Buffy. Obi-Wan was pleased to see her scowl had been replaced by a little smirk. “I meant, can you sense anything with those superior Jedi Forcey powers of yours?”

Obi-Wan grinned in reply, “Have I heard right? Are you finally admitting that my abilities are superior to yours?” He flashed her a smile, “It was worth coming up here, just to hear you say that.”

Buffy tutted. “As if! So... he- who-thinks-he-is-superior Jedi-guy, are you going to share what your highly-tuned Jedi senses are telling you?”

The Jedi stopped smiling and pouted, “They're telling me nothing. The entire area feels blank and feels devoid of all life. Perhaps later, once we reach this waterfall of yours, I'll be able to sense more.” Obi-Wan glanced at the chronometer. They'd less than an hour of daylight left and soon the entire valley would be in darkness. As a Jedi, he didn't fancy spending the night in Death valley or, worse, taking shelter in a Sith tomb. Even if the original occupant was no longer in residence the thought gave him the… wiggins.

They landed close to the waterfall. In the open spot, they felt the full force of the wind as it tore down the mountain, whipping the treetops, and ripping at Buffy's hair despite its confining band. The Slayer brushed the stray strands from her face, her eyes fixed in the direction of the valley below them. She was no longer able to see the tombs, the mist had dropped lower and completely shrouded the valley. On the other side of the speeder, Obi-Wan stood, his robe flapping about him as he looked around.  
Above them, the wind blew across sharp rocks, the noise sounding almost like low voices in a conversation.

“Could that noise have been the voice you heard?” he asked.

“No,” Buffy said sharply. She turned from the valley to look up at the waterfall cascading down the mountain from high above them. “I definitely heard words.”

“What's wrong?” Obi-Wan asked. The Slayer seemed oddly distracted, every so often she'd look at the rocks above them and then rub the bracelet she always wore on her left wrist.

“You don't remember?” Seeing his confusion she continued, “When we first visited Mother Ta'la? Not when she gave me this.” Rolling up her sleeve she showed him the amulet. “I'm talking about the time you followed me and she took us all into her back room.”

The Jedi folded his arms. Keeping his face neutral, he said, “I remember she came out with a lot of mumbo jumbo and then demanded you supply her with fresh body parts in payment.”

“Don't you remember her prophecy?”

Obi-Wan felt a wave of annoyance. Prophecy? The woman was a complete charlatan. He didn't like the Nightsister or her rude grandson, the Zabrack. It irritated him further when Buffy began quoting her.

“Cloaked in darkness stands One, who watches from beyond.” The Slayer pointed upwards, to where a roughly hewn pillar of stone stood in the shadow of the mountain. “Whatever that was, or was meant to be for, it's wigging me out.”

Obi-Wan shot a startled glance at the stone. He'd noticed it on landing and assumed it was a naturally occurring anomaly. Something inside him shuddered. This was a Sith statue and, what was worse, it had gone unnoticed by his Force senses.

“In the mountains, high below, where water meets the land.” Buffy chanted, her voice low yet carrying over the sound of the wind and water. “High below,” She pointed at the mountain top above them. “We're high, but still below the summit. And I'm guessing the base of the waterfall is where water meets the land.”

“What's the next part of the Nightsister's prophecy?” Obi-Wan asked. He came to stand beside her, staring up at the falling water and then across to the eerie guardian standing alongside.

“You believe in her magic now?” She gave him a little half-smile. She knew Obi-Wan thought Mother Ta'la and the Nightsisters were dangerous and a bad influence on her. But Buffy liked the woman and felt relaxed and strangely at home in her company. She guessed the Dathomirian's type of magic appealed to her. Without waiting for Obi-Wan to answer, she spoke the final verse,

“Sith's Slayer and Slayer's Sith.  
The crimson blades will bond.  
A temple's hand and senate's rift.  
To rise and fall, and rise again once more.”

“Yes, it's all complete gobbledygook,” said Obi-Wan firmly. Those words, 'Sith's Slayer and Slayer's Sith' appeared to bind her to Palpatine and the Sith Lord to her. No, he was not liking that bit at all.

The wind tossed his hair into his eyes and he smoothed it back into place. “The first verse she gave you was a lucky guess.” He gave the menacing Sith statue a dirty look. “It could be twisted and applied to anything. Anything you want it to.”

“Ta'la must have known about the Sith,” pointed out Buffy. “That's more than you ever did.” She moved across to the steep incline and began to climb towards the ugly Sith statue.

“Most likely, her son tried to become one,” replied Obi-Wan sourly, as he followed her. He disliked how the Zabrack male continually flexed his muscles in front of Buffy. “The Sith academy would refuse his application due to his low intelligence level. No doubt the tightness of his trousers has had a detrimental effect on his brain. They're charlatans, the pair of them.”

“You're just jealous,” Buffy replied. As she went to pull herself up, to get alongside the creepy stone Sith, when Obi-Wan Force leaped past her. He spun around, his robe billowing around him, as he bent, offering her his hand, and pulling her onto the ledge.

“Me? Jealous? Of Tenacious?” The Jedi grimaced. “Perish the thought! What have I...” His voice tailed away as he watched Buffy, first eyed the statue and then turn her attention on the plume of water hitting the pool. There was an intenseness about her that he'd only seen when she was hunting vampires, except this time she wasn't.

A jolt of excitement ran through him. Buffy was using the Force! Really using it! Despite the seriousness of the situation, his face split into a wide grin. He knew now how a master felt when their padawan showed great aptitude. Obi-Wan continued to watch, whilst keeping tabs on the Force around them.

Buffy stared into the pool and then at the mountain behind the cascading water. Obi-Wan knew the Dark Side clouded this area yet it didn't seem to affecting her. Ah yes, to Buffy there was only one Force, no light, no dark, and definitely nothing... (Obi-Wan curled his lip) ...sticky. Now, she was taking all he'd taught her and applying it. He could sense the intent way she reached out, searching...

Searching? No, not searching, this was more like probing, looking for...

...a shatterpoint!

It was! That was what she was doing! Buffy had told him about her escape from the slavers and how she'd spotted a weakness in the structure of the cell. He'd wondered then, if she'd stumbled upon a Force ability. He'd even made the tentative suggestion to her, although he hadn't explored the subject further. After all, this Force ability was not only rare but a complex one. Usually it belonged to talented Force users, one's with a variety of other Force skills under their belt.  
Mace Windu had Shatterpoint. The Jedi master was able to discern, not only the weaknesses in people or objects but also pick out a specific person or an event that was key to a situation. By stopping the person from acting or an event from occurring, the situation could be controlled and an entire future could be changed.

So how could a Slayer, who by her own admission wasn't able to levitate a pencil, have such a rare talent? Obi-Wan rubbed at the scratchy beard on his chin as he considered it. Was it because she was an anomaly herself? Was Buffy a Shatterpoint? A person key to this galaxy's future?  
Is that why she could access this ability? Or was it linked somehow to her Slayer's powers? How strongly would she have it? Would she be as strong in it as Master Windu? Obi-Wan's brain threw up question after question. To his chagrin he wasn't coming up with many answers.

“I spot a doorway,” announced Buffy. She pointed upwards, to just above the plunge pool. “Umm, yeah, well, maybe it's not exactly a doorway.” Her lips twisted, her distaste evident, making him wonder what she'd found. “Behind the sheet of water is a hollowed-out area. Once we're behind there, we'll find a fissure in the rocks that leads into the mountain.”

She looked back at him and he noticed her eyes flash gold, reflecting the rays of the sinking sun, “Wanna come with, Jedi-boy? Or are you still planning on an early night and a cup of tea?”

“What are we waiting for, Slayer-girl?” Potholing might not be his idea of fun but uncovering a mystery certainly was.

...................


	162. The Mountain Of Adventure

“And finally, we reach our destination. The dark depths of a planet where no one else wishes to venture.”

Obi-Wan directed his caustic comment to the back of Buffy's head, in the hopes of gaining her attention. She didn't reply. The Slayer was far too busy looking around the new tunnel to notice his sarcasm or the fact he'd become wedged in the hole. Buffy's small size meant she'd easily wriggled her way through the small enclosed space that led from the waterfall. She'd even been able to slide, gracefully, from this hole and land on her feet in the passageway beyond.

The Jedi wriggled, trying to prise himself between the tight rocks that held him. He was well and truly stuck. Giving the Slayer's back a long, drawn-out glare, he snarked once more, “I'd say, that you take me on the nicest dates. If I happened to be a Digworm.”

Pushing and twisting, Obi-Wan managed to free an arm. That was better. Using the free arm to grab hold of the rocks above his head, he pulled himself forward. Straining, he inched out. His other arm freed, and he used both arms to pull until he was only trapped from the waist down.  
Buffy stopped checking the dimly lit corridor for creepy activity and, seeing he was stuck, came back to help him.

“On my planet,” she said, grabbing the fabric of his robe with both hands, “people enjoy spelunking. They travel vast distances to go down tiny caves and crawl around for hours in mud and water. They even pay good money to do it. You should think yourself lucky.” She tugged with Slayer strength. There was the sound of something tearing and Obi-Wan half-fell, half crawled from the hole.

“If your people enjoy that type of thing...” he huffed (he thought it doubtful anyone would enjoy crawling around in mud and rocks), “...you're from one strange dimension.”

Rising to his feet, he regarded the passageway. From the curvature of this tunnel, it seemed they'd found one of Naboo's unique geological features – an old plasma tube. He looked from left to right, both directions equally featureless and rather depressing. At least, they'd be able to stand up and walk normally for a while.

Obi-Wan slanted a glance at Buffy. The Slayer apart from being a little ruffled looked perfectly fine. In fact, he could feel her excitement vibrating through their bond. Obviously, she'd spent too long hunting in the sewers and crypts of Sunnydale as a teenager if she thought 'spelunking' was fun.

He turned his attention to his clothing. The knees of his trousers were dark with dirt, his boots coated with mud, and...

His best robe! Obi-Wan's face blanched, as he took in the garment's condition. It hung, caked in a layer of mud and dirt, with one sleeve almost completely ripped away from the shoulder. He remembered the tearing sound as Buffy dragged him from the hole. He'd wondered at the time what that was and now he knew.

Obi-Wan turned to Buffy, who was flicking a piece of lint from her jacket.

“Have you seen the state of my robe?” the Jedi asked. He held out his arm so she could see the extent of the damage. “This is beyond repair. Unlike you, I have a very limited wardrobe and the Temple expects me to account for each damaged or missing item when I return to Coruscant.”

“Care for some cheese with that whine?” Buffy replied. She'd found a hole in her jacket and hers was not only new but expensive. It wasn't an old worn-out thing like Ubi's ugly robe. “I'm not exactly Linda Evangelista here, but you don't hear me complaining.”

Obi-Wan gave a loud and theatrical groan. “If I'd realized your 'doorway into the mountain' would turn out to be little more than a crevice between rocks I'd never have agreed to come with you.”  
He paused, knowing that was a lie and he'd follow her anywhere. Still, the least she could do was commiserate on the loss of his favorite item of clothing. She'd complained enough times about hers. He added pettishly, “This was my favorite robe. In fact, it's my only robe.”

“Take it off and throw it down that hole,” said Buffy, without any hint of sympathy for him or his beloved garment. “I'll be glad to see the back of it. That shade of brown does nothing for you.”

“I can't throw it away.” He pushed his hands into his pockets. “I've items in here that...” the Jedi's fingers accidentally touched the Sith holocron, “er, might come in handy.”

He took his hands from his pockets and stared up at the ceiling. Something niggled him about this tunnel and he realized what it was. “That's odd,” he mused. “Why would a plasma tunnel need lights?”

Buffy looked up, taking in the cables and dim lighting projected downwards from above them. “Ha!” she replied cheerfully. “ That shows something is going on in here. You thought I'd brought you on a wild panther chase!”

“Bantha chase,” corrected Obi-Wan automatically.

“Whatever.” Buffy set off along the corridor. Hoping that by going uphill Obi-Wan wouldn't moan about her love of lower planetary levels again.

“You do realize, you're the strangest girl I've ever met,” the Jedi muttered, catching her up and slowed his pace to walk alongside her.

“And yet you still love me. So what does that say about you, Jedi-Temple boy?” She smiled and bumped his shoulder with her own. This dark, gloomy tunnel and their snarky banter reminded her of the first time they'd hunted together. They'd barely been friends back then and now they were a couple, even planning on marrying. So much had happened since then.

Picking up on her thoughts, Obi-Wan smiled back lazily. “No doubt,” he said, his voice husky, “that I'm totally crazy about you.”

Buffy caught his eye, went pink, and fanned her face. A Jedi never did anything by halves and the thoughts and emotions coming through their bond left her feeling flushed and breathless.

After a while, the plasma tube joined another, wider, one. They followed this for a short distance, before turning a sharp corner and coming to a machine-made intersection. Several passageways met here and most of those leading off had smooth walls and tiled walkways. The place looked more like an installation than a mine working.

“This is no mine!” hissed Obi-Wan coming to an abrupt halt.

Buffy nodded. Part of her wanted to quip about statements of the obvious, but the other part, her Slayer part, had gone on the alert. Something warned to stay quiet, remain vigilant, and, most of all, be ready for a surprise attack. It made her feel antsy and she found herself going into the intersection, pacing, and eyeing each corridor warily as she passed it.

Obi-Wan didn't follow her. He stood, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully and allowing his Force senses to stretch outward. Despite the oppressiveness of the Dark Side clouding his vision, he sensed more corridors and several hollow spaces above them. Most likely they were the caverns shown on the map.

The Jedi blinked, refocusing on his immediate surroundings once more. This time, he noticed the chips, cracks, and dents in the walls and floor, along with the thick layer of grime and dust. The cables, pipework, and lights that ran overhead were old and worn out. Many of the lights flickered or didn't work.

“Your research into the crystal caverns said they were often used for other purposes once they'd been mined out,” he said. “I believe, since this place isn't marked on any map, that it may have been a secret installation. The lighting remains on as it's powered by a natural source of energy and those who have care of the place left it running.” It seemed a reasonable explanation to Obi-Wan and he waited for Buffy's thoughts.

Buffy only gave him a distracted glance. She continued her pacing, reminding Obi-Wan of a caged animal. Each time she came to a corridor she paused, peering down it, as if trying to decide if it was the right one to follow before moving on to the next one.

“Any preference which to take?” he asked eventually.

“Not sure.” Buffy stopped pacing. “I'm getting tingles on my Slaydar but I can't pinpoint where they're coming from.”

“Strong tingles or weak ones?” He walked into the intersection to stand beside her. “The Sith valley is clouding my vision and I'm sensing very little.”

Buffy cocked her head, thinking. The spidey senses warned of danger. What from? Demons? Ugh, possibly. Vampires? That could be a maybe. Or was it a Hellmouth? No, not a Hellmouth. More like black magic, pain, and human sacrifices mixed with something vile and demony. The whole mountain reeked of it.

After a moment, she replied, “It feels as if the mountain is humming.”

“ A tune?” The look Obi-Wan slanted her, clearly said 'oh no, not again'.

She half-smiled. “I guess I'm never gonna live that one down, huh? No, not a tuneful humming. It's more like... a build-up of pressure before there's an explo-.” She cut off abruptly. Her Slayer hearing picking up the thump of footsteps coming in their direction.

“Quick!” She grabbed Obi-Wan's arm, almost ripping off his sleeve. “Something's coming.”

She pulled him. Dragging him along the corridor. Refusing to stop until they were hidden from view.

Shaking himself free, Obi-Wan backed up into the wall and then slid along the corridor. At the end of the wall, he peered cautiously around the edge. Buffy following him, crouching low, ready to spring and attack.

Obi-Wan checked the intersection and then each corridor. They were all empty. He glanced down to Buffy, only to find she'd drawn Mr Sparkly.

Startled, he hissed through their bond, ~What are you doing? You might cause an innocent person a serious injury.~

Buffy smiled grimly up at him. ~Only if they're icky.~

Obi-Wan got the feeling she hoped they'd be 'icky'. ~We need to find out who they are first. PUT IT AWAY.~

~Spoilsport.~ She switched off the lightsaber and tucked the weapon out of sight, under her jacket.

The footsteps grew louder. Obi-Wan's face stayed watchful, his body tense and still. Waiting. Waiting for the owners of those footsteps to come into view. The sound he could hear was a horrifyingly familiar one. He really hoped he was wrong and they weren't who he thought they were.

Buffy, crouching beside him, prodded his leg with her forefinger. She wanted to move, to get in front of him for a better view. ~Let me look.~

~No!~ he hissed through their bond.

He stayed motionless, his focus on the right-hand corridor. They were close, their shadows were growing larger on the wall, and their synchronized marching growing louder. Even though he'd suspected it, the Jedi's eyes widened when they came into sight.

Eight droids with distinctive head shapes emerged from the far right-hand corridor and marched into the intersection. Battle droids! The last time he'd seen this type had been during the Naboo invasion by the Trade Federation. What were B1 droids doing here? Had the Trade Federation something to do with this place?

The Jedi stared hard at the droids. He searched for any sign of insignia that would affiliate them with an organization, but he was too far away to make out markings. Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed. How were they being controlled? Not from a control ship this time, it would have been detected by the Nabooan authority. Something more localized perhaps? Possibly in this very mountain?

His eyes dropped to their weapons. Like those he'd met in the invasion, each droid held a blaster rifle. They also carried an electro-prod slung over their back, and... was that a set of electro-cuffs hanging from their waist? His brow furrowed. Electro-cuffs and electro-prods? That suggested they were being used as prison guards. If that were so, who were they keeping prisoner?

Buffy tugged at his trousers. Since she only wanted to know what was going on he ignored her. Now was not the time to change positions. The droids were still in the intersection. If he moved there was a high chance they'd be spotted. Which led to another thought. If there were prisoners here, likely they'd have surveillance as well, at least in the more frequented areas. If they explored further, and he couldn't see Buffy wanting to turn back, they'd need to be careful. One wrong move could trigger an alarm and the next thing they'd be surrounded.

~What's going on?~ Buffy leaned on his legs and tried poking her head around the corner.

Without taking his eyes off the droids, Obi-Wan dropped a hand onto the top of her head and gently pushed it back. ~Not now! There are droids here. Battle droids~

~Battle droids? What are they doing?~ she prodded his thigh, annoyed she couldn't see for herself.

The Jedi ignored her prodding. Instead, he watched the droids divide into two and march off along different corridors. Only then, once they were out of sight, did the tension leave his shoulders. He motioned to Buffy that all was clear.

“What's happened?” she asked, keeping her voice low. “Why are there battle droids here?”

“I think they're being used as prison guards,” he whispered. “They're carrying electro-cuffs, electro-prods as well as the usual blaster rifles. Eight came into the intersection. They divided up, two pairs marching into the left corridor and two pairs taking the second right. I think we should follow them and find out who they're guarding.”

“Which corridor do you want to go down?” Buffy asked. “They're all full of creepy vibes so I'll go down whichever you don't want.”

Obi-Wan shot her a sharp look. Splitting up hadn't occurred to him and he wasn't keen on the idea. He'd every confidence in his own abilities, it was Buffy he was concerned for. What would Buffy do if she ran into a Neimodian or their droid technology? If they set a droideka onto her she'd most likely hang around and try to rip sections off with her bare hands.

Buffy noticed his hesitation and guessed the reason for it. “I'll be fine,” she said, adding for reassurance, “We can put the com-links onto vibrate. If one of us finds anything, we can contact the other.”

The Jedi nodded, not liking this but seeing no alternative. “Those droids look like the Trade Federation ones,” he warned. “It's possible we've uncovered a Neimodian plot against Naboo.”

“Do you think the Neimodians would cause Slay vibes?” Buffy asked, puzzled. She knew some species caused her Slaydar to ping but this humming was really odd.

“Honestly, I'm not sure,” Obi-Wan replied. “The entire species has a reputation for being corrupt. They are without morals, cowardly, greedy, and they are known for neglecting their young. As a species, they aren't very nice. Actually, they are quite horrible.”

After a moment, he continued, “If these are Trade Federation droids there'll be a central control room somewhere. My guess is that it's in the mountain somewhere. If you come across it make a note of its position. If it's destroyed, all the droids will shut down.” What else did Buffy need to know? “Check for surveillance systems and try not to trip any alarms. If you see anything dangerous, contact me.” He gave her a stern look. “I repeat, contact me. Do not attack. Understand?”

The smile Buffy gave him was more feral than reassuring. “Sure, that's no problem,” she said. “Control room, check. Surveillance and alarms, check. Anything that checks out as dangerous needs attacking. Wish me monsters,” and with those odd words she darted off down the right-hand corridor before Obi-Wan could argue.

........


	163. Old Foes & New Friends

Obi-Wan slipped along the tunnel after the battle droids, a dark shadow moving smoothly between the broken pools of light. He kept at a steady pace; swift enough to catch up with the droids yet slow enough to stop if he came too close to them or someone else. With that in mind, he continually reached out through the Force, probing the area around him for obstacles, life signs, or warnings. Making sure his own Force signature stayed muted as he did so. He believed it likely the Trade Federation was behind this, but that didn't mean they weren't in league with Dark Force users. Dark Force users who'd be able to sense a Jedi's presence.

Eventually, he heard the sound of footsteps ringing on metal coming from not far ahead. Those droids sounded as if they were descending a metal staircase and Obi-Wan slowed. As he eased his pace something else came to his attention. Something fleeting but definite. A slight blurring in the Force that he'd never have noticed as a padawan, but one he'd come to recognize now he was more attuned to their resonance. Vampires. That particular type of blurring signified vampires.

He stopped in the darkness created by two broken lights to consider his next move. The Force told him that a large open space lay just ahead. It was most likely one of the crystal caverns. Would there be more battle droids there? Vampires? Obi-Wan knew there was only one way to find out. Warily, he crept forward. Straining each of his senses. Ready to withdraw and hide, or stand and fight should he be discovered.

As he suspected, the tunnel opened up onto a large chamber cut into the heart of the mountain. Obi-Wan found himself standing on an ancient metal service platform that once had encircled the cavern. Now, large sections of the metal structure had either rusted through or broken completely away. There were several sets of stairs leading to the lower levels. Most were twisted out of shape with many missing treads. Obi-Wan gave it a distrustful look, before deciding that if it could bear the weight of battle droids it should have no problem taking his.

Obi-Wan left the tunnel entrance and found another patch of darkness to stand in further along the platform. He stilled, allowing himself to fade, to become part of the shadow. His tattered, hooded robe hiding most of his face and aiding the illusion. Below him, the large chamber looked in similarly bad shape as the service platform. Water seeped and oozed down the rock walls forming large puddles on the broken and pitted floor. The place would have looked long abandoned if it weren't for the racks of battle droids stacked around the walls and the four droids marching across the chamber floor.

He felt that slight blurring in the Force again. A moment, later a grey hooded figure holding a datapad stepped from the shadows with an arrogant stride. The figure lifted his head, watching the approaching droids, before throwing back the hood from his head. Then, in a gesture Obi-Wan recognized, the once human male pushed the long strands of dark hair from out of his eyes.

Obi-Wan face tensed, his eyes narrowing in dislike. He knew this vampire from Theed. He'd been in the group they'd discovered stealing artifacts at the museum. Obi-Wan remembered how this upstart had taken a particular shine to Buffy, proclaiming loudly that he intended to turn and keep her. Obi-Wan's lip curled. He'd taken great pleasure in kicking the disagreeable creature into the shelving and been annoyed to find the young vampire had escaped whilst he'd fought Master Jai.

What had the insolent creature's name been? Buffy had called him a Casanova-wannabe. That wasn't his real name. Obi-Wan knew he'd heard it mentioned. What was it?

“North perimeter clear, sir,” reported one of the droids, breaking into Obi-Wan's thoughts.

“Good.” Casanova-wannabe checked his datapad. “Your new orders are to return to Containment Level 4. Resume general guard duties in that area. Be aware the commander may wish to examine our most important prisoner for himself later. ”

“Roger, roger.”

Obi-Wan watched the droids march away and made a mental note of the exit they took. An important prisoner? It looked as if things had just got a whole lot more interesting. He'd follow those droids down to Containment Level 4 and find out the identity of this prisoner. If he circled around on the walkway, he'd be able to access those steps on the far side of the cavern. The racks of deactivated droids would provide ample cover when he reached the lower level. That way he'd avoid the vampire. Not that Kardash was much of a threat. It wasn't as if the Service Corps Jedi had the same fighting skills that the Order's knights were renown for. Still, it was better to avoid him, for now. It was more important to gather information on the identity of the prisoner and possibly free them than waste time on one insignificant vampire.

About to move, Obi-Wan remembered Buffy. He'd better contact her first and let her know about the vampires and the prisoner. She might even be near that level right now. Drawing his com-link, Obi-Wan was about to use the vibrate facility when the shadows on the far side of the chamber stirred and another human-vampire stepped from them.

The Jedi tensed, then slipped the com-link back into his pocket. Where had the new vampire sprung from? He'd not sensed him hiding back there. Obi-Wan peered across the chamber, wondering how many more vampires there were.

“Kardash!” called the newcomer.

As Obi-Wan watched, four more gray hooded figures emerged from the shadows. The Jedi's brow shot up. More from the Jedi Service Corps? How many Jedi had become vampires?

In the past, Qui-Gon had complained to Obi-Wan about the annoying way the Jedi High Council had of holding back information. His old master had been quite vocal at times saying the council's belief that information should only be given out on a need to know basis caused him far too many problems. At the time, Obi-Wan had tried to soothe him. He'd said the galaxy was a huge place and the Council couldn't be expected to provide their knights with every detail of problems they were facing and that sometimes the fewer who knew the better.

It seemed that once more his rebellious old master had the right of it. The Jedi High Council by not keeping him informed of the number of abducted and missing Jedi was about to cause him problems.  
And if the Jedi High Council were holding back information from him, who was directly dealing with vampires, that meant they'd be keeping this secret from all the other knights and masters.  
Obi-Wan's mouth tightened. That was a bad move. A very bad move. Without 'vamping out' these vampires could be mistaken for ordinary Jedi. Many would be fooled into trusting them.

“He's landed!” The vampire was saying to Kardash. “Didn't you get the message? We've to assemble in the landing bay area before they hold the meeting.” He sniggered, “Binks is gonna explain how he almost lost a full platoon of droids.”

They all laughed, making Obi-Wan wonder what the Gungan had done this time and who he'd be explaining to.

One of the hooded vampires piped up, “Could be... he'll find himself 'desolated'.”

Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed at that. Desolated? Was Darth Desolate here? And they were holding a meeting? Oh, he'd like to know who was attending and what was on the agenda. Buffy? Their plans for the galaxy? A take over of the Jedi Order? To start a war? Obi-Wan knew he needed to find out more.

“So... you coming with us?” one of the vampires asked Kardash.

Kardash shook his head, dark hair falling into his eyes once more. “I need to do a last check on the conference room. My head will roll if the droids left it a mess. I'll be up as soon as I've finished.”

Keeping his Force presence cloaked, Obi-Wan followed Kardash through several corridors and up onto an upper level. He stayed behind in the shadows, watching the young vampire enter a large chamber all set out for a meeting. Armed droids stood on either side of the door stopped him from going closer. Battle droids were notoriously stupid, but their senses were keen. He needed to gain access to that room! But how?

Closing his eyes, he stretched out his Force senses. After a few moments, he smiled and opened his eyes. Yes! The Force had provided the answer. Obi-Wan turned, backtracking along the way he'd come. Once he reached the stairway, instead of going down, he went upwards until he reached the next level. Pausing in the stairwell, he waited until the passageway he needed to follow was clear before exiting. Vampires and droids weren't the easiest ones to sense - especially vampires – it was best to wait and make doubly sure.

Concentrating with the Force, Obi-Wan purposely broke the lamps in the corridor before running along the narrow passageway. The Force told him that the half-broken door on his right was the one he needed to take. He slipped through and he found himself on another service walkway, again damaged by time and neglect. Once more the Force assisted him, guiding his feet unerringly to the sounder sections of metal as he made his way along the walkway.

The platform took him out high above what had once been a huge cavern but had later been divided into rooms. Obi-Wan looked down, examining each one before moving on to the next. Finally, he spotted what he'd been looking for. This was the one he wanted. That old table was definitely the one he'd glimpsed when Kardash had entered the conference room He recognized the deep scarring across the tabletop and the ornate chairs set around it. Of Kardash there was no sign, but he'd left a battle droid behind.

Moving over to a small alcove set in the cavern wall, Obi-Wan leaned back and waited. His lips curling up in a grim smile, knowing that he was now at the very center of the vampire's nest and, if the Force willed it, tonight he'd discover at least some of their plans.

***


	164. Chapter 164

Buffy soon caught up with the droids. Once she'd sighted them, she hung back, staying within hearing distance so she wouldn't lose them.

Whoever was in charge here (Ubi thought Neimodians, but she still thought demons because the place gave her the wiggins) had Trade Federation battle droids working for them. That thought brought a sour taste to her mouth. She'd met the long-headed, spindly robots before when she'd first landed on Naboo. That day they'd seemed to single her out, turning their fire on her. At the time, Andrew's antics had been stressing her out too much (plus she wasn't certain it wasn't a movie set) to fight back. Now she'd met them again. It was a pity she still didn't have that rocket launcher she'd used in the mall that time...

Turning the next corner, Buffy found another dilapidated corridor in front of her. This one was in worse shape than those others she'd followed the droids down. As she skirted around the rubble from a recent cave-in she shook her head with disgust. With all those droids around, you'd think someone would have got them cleaning-up.

A little further on, a stinking pool of green liquid bubbled up from the floor. Buffy stared at it. Eww, that looked totally gross. What was it? Back in her own dimension, she often came across gross things like grave-leakage or burst sewer pipes. Here it could be anything. That might be radioactive gloop for all she knew.  
Despite the droid tracks going through the middle of it, she gave it a wide berth, careful to keep her shoes away from the liquid. She scowled. This so wasn't fair. There was an entire galaxy of planets out there and many of them had expensive shopping centers. Why did they not have creepy Dark Force entities hiding out in them? Here she was, in a different dimension, and still hanging out in graveyards and sewers. It was as if she was destined to spend a large part of her life in dark places.

Further down the corridor, she was just climbing over another a pile of rubble when she caught the soft hiss of a door opening. She stopped moving. That had come from somewhere ahead of her. She listened. There came the clatter of droid feet moving onto a metal surface, a pause, followed by another hiss, and then the soft hum of machinery.

That sounded like an elevator! Crap! She was going to lose them.

Buffy sped to the next corner and peered around it. The passage in front of her looked better maintained than the last one but there wasn't a droid in sight. And yeah, there was the elevator door right at the bottom of the corridor with a display panel above it.

With a flash of Slayer speed, Buffy shot out from her hiding place and skidded to a stop in front of the elevator door. She stood, her face tense as she gnawed at her bottom lip. The arrow on the display pointed downwards yet the numbers grew higher the lower the elevator dropped. The display showed the lift was now at level four. Four changed to a five, five to a six and that's where it stayed.

“I guess, six is where I'm headed.” If she wasn't going to make a dramatic entrance (not that she minded dramatic entrances, but there was a time and place for them), she needed to take the stairs and sneak in that way. Once she reached the entrance to the stairs, she took one look at the stairwell and snorted.

“Yay, me.”

She might have known the stairs would be in a worse state than the passageways. Most of the lights were out, but in the semi-gloom, Buffy could see that the steps were either completely broken away or badly damaged. Above her head, there was a sign bearing the symbol for the number three. She looked at the sign and then the steps once again. Only three levels worth of damaged and missing steps to run down in semi-darkness. That was going to be fun. The only thing to make it worse was if she met a bunch of battle droids in there.

“Crap!” She rolled her eyes and nearly slapped herself for being so stupid. Honestly, she was so mentally challenged sometimes. She'd better not have just jinxed herself.

***

After going down nine flights of stairs and still not hitting level 4, Buffy was beginning to think maybe she should have taken the elevator after all. How far down where these levels?

She continued on, grumbling to herself about the antics of the Sith, droids, and sci-fi dimensions when something pinged her Slaydar. Buffy stopped, one foot hovering in mid-air, one hand gripping the handrail to balance herself as she leaned forward. From somewhere down below, there came the approaching thump of heavy footfalls and an angry growling...

Something was coming up the steps towards her! The tiny hairs on her forearms stood on end and a shiver ran down her spine. It was a vampire and a non-human one. Those alien ones gave off peculiar vibes and, whatever this was, she'd not met the species before.

Letting go of the handrail, she took a quick look around her. Slayer vision cutting through the darkness as she searched for somewhere to hide. If she could find a dark spot she could camouflage herself, let the vampire go past, and carry on after the droids. If the vampire spotted her, she'd need to improvise. Not that improvising was anything new, she'd been improvising one way or another since she was fifteen.

When she realized the walls around her were smooth and unbroken she knew she'd need to backtrack. Higher up, Buffy remembered that part of the wall and ceiling had collapsed taking out several lights along with it. That would be a good place to wait. She crept back up. Then tucked herself against the wall, her stake half-hidden in her hand as she waited for the vampire.

She heard his complaints long before she saw him.

“...always me who gits the poodoo jobs... Picks on me all the time he does. Stang! Cavern full of droids and tells me to clean up. Oi you! Doesn't even remember ma name. Shouts, Oi you. Just because I git sent to the Service Corps.... He thinks I'm some sort of dumb, nerf herding, kriffing cleaner droid who'll jump when I'm told to.  
One day, and I'm not tooling with this, am gonna tell yer all to kriff right off. And then they can all shove their kriffing wannabe scarlet lightsabers right up their toovers.”

Buffy watched the dark head of the grumbling vampire slowly coming into view. He wore gray robes that blended well into the darkness and he seemed completely wrapped up in his venting. It sounded as if someone had really pissed him off. Maybe he wouldn't notice her if she stayed standing quietly in the shadows?

As he came up the last few steps, Buffy thought that he'd walk right past her. It was dark enough after all, but the vampire looked directly over to her and growled, “I can see you.”

It was time to improvise. She'd go for the dumb blonde approach and brazen it out.

“Hi!” She bounced forward with extra-perkiness, intending to give him one of her most dazzling smiles. That idea died when she spotted his deformed face. She'd met lots of strange looking demons in the past but he was... er, special.

He's got four eyes. That's all she could think of at first. He's got four eyes.

There was a normal pair and, directly over the top of those, another pair set in his forehead. That was going to make eye contact difficult. Which set of eyes was she supposed to look at? If she looked at one set, the ones above or below caught her eye and she couldn't focus. Or, maybe, she could focus and her brain wasn't believing what her eyes were telling it. Just looking at him gave her double vision, almost as if she were drunk or hungover. Ugh, beer bad, tree pretty, four-eyed vampire demon weird.

“How did yer get out?” growled Four-Eyes. Buffy noticed that his nose was strange as well. She decided to talk and smile at the chin, at least that part of his face looked normal.

“Um, sorry, was I not allowed?” It wasn't difficult to play the distracted, dumb blonde. Not when you'd a four-eyed demon glaring at you.

That reply knocked the wind out of his sails. Four-Eyes gaped. His mouth opening and closing like a fish-person as he groped for a response.

Yay, Slayer quippage 1, Four Eyed demon response 0.

Buffy noticed he hadn't tried to grab her yet. He must think her harmless. Bad move, demon with four eyes. She continued with the perky smile, slyly measuring him up as an opponent. He was bigger than her, but as Yoda said, size matters not.

The vampire, finally, regained his wits. “Yer not allowed out. How did yer git out?”

“Oh, the door was left open,” Buffy looked down at her nails, looking up at him from under her lashes. “I thought I'd go for a stroll. Guess someone forgot to lock my door, huh?”

“Door? Yer mean forcefield?” Suspicion laced his voice. “Are there others out with yer?”

He shuffled closer and shot a fast look around as if expecting to see more people hiding in the shadows. Buffy's nose wrinkled. Aliens often had a different smell to humans and this one stank. A combination of old blood and alien sweat, mixed with musty decay. She wished he'd step away, that smell turned her stomach and caused a sour taste in her mouth.

“There's just little ole me,” she replied, watching him closely.

“I don't remember you.” He ran his eyes slowly down her.

“Whoa! That's never a polite thing to say to a pretty girl!” Buffy pouted and hoped her lightsabers were still hidden from view. “And hey! Buddy, my face is up here! I thought you were a nice...” the word 'guy' died on her lips, she wasn't sure what he was, “...er, person.”

She gave him another false smile and avoided breathing in through her nose. He was one stinky vampire. With a wave of her free hand in front of his face, to distract him, she asked, “Say, what species are you anyway?” And more importantly, Buffy thought, where's your heart?

“I'm a male Dyplotid,” was his dull reply.

“Um, that's nice.”

Crap, she didn't know the anatomy on that species. If she didn't know where to ram a stake for the maximum explosive effect she couldn't use it. A lightsaber would be a pain to use in this confined space. What about a dagger? But she needed to kill him and to do that she'd need to behead him. That would be... messy.  
Obi-Wan would freak out if she told him she'd cut an ex-Jedi's head off with a knife. He still claimed harvesting Troglodyte body parts for Mother Ta'la had emotionally traumatized him for life.  
While she was thinking of Obi-Wan, and doing so when facing an enemy was never a good time for distraction, the Dyplotid came to a decision.

A large, hairy knuckled hand landed on her arm. With a determined look, he waved the other one in front of her face. She felt a concentration in the Force as he slowly said, “You will return to the others.”

“Okay, I'll return to the others. Are you gonna come with me?” She smiled flirtatiously, even though she felt like punching a fist through his stupid face. Jedi Masters and Sith Lords had all attempted Force persuasion on her and every one of them failed. Now, this... What had those vampires back in Theed whined about being called? Oh yeah, a second-rate loser. This Jedi loser thought he could persuade her?

“I guess I'm gonna have to,” grumbled the vampire. “I'd rather just bite yer and leave yer here to die, but that'll get me in trouble.”

“So... are we going back to level six then?” Buffy asked. She ignored the comment and concentrated on not breaking his hand, as he tugged her down the steps. Around her, the Force stirred angrily, as if affronted on her behalf.

“Prisoners on four,” he replied dully. “The droid army is stored on six.”

Buffy batted her eyelashes at him. “Oh, wow. I love a man with intelligence and honesty. You're so handsome and brave. I bet you even know where the central droid command is too, don't cha?”

He recoiled, a repulsed and slightly shocked expression on his face. “Whagh?” he gargled.

Buffy pouted. It seemed she lacked the required amount of eyelashes to impress him with her femininity. Or maybe he preferred guys, or else he was a hermaphrodite or something. You never could be certain with aliens.

Well, she was certain of one thing. He wasn't taking her to a prison cell.

Taking advantage of the vampire's loosened grip, she wrenched her arm free. At the same time, she shoved. The Dyplotid fell away from her. With a dramatic flourish that any Jedi would be proud of, she drew Mr Sparkly. Around her, the walls of the stairway lit with a hellish red glow as the blade activated with a low and menacing hum.

“Bite on that, Loser!” Her blade sliced through the air, arcing towards the vampire's unprotected neck.

With a hiss, the Dyplotid's green lightsaber ignited and blocked her blow. Buffy leaned in, pressing the red against the green. The creature's feet skidded on the debris-strewn step. He snarled, vamped out, and pushed back with renewed strength. The Slayer grimaced, he was much stronger in his vampire form.

“I hate to tell you this,” she snarked. “But whoever gave you that nose, I'd sue.”

Buffy disengaged her blade from his with a fast push. She drove the blade downwards. It was a wild and clumsy move and she didn't expect to land a hit. It was more a manoeuvrer to assess his lightsaber skills. She sparred with Dooku and Obi-Wan all the time. It was unlikely he'd anywhere near her skills, but fighting in an enclosed space had its disadvantages. When pitted against a Force user, it was better to keep on the move.

“Yer've got a red one!” the vampire exclaimed, looking put out as he blocked her blows. “Why've yer got a red one? Even Master Sifo-Dyas's blade isn't red, yet!”

“Could it be because I'm prettier than him?” Buffy pushed on her blade. The green slid away and she saw the opportunity for a fast front kick to his stomach. “Or, maybe, it's because I'm a Slayer? Slayers are way cooler than Jedi rejects.”

The creature stumbled back but managed to stay on his feet. Buffy drove forwards. Her crimson blade colliding with the green once more. This time the vampire used a Force trick. Anger burning inside him at the insult, he raised a hand and slammed her with a Force push.

Buffy tumbled, hitting the hard steps behind her with a sharp cry. She lay where she'd fallen and whimpered. Any Jedi, she'd previously dueled, would have eyed her with deep suspicion. The Dyplotid had no such wariness. Believing her stunned and incapacitated, he saw only his foe on the floor and the opportunity for an easy kill.  
He sprang forward, greedily. With a spin of the green blade, he drove the crackling lightsaber downward. Driving it straight into the chest of the prostrate Slayer.

Only to find she was no longer there.

Buffy flipped sideways in a blur of Slayer energy. As the vampire's blade pierced the hard floor, she was on her feet. Slipping around and getting behind him.

Reversing the hilt of her lightsaber, she jabbed backward. The scarlet blade pierced the soft flesh of the Dyplotid's back, cut through his torso, angling upwards to erupt out of his chest. He drew in a ragged breath and Buffy yanked again. The hissing blade ripped his chest further, yet still, he didn't dust. He swayed, gurgling in his chest, the green lightsaber slipping from his hand.

Buffy watched the silver hilt hit the step beside her. Heard its metallic ring as it rolled and bounced down the stairs.

With her face devoid of all emotion, Buffy deactivated her scarlet blade. The vampire rocked in a sea of agony. He dropped to his knees, dragging in short, gurgling breaths. The Slayer turned, slowly. Reactivating the crimson blade. Then, in one swift, graceful movement, she swung her blade at the vampire's neck and delivered the coup de grace.

Then she stood motionless in the silence. The Dark Side of the Force lapping gently around her and the scarlet blade humming in front of her, as the column of dust that was once a vampire dropped to the floor.

***

Once the dust settled, Buffy turned and trotted down the stairs to where the vampire's deactivated lightsaber had fallen.

“Waste not, want not,” she said, picking up the weapon and clipping it onto her belt. Obi-Wan would probably have a fit when he saw it. He disliked it when she collected weapons. Especially if those weapons came from the Sith or dark creatures, but old habits were hard to break and a new lightsaber was nothing to be sniffed at. Not to mention, that shade of green matched her eyes.

Running down the stairs and letting the Force guide her steps, Buffy's thoughts turned to the information the four-eyed vampire had given her. They kept prisoners on level four. He'd known she wasn't one of them so obviously had some kind of interaction with them.  
How many prisoners did they have? Who were they? Why were they being held? In her experience, most vampires held prisoners for a reason, either for bait or demonic sacrifice. Few bothered to keep them as a handy food source as most vampires enjoyed the hunt almost as much as the kill. Would these vampires be any different?  
Since creepy vibes were pouring off this place, it wouldn't surprise her if the Sith weren't holding demonic rituals in here. She wondered what sort of rituals the Sith got up to. Back in her old dimension, she'd investigate, and let her Watcher research everything for her. Here she only had Andrew's fanboy knowledge and the close-lipped muppet from the Jedi Council to rely on.

Putting the problem of demonic Sith rituals to one side. Buffy's mind turned back to the prisoners. How difficult would it be to break them out? When she'd been kidnapped by slavers, her cells hadn't been a challenge for a Slayer to break out of. Once she'd got out all she'd needed to do was push a button and it had released the others. Would this be a similar set up?

Buffy turned a corner and spotted the number four sign ahead. She was on the prison level. She hesitated. Obi-Wan had wanted her to follow the battle droids and keep an eye out for the control center. The vampire hadn't told her where that was, but he'd admitted level six was where they stored the droids. From what she'd learned so far in this dimension, she doubted a storage level would house the command center. Most likely it would be on an entirely different level. Obi-Wan had a better chance of spotting it and destroying it than she had. Knowing her and alien technology, she'd activate the battle droid's firing mechanism. Computers and Buffy were so non-mixy.  
No, for the sake of the galaxy she'd investigate the prisoners instead.

But when her hand went to the com-link, something stopped her. She wouldn't contact Obi-Wan and tell him her plans just yet. He might be busy right now. It was better not to disturb him.

......


	165. Chapter 165

Standing on the high platform above the meeting room, Obi-Wan waited. Closing his eyes, he opened himself to the Force and reached outward into the currents. Something was closing in. With a jolt of shock, he cut his Force connection and quickly cloaked his presence. Some malign power that fed on the power from the Dark Side nebulous nearby. A wave of nausea hit the Jedi. He swallowed, knowing now was not a good time to lose the contents of his stomach.

Obi-Wan knew the source of his reaction. That dark power reminded him of the Sith tomb beneath the Jedi Temple. He'd walked into one of its chambers and felt as if he was being smothered by Dark power. Overwhelming, negative emotion after negative emotion had been thrown at him until, finally, he could bear no more. He'd come so close to giving up that day. Only Buffy had stopped him. Reaching out, talking to him, and helping him claw back control. In hindsight, that had been a pivotal point in their relationship. From then on he'd known he could trust her, even if she did sometimes appear a little too dark for his liking.

He'd a sudden wish she was here with him. Buffy might be the one leading him into dark places, yet she was always his beacon of light where the Dark Side was concerned. But the Slayer wasn't here. Obi-Wan drew in a deep and steadying breath. She might not be, but he knew how much faith she had in him. Now, he needed to be that serene and stoic Jedi knight Buffy believed him to be.

Once more, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and concentrated. This time slowing his breathing and consciously reducing his heart rate as Master Yoda had taught him, all those years ago. By the time the door hissed open and several figures filed into the dimly lit room, Obi-Wan was once more the serene, outwardly emotionless, Jedi.

He fell back into the easy rhythm of his investigative training. Observing each of the figures in turn as he sought for signs of their identity for his report. He noted that each wore a similar dark robe that covered them from head to foot. Despite their apparent outward conformity, his eyes kept returning to the three figures at the rear of the party.

Obi-Wan's gaze rested on the tallest of the trio. This one. This was the one he must watch. He shivered. Was it just him or had the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees?

With an air of authority, the tall hooded figure strode to the head of the table and gestured to the others.

“Pleathe be seated, my comrades.”

Obi-Wan tilted his head, eyes narrowing. That voice! He recognized it from the burnt-out droid's recording that he'd salvaged from the lower levels of Coruscant. It must be Darth Desolate. The Sith had a speech impediment. It had been more pronounced on the recording but there was still a lisp on the occasional 's' that was quite distinctive.

The second black-robed figure's identity, now he'd taken a seat facing Obi-Wan, was obvious. The bill protruding from the hood screamed Gungan and it was most likely Jar Jar. The third figure he'd noted sat with his back to Obi-Wan. The Jedi stared at his back, wondering who it was? With luck, they'd all remove their hoods and he'd be able to study each face. From the way the Dark Side of the Force clung to them, these were all, or almost all, Dark Force Adepts.

'Join them.'  
Startled, Obi-Wan shot a fast look around the platform. The alcove and the platform were empty and he was the only one up here. He mentally berated himself. He must be mindful of his thoughts!  
'The Dark Side is strong in you. You must join them. Take control.'  
Obi-Wan's breathing hitched. No! He didn't want to join them! He shook off the voice and concentrated on the room below.

“Master,” Jar Jar Binks pulled back his hood and grinned inanely at the man seated at the head of the table. “Wesa captured de Supreme Chancellor. Hesa fell for da well-good plan, easy.”

Obi-Wan tensed. So he and Buffy had been correct thinking the Gungan's late-night visit had been instrumental to Palpatine's abduction. Also, Darth Sidious wasn't working with the vampires. That was... interesting.

The Master turned to the Gungan. Obi-Wan sensed the undead Sith wasn't impressed with him. “At long last one of your plans has come right, Jar Jar,” the Dark Lord sneered. “Let's hope you don't lose him like you did the Sith holocron I gave you.”

Obi-Wan gasped. A Sith holocron? He'd found a Sith holocron in Jar Jar's apartment. Was Desolate's missing device the one he had in his pocket?

“Oh, dhat holocron isn't lost.” Jar Jar shook his head violently. The person next to him ducked, narrowly avoiding being slapped in the face by the Gungan's large ears.

“Mesa put it down somewhere,” continued Jar Jar. “Mesa justa not found it yet.”

“And, in doing so, you've allowed the ghost of an important Sith to ethcape,” Desolate snarled in reply. “No doubt now it has become self-aware, it will be forming a plan all of its own.”

'You have the holocron. Open it,' the voice whispered to Obi-Wan. 'Knowledge is power. Power is everything. Summon the ghost.' The Jedi ignored the voice and concentrated on the conversation below him.

Jar Jar dropped his head and muttered, “Mesa gonna find dat holocron. Mesa gonna control dha mighty bombad boss mub easy.”

The hooded figure with his back to Obi-Wan pulled back his hood and turned his head towards Darth Desolate. Obi-Wan recognized the profile of the Jedi master Sifo-Dyas.

“My Lord,” he said. His voice smooth and soothing in comparison to the Gungan's. “I must inform you that we've had problems since Palpatine was taken. Problems that could have easily been avoided if more care had been taken during his capture.” Although the Jedi master didn't look in Jar Jar's direction, the Gungan shrank back into his chair.

“Oh?” Desolate asked hollowly. The Dark Side of the Force crackled around him and Obi-Wan sensed that the Dark Lord's patience was coming to an end.

Sifo-Dyas now shot a fast and annoyed look at Jar Jar. “The Supreme Chancellor is highly adept in the ways of the Force.”

“A thecret Force wielder?” Desolate asked. He leaned forward in his chair, elbows on the table, his interest caught. “Jar Jar, what happened when you kidnapped him? How was this not discovered then?”

“Hesa goin' all alone to dha cave. Open dha box to looksie for de Darth Bane relics and da Boom! Gas got him! Hesa out cold and wesa brung him straight here.” Jar Jar shot Sifo-Dyas a glare. “Mesa had no trouble. Any trouble hesa been dis isn't-.”

“This was found on him,” cut in Master Sifo-Dyas. He took out a gold hilted lightsaber from his pocket and laid it on the table, in front of Darth Desolate. “No one,” he said heavily, “thought to search him for weapons after he was gassed. He had it tucked up his sleeve.”

Obi-Wan stared down at the electrum coated hilt of the Sith lightsaber. It was ostentatious and ugly just like its creator. 'You're just jealous because he's got a bigger and flashier one than yours. You're scared in case Buffy finds it more impressive.'

“Are you sure he's Force sensitive?” asked a feminine voice. “We know he's a collector of Sith and Jedi artifacts. Could it not be part of his collection?” Although she still hadn't removed her hood, Obi-Wan recognized the soft voice of the Jedi knight Erin Kar, a human woman only a few years older than him.

“On regaining consciousness, the first thing he did was use the Force to blast the door off,” replied Sifo-Dyas. “Once in the corridor, he drew the lightsaber and within minutes took out almost a full platoon of droids. It was lucky we'd a supply of Force inhibitors on hand and were able to dart him, otherwise, he'd have escaped.”

Desolate picked up the lightsaber and activated the blade. The crimson column sprang to life causing shocked murmurs from those around the table.

“He really is a Dark Sider!” growled the deep voice of a male Zabrack.

Obi-Wan eyes narrowed again, as he stared down at him. That Zabrack had a very familiar voice. It was one he'd heard in the training rooms many times in the past. A padawan? No, not a padawan. He was a knight, or possibly, even a master. How many Jedi had joined the ranks of the Sith vampires?  
'Join them. Take control. The Sith holocron is the gateway to more hidden knowledge than you've ever dreamed of. Take the power.'

Obi-Wan ignored the voice. He continued watching Darth Desolate who turned the lightsaber hilt, the hissing red blade vertical in front of his hood.

“A Sith Lord hidden in plain sight of the idiot Jedi.” Desolate laughed, a mocking sound that grated on the Jedi's ears. “Their pathetic Council of Masters failed to see him as they failed to find me. I dwelled within the very walls of their Temple for over a thousand years and not one of them thought to look for me down there.”

“Mesa found you. Mesa brought boss mub back to life!” Jar Jar sat up straight, looking smug.

Darth Desolate ignored the Gungan. “So Palpatine and hith lover are both Dark Lords of the Sith.” He deactivated the lightsaber and laid it gently back down on the table. “In the glorious days of our empire, a Sith could sense their soul mate from across the galaxy. When they met, they formed powerful Force partnerthips that made them quite formidable.” He sighed as if reliving old, fond memories. “Yet another reason to kill the Slayer.”

“As a Jedi Master,” said Sifo-Dyas puffing his chest out with importance. “I sensed the Slayer needed eradicating as soon as I met her.”

“Shesa mighty bombad,” agreed Jar Jar. A shudder went through his body. “Shesa better off crunchined.”

“Yes, yes, haven't I always said the same?” The ex-Jedi master went on. “The only thing that stopped the Jedi Council from executing her was that they had no proof of any crime. They hoped Kenobi would be able to gather evidence against her. Kenobi! Yoda claimed that dull, stick-in-the-mud boy would be strong enough to take on a Sith Queen! That snivelling, over-officious loser that Qui-Gon was forced to take on!”

'Look at your reputation! You're pathetic.' Obi-Wan's stare hardened. While it was true he'd been sent to the Agri-corps that had been over ten years ago. Since then, he'd proven his worth as a padawan and gained his knighthood. He'd no idea why everyone thought he was a dull stick-in-the-mud. All he'd done was keep to the rules and be a good Jedi. He wasn't the only one who lived and breathed the Jedi Code.

'You don't mind breaking the Code when it suits you though, do you? Especially when the Slayer is involved. You don't need her. Embrace the Dark Side, join the Sith, and take power. It is your destiny.'

Obi-Wan bit down on the wave of growing anger inside him. He must be mindful. The Dark Side was strong in this room. Just because he could feel it, didn't mean he had to fall for it. Also, it shouldn't be bringing Buffy into it.

“Likes dha bombad boss too much, Obi,” said Jar Jar suddenly. “Hesa whining, doin' nothin while shesa stranglin' me.”

“It doesn't surprise me that you were attacked,” Darth Desolate growled. “Throwing caff over her was an utterly moronic move, even for you.”

Jar Jar shuddered and the table shook. “Mesa saw much crunchin and death in dhose yella eyes. Mesa had to leave double quick. ”

Darth Desolate massaged his brow. “No matter, you'll see her death soon enough. The fact of the matter is... because of your incompetence, we've lost a platoon of droids and can't afford to lose more. Palpatine being a Sith Lord is a problem.” The Pau'an picked up the lightsaber once more, turning it over in his hands as he thought. Those around the table were careful not to interrupt his thoughts. “I wonder who trained him? This crystal is charged with pure rage and hatred.”

“My Lord,” replied Sifo-Dyas cautiously. “perhaps he's the one you seek and not the Slayer? If he is, we could dispense with Vader.”

The robed figures stilled, looking at their master hopefully.

Darth Desolate said nothing, his gaze far off. “No,” he answered with utter finality. “We need her. The prophecy states that only the blood from the strongetht Sith in the galaxy can complete my resurrection. She is the Chosen One. Only after I've consumed her blood will I be unstoppable.”

Obi-Wan noticed the calculating look Sifo-Dyas threw the Sith master before hiding the expression. The other figures shuffled in their seats apart from Jar Jar, who picked up Palpatine's lightsaber and began twisting the controls.

“Put that down at once!” growled Desolate, “It isn't -.”

The red blade shot from the hilt, stabbing the tabletop. Around the table, dark robes whirled, as their owners leaped to their feet and scattered.

Darth Desolate rose more slowly to his feet, his robe shrugged to the floor as he ignited his scarlet blade.

“Whaaa-?” Jar Jar screeched in surprise, swinging Darth Sidious's lightsaber in a wide arc towards the Dark Lord.

The Pau'an's blade struck, slamming and blocking Sidious's weapon. His other hand rose, ripping the lightsaber from Jar Jar's hand. It deactivated in mid-air, then skittered across the table. Everyone watched the golden hilt roll, to and fro, before falling to the floor with a clang.

The chamber had become as cold and silent as the grave. High up on his platform, Obi-Wan hardly dared draw breath. Around him, the Dark Side of the Force spun in a twisted vortex as the intense rage of the Dark Lord contorted the Force itself.

Jar Jar dropped to his knees, gibbering nonsense. His dark robes pooling on the floor as he cowered before his master. Towering over him, the Sith Lord with his vampire face now fully revealed, thrummed with barely suppressed violence. Glowering down at the Gungan as if, at any moment, he'd put an end to his undead life.

“So very sowwy! So sowwy, messa so clumsy! Mesa no mean anything! Mesa so stupid. Pleaze, dohn be crunchin.”

The Sith Lord's face curled into a snarl. Power reeled around him, as he thrust a hand in the Gungan's direction. He twisted his wrist at the very last moment, sending the battle droid standing by the door high into the air. Obi-Wan watched the droid almost come level with him before shattering into a million pieces as the Force crushed and scattered it. Droid components rained down. The gathered Force users sheepishly shielded themselves with their hands. None of them daring to use the Force to deflect the metallic rain, in case it angered the Sith Lord further.

Darth Desolate grabbed the Gungan by the front of his robes, lifting him up. “You”” he spat. “How dare you insult me by drawing a weapon on me.”

Jar Jar's tongue hung out the side of his mouth, his eyes crossed and his hands frantically clawing at his head in a feeble attempt to hold back the pain being inflicted on him.

Around the pair, violence, rage, pain, and fear bounced through the Force. Obi-Wan swallowed his growing nausea as the Dark Side pressed against him, whispering of his insignificance. Below, the Dark Lord grew taller and more powerful, as he drew on the terror of Jar Jar and those in the room.

Obi-Wan wondered if he was going to witness Jar Jar's death. It seemed Desolate had had enough of the irritating Gungan and intended to destroy him as he had the droid. Yet it appeared the Force was on Jar Jar's side, for the Dark Lord suddenly released his hold on the creature.

“Apprentice, NEVER even TOUCH a weapon in my prethence again unless I instruct you to!” snarled the Sith. He threw the spluttering Gungan back into his chair and sat down.

Jar Jar slumped, holding his head in shaking hands.

The Dark Lord gave a sharp wave of his hand. Not gathering or directing the Force this time, but as a gesture for everyone to sit. Those in the room obediently did so.

“What should we do with Palpatine, Master?” Sifo-Dyas asked. His hands were folded in his lap, his eyes lowered and tone deferential.

“We send Palpatine to trial,” replied the Pau'an. He grinned. A lipless mouth, showing long, sharp yellowed teeth. “Let him face something especially nasty.” The evil smile disappeared when he turned to the slumped Jar Jar. “Summon a smoke demon. Be useful. Don't meth this up.” His voice implied it was the Gungan's last chance.

“Mesa got it all ready, Master,” the Gungan sat up, twisting his hands as he spoke. Obi-Wan sensed he was desperately trying to hold himself together. “Mesa already drawn dha circle and set dha bones, ready for dha bombad Slayer. Mesa use it for him instead.”

“Good,” drawled Desolate. “Place him on one of the deserted levels. I don't want a Smoke demon running amok. Dispersing them can be difficult.”

“Eight, my Lord” replied Sifo-Dyas. “Level eight is empty. If it gets out of hand,” he didn't look at the Gungan, but Desolate did, “we can always blow that level and bury everything in it.”

Level eight then. If Palpatine defeats the demon we'll bring him into our Order. Another thtrong Force user would be of great benefit to me. Those rejects you keep bringing me are only fit for blathter cannon fodder.” He pointed at Jar Jar and said sharply, “See to it.”

“And the Sith Queen?” asked Sifo-Dyas.

“Still on the menu. Let uth find out how Palpatine fares first.”

The group rose to their feet and Obi-Wan flattened himself against the wall. He caught Jar Jar's obsequious nervous chatter, talk of demonic nightmares, and then polite laughter from the others. It seemed to take ages before the room was empty and he could consider everything he'd heard.

Obi-Wan had the sudden urge to leave the planet with Buffy and hide somewhere in the Outer Rim. Yet even as he thought it, he knew that it wasn't a real option. As much as he loathed Palpatine, he couldn't stand by and allow the Supreme Chancellor to become a vampire. Not because he felt any kind of compassion for the man. As far as Obi-Wan was concerned he deserved none. No, something else worried the Jedi.

If a man who was already evil became a vampire, what level of atrocities would he commit in his ruthless struggle for power? Would he destroy the Republic? Build an army? Start a war. Take down the Jedi Order? Lay waste to the galaxy? Drain the Force itself?

There was only one thing to do. They had to find Palpatine and help him escape. He and Buffy had an apocalypse to avert.

...........


	166. Chapter 166

When Buffy opened the door from the stairs to level four she wasn't sure what to expect. Would she be in a high-tech security prison or a dark and depressing dungeon? In the end, it was neither.

On the other side of the door was yet another passageway. This one looking much the same as all the others she'd encountered in this mountain. The same damaged floor, holes in the roof, and those random yet mysterious stains on the walls. This place might have once been an important installation, but now everywhere showed the same signs of abandonment and decay. Of course, that made it an ideal place for vampires to hang out. They always favored derelict warehouses, abandoned mansions, and long-forgotten underground crypts.

Buffy crept forward, knowing that she mustn't let her guard drop. Back in her dimension the vampires normally didn't use weapons, here they used lightsabers and owned armed robots. She needed to be cautious. Belatedly she remembered Obi-Wan's warning about surveillance cameras. She stopped, scanning the passageway for anything out the ordinary. Nothing looked remotely like a camera lens; she felt sure she'd notice them if they were there. Unless one had been concealed inside the dark green fungus growing from the light fitting? She doubted it. That stuff looked too yucky for even demons to willingly touch.

As for sensing any vampires, her Slaydar felt strangely silent. The one she'd met on the stairs had been grumbling about being a minion before she'd killed him, so she knew they were about. If this was the prisoner level why were none around? Why wasn't she sensing them?

Around her, the Force felt stronger than ever. That must be due to the Dark Force nebulous Obi-Wan had been freaking out about earlier. Since the Dark Force never gave Buffy the urge to start murdering people, Buffy took advantage of her stronger connection. Reaching into the swirling currents she searched for signs of the prisoners.

Nothing close by.

She shut her eyes and slowed her breathing. Concentrating on maintaining her connection rather than forcing a path through the energy currents. Nothing happened and then...

There! Life signs!

They were still a distance off, not that judging distances within the Force was easy. She'd discovered that aspect of it really early on. Important things appeared closer and other things smaller and often actual distances didn't have have much bearing on it. She sighed. Obi-Wan was so much better and more experienced at reading signs in the Force than she was.

But despite not being a Jedi she'd managed to find them! The prisoners' strong emotions sent out distortions in the Force. Frustration, fear, hopelessness, pain, abandonment, and even great waves of anger all swirled through the Force. Those negative emotions reached through her Force connection, bombarding her with their intensity. Since Buffy wasn't a Jedi, and strong emotions were nothing new to her, they only distracted her. Without thinking, she turned the corner and walked out into the middle of a corridor intersection. She froze, realizing what she'd done.

Luckily for her, there was no one in sight. She gave a sigh of relief and considered which corridor to take. The one in front of her was the main one. If she-.

A hiss of a door came from close by, in the right-hand corridor. She moved quickly away, but not before she'd glimpsed the spindly limbs of the emerging Battle droids. Crap! Maybe, they hadn't seen her. Keep walking. Don't run. If they looked down here and saw her running they'd know she wasn't supposed to be in here.

“Don't let them stop me,” she whispered under her breath.

She kept walking, cursing her stupidity. Always be mindful of your surroundings and your actions. And now she was chastising herself in Obi-Wan's voice. She could just imagine the lecture the Jedi would give her if he found out about this. Or maybe he wouldn't bother lecturing her and simply stare at her with disappointment in his baby blues. Sometimes he only needed to look at her, to make her feel guilty.

Why hadn't she checked the area for droids? She'd gotten distracted, that's why. What a stupid mistake to make. It wasn't as if she hadn't known there were Battle droids in the mountain. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

She reached into the Force again. This time hoping she'd miraculously developed Jedi precognition powers and she'd know the direction the droids were going to take. She'd a horrible feeling it was this one. Not because of anything the Force told her but became of Murphy.

There was a doorway coming up on her left. Buffy darted in and looked for somewhere she could hide. She didn't dare use switch on the light. From the light filtering in behind her, she could see the large chamber had once served as a control room for the installation. The shadowy shapes of broken desks with raised consoles and the remnants of instruments were scattered all over the room.

The tramping of droid footsteps grew louder. No time to lose! Buffy dived behind the most intact desk and wriggled down into the kneehole space. It was the best she could do. It was dark in here and as the back of the desk was blocked off so she wouldn't be seen by anyone passing in the corridor.

They were almost at the door now.

'Go past, go past, go past,' Buffy closed her eyes and willed the droids away. If they came in and found her hiding under a desk, it would take some explaining.

“Lights 100%,” a droid ordered. It was definitely a battle droid. Its vocoder reverberated in the weird way she remembered from when she'd first encountered them on Naboo.

Had they seen her come in here? Or was this a routine room check before moving on to the next? Yeah, that made sense. A room check. The sound of mechanical joints, pistons, and footfalls came towards her desk. Buffy tensed, her heart beating loudly in her ears as she chanted, silently, 'Go away, go away, go away.'

“Why are you under a desk?” the droid asked. It had lowered its long, narrow head to look directly at her.

'So much for finding a good hiding place.' Buffy stared back at its tiny dark eyes. No, not eyes. According to Obi-Wan, droids all had optical receptors. He'd also explained that many species in this galaxy found battle droids terrifying to look at. He'd said their heads resembled skulls. Buffy thought they looked nothing like any skull she'd ever seen and, for droids, they were kind of cute and a bit goofy. It was just a pity they were always under the control of psychotic despots or blood-sucking demons.

She smiled, giving it a friendly little wave. “Hi there.”

Andrew had given her a couple of pieces of advice about these droids. First of all, he'd said they were bad shots. Since it carried a blaster rifle sporting a rapid-fire button, Buffy didn't think it mattered how bad a shot it was. One of those blaster shots had a good chance of hitting you even if the rest missed. Secondly, he'd said that these droids were notoriously stupid. That might work in her favor. Could she convince them she was supposed to be here? It was a better option than putting her hands in the air and saying 'take me to your leader.'

“What do you think I'm doing under here?” she asked. If the first rule was don't die, the second rule was to play for time. Buffy made a show of rubbing her hands together, to remove the dirt she'd gotten from climbing under the desk and show them she wasn't holding a weapon.

The droid's head wobbled from one side to the other. Buffy wasn't sure if it was confused by her answer or it had a problem with a loose screw in its neck. It might be a loose screw. The droid had scorch marks on it, as if it had been in a recent battle.

“Your answer does not compute,” replied the droid.

“Delete that entry. Hold on. Let me get out of here.” She put her hand on the droid's head and gave it a little push to send it back. “Scoot!”

Once she was standing, the droids gathered around her. Towering above her, they looked at one another, seemingly unsure what to do next.

“I'm in here for a friend,” Buffy explained in a calm and even manner. Obi-Wan's Jedi serenity must be rubbing off onto her. “You know, the Dyplotid guy who was here earlier?”

The droids didn't answer, but since they weren't shooting at her, she went on, “The big guy? Four eyes? Don't you remember him?”

The droids' turned to each other again. What were they thinking? Obi-Wan had told her they were virtually brainless so maybe they weren't thinking anything. Maybe they were just checking that one of them hadn't wandered off - brainlessly.

She shuffled her feet, inching away from the desk and the droids. “Anyway, when he was down here earlier he lost his... um... contact lens! Yeah, he doesn't like admitting it but he wears contact lenses as his eyes are bad. He, er, he can't see properly if he loses one. He tried looking with his, um, other three eyes but he still couldn't find it. So he asked me to come into this room and look for it. You see, my eyesight is much better than his.”

The small eyes on the central droid seemed to flicker, almost as if filing this information. “Why are you on this level?”

Buffy sighed loudly. Under the pretense of folding her arms, she reached for the darksaber she'd hidden up her sleeve.

“Do I need to explain?” she asked, palming the darksaber.

The three droids stared at one another and then back at her. “Affirmative!”

“I'm here to check on the prisoners.” Would they fall for it? Not that she was worried about fighting a trio of droids. In the Temple training rooms everyone fought droids. It was like the go-to way to train. The question was, could she take out these droids and not draw the attention of others?

She shot a sneaky look around her. If it came to a fight she'd need more space. Buffy took a step back; not too far, as that might raise suspicion. At least now she was further away from the desk, the three droids were in front of her and her back was to the door.

“All members of the New Order were ordered to level one for the arrival of our Supreme Commander. Until members of the New Order return to their stations all prisoners will remain the responsibility of patrols four and six,” recited the middle droid.

“And here I am, newly ordered and returned,” Buffy replied, as she thought over this new information. The Supreme Commander was here? Was he Palpatine? Was the Sith Lord behind all this? She wouldn't put it past him to work with the vampires. He'd worked with the Trade Federation and the Separatists. He'd probably take New Orders of vampires in his stride.

“Answer fails to compute,” said the droid.

“Compute failed. Delete the entry,” Buffy replied absently. “Your orders were to guard until I returned. Behold, I am returned.” she waved an imperious hand, “Your job is complete. Your new orders are to return to level six and shut down.”

The three froze as if relaying this information between themselves. “Facial identification does not match that of previous commanders,” stated the one on the left.

“Facial identity not corresponding to the identity of any member of the New Order,” replied a second.

“I am new and I command the commanders,” Buffy remarked, inching sideways. Now, she'd definitely have enough room to draw her lightsaber. “Didn't I just tell you that?”

“Did suspect previously supply information?” the center droid asked the droid on its left.

“Negative,” it replied. All three of them stared down at Buffy.

“Honestly, do I need to spell this out? And I mean that literally, not in the way Willow would spell it out for you. She'd so fry your electrics with her mojo. Ugh, anyway, Jar Jar Binks sent me - to check on the prisoners.” Buffy knew she was taking a gamble using Jar Jar's name, but she thought the Gungan would be well known amongst the vampires.

Her heart dropped, when the center droid replied, “Information failed to compute. Master Sifo-Dyas controls all prisoners. Jar Jar Binks is banned from this level. You have no authorization here.” It raised the blaster in her direction.“You will be placed in a cell until-.”

Buffy cut the droid's sentence short by igniting the darksaber. The hissing blade shot from the hilt straight into the droid's chest. Yanking the weapon free, Buffy sprang high into the air. Front kicking the injured droid whilst simultaneously swinging the blade. The dark weapon blurred in her hands as she struck first left and then right. The energy blade making short work of the metal bodies of the flanking droids as she leaped into the air.

Buffy landed, with both feet on the chest of the fallen center droid, as chunks of smoldering droid sections crashed onto the floor around her. As she drew in a steadying breath, the Force warned. She lashed out, this time with her heel. Her foot struck the blaster rifle the downed droid held, sending it skittering across the floor.

Buffy stared down at the face of the droid, puzzled. It wasn't dead. She'd thought being impaled on a lightsaber would have killed it, yet it had somehow managed to raise its blaster in her direction. She glanced at the unmoving droid segments around her. Apart from the occasional sparking flash from their burning electronics they showed no sign of life. Buffy swiped with the dark blade and decapitated it. If it wasn't dead before, it was dead now.

Aware the sounds of the skirmish might have attracted unwanted attention. She'd tried to be quiet, but droids sections dropping onto a hard floor made a real racket. Buffy reached out once again, searching for any sign of vampires or droids coming to investigate. When neither her Slaydar or the Force warned, she deactivated her darksaber and hopped off the droid. As she did her foot touched the severed head.

“Eww!” She launched it with her foot and watched it roll into the far corner of the room. “And I guess that's my cue to head out of here.”

***

Letting the Force guide her, she traveled along several corridors before getting the next blip on her Force enhanced Slaydar. Not a vampire this time, but a droid. She crept forward to peer around the next corner. Sure enough, a droid sat at a high desk with its back to her. Craning her neck, Buffy could see that it was monitoring a split screen in front of it.

Were those prison cells? She tugged Mr Sparkly from her belt and sprang forward. The droid never saw her coming. The crimson energy-blade swung and a droid head rolled. It bounced onto the floor and Buffy gave it a kick, sending it under the desk. Then, remembering one of Obi-Wan's long lectures, or part of one, she pressed down on the droid's shoulders. It began to fold in on itself, arms and legs retracting and curling around the torso until it was once more in the compressed state battle droids were transported in. Once fully compacted she shoved the whole thing under the desk, hoping no one would notice it there.

Once satisfied the droid was hidden, she leaned her elbows on the cold metal of the desk and took a good look at the screens. Only four of the cells were occupied.

In the first sat Sheev Palpatine. The Supreme Chancellor sat on a narrow cot, his head rested against the wall and his eyes were shut. Was he drugged, asleep, or pretending?

“Sid,” Buffy said softly taking in the collar and cuffs he wore, “those vampires really got you.”

Another cell held four prisoners wearing Jedi robes. Each lay on a narrow cot as if in a deep sleep and none wore the cuffs or electro-collars. Buffy's eyes narrowed, the lack of collars and cuffs was suspicious. She needed to take a closer look at these Jedi.

Buffy's heart sank when she saw the inhabitants of the third cell. They were not only the largest group they were also the youngest. These were kids in their early teens. Male, female, humans, and aliens, all wore electro-collars as they sat or lay curled up on mats on the floor.

Drusilla's twisted song came back to her.

“Girls and boys come out to play  
The moon doth shine as bright as day  
Leave your supper, and leave your sleep  
And join your playfellows in the street.

Come with a whoop, and come with a call,  
You may be Jedi but you'll still fall,  
Escape down the ladder and crawl up the wall,  
The tomb of the Sith will be the end for you all.”

Buffy swallowed, the foul taste of metal in her mouth making her want to gag. Her Slayer dream had shown her innocent children playing happily in the park and then, later, she'd heard Drusilla and her mad song. Her dream hadn't lied. The Sith vampires had been busy raiding the Service Corps stations and stealing Jedi kids. Anger darkened her face. The Jedi Order might have failed them but she wouldn't. She wasn't leaving them here for the vampires to kill. She'd no idea how she'd do it but those kids were coming with her.

Turning her attention back to the screen, Buffy saw that the last cell held a single prisoner. A dark-haired human male sat on the floor, his back to the wall and his legs drawn up. Like the Supreme Chancellor, he wore cuffs and an electro-collar. Unlike the Supreme Chancellor, this man had been beaten. Even from a distance, Buffy could see both his eyes were swollen and distorted. Dark stains covered his light-colored tunic, most likely his own blood. Despite the injuries, there was something in how the man held himself that caught her eye. As if taking a beating was nothing new to him and he'd endured it with Jedi-like stoicism. This was a man who'd die rather than be broken.

Something about him seemed familiar. Buffy frowned. Was he a Jedi? Buffy looked at the bottom of the screens to see if there was some way to zoom in. There was nothing obvious. There were more controls in the center of the console, but Buffy didn't want to fiddle with them in case she accidentally set an alarm was off. She leaned further forward, her nose almost touching the screen. Oh! Was that? That looked like...

“Jango Fett!”

She pulled back. How'd they captured him? He was one slippery customer with a lot of tricks up his sleeve. She'd found that out for herself during her fight on the Jedi rooftop. However they'd done it, from the state of his face, those vampires had been having fun with him.

Well, that was... kinda interesting.

The Jedi kids in the overcrowded cell caught her eye again.

“ How am I gonna get you out of there?” Buffy mused. Cogs began to turn in her brain as a plan took shape. She couldn't help the little smirk that tugged at her lips. Obi-Wan was not going to like this.

.....................


	167. Chapter 167

After slaying the last droid, Buffy landed in a low crouch with her scarlet lightsaber held horizontally in front of her face. All around her lay the smoking remains of the battle droids that had been guarding this corridor. This time, she hadn't bothered hiding. Instead, she'd gone straight on the attack, cutting down the small patrol with such speed that they hadn't had a chance to fire off a single shot.

Now, with the smoke from their remains floating into the air, she took a moment to recenter herself, to let her heart and breathing rate slow before deactivating her lightsaber. On the right-hand side of the corridor were a row of doors with cells behind them. She'd two options. She could either rush over and start wildly hitting the buttons beside the doors or she check out the desk that lay on her left and see if the door release controls were on there.

Buffy took the second option. Sensors flashed on the desk at her approach. She had a slight flutter of panic, thinking an alarm had been set off, followed by relief when a monitor slid up from the top of the desk displaying the cells and their inhabitants.

The four older Jedi lay in their cots still sleeping. Buffy looked at the doors facing her. They didn't appear to be soundproofed so why hadn't they been woken with the noise. Those droids crashing to the floor made a similar level of noise to throwing metal trashcans around. Had they been drugged or were they not in any of these cells? She wasn't getting a read off their Force signatures.

The Jedi kids had heard the fight. They'd moved to the furthest wall away from the door and were staring at the door. Buffy could almost taste the waves of fear coming from them. Jango Fett had also heard the commotion. Although he hadn't moved from his spot facing the door, Buffy could sense his intense concentration.

In the last cell, Palpatine was still in the exact same position as before. She didn't sense anything through the Force from him, but that wasn't unusual. Even Yoda wasn't able to sense much from Palpatine, that's how he'd kept his evil Sithy-ness a secret for so long.

Buffy rolled her shoulders and eyed the doors once again. What she really wanted was to open the Jedi kids door first, get them out of there, and tell them everything was going to be okay. Before she could do that, she needed help. Time to put her plan into action. She chose the control for the second door, pressed the release button, and darted across the corridor.

From somewhere inside the wall the mechanism crunched and then made a hollow thud. The door shuddered. Buffy rolled her eyes. Yeah, that was just typical. Every door she'd come to had opened with a smooth whoosh and here she was, trying to get in the first cell, and the door was faulty. The door suddenly juddered again, as if it heard her, before slowly opening to approximately eight inches wide and jamming.

From out the gap came the repugnant stench of old blood, sour sweat, and unwashed body odor. Repulsed, she pulled a face. She'd forgotten how whiffy prison cells tended to be.

Ignoring the smell, she squeezed her shoulder and arm between the door and the door jamb. She pushed, using Slayer strength on the stuck door. It gave a shriek of protest before something in the wall clicked and allowed the door to slide fully open. Only then did she look at the cell's occupant.

Jango Fett rose stiffly to his feet. He'd either been in an accident (doubtful) or taken a beating (likely). He sported blackened eyes, a broken nose, a nasty split lip, and a huge bruise to his jaw that made Buffy wince to look at it. Someone, or maybe several someones had taken their temper out on him. Blood had dripped down onto his shirt and she noticed another darker patch of dried blood signifying an injury to his side. His hands were bound in front of him by electro-cuffs. Hands that were as swollen and blackened with bruises as badly as his face. Jango must have lost his weapons and resorted to fighting with his fists at one point.

The guy was in a mess and badly needed a dip in a bacta tank. Shame she didn't have one handy.

Yet despite his injuries and his current situation, the bounty hunter looked far from despondent. Buffy remembered Andrew saying Jango made a career out of being in dangerous situations and, from how he was acting, she bet this wasn't his first time imprisoned. As for that poker face he wore, well, it didn't work with her. After spending the best part of a year living with the Jedi she'd easily read the flash of surprise, confusion, and wariness when he'd recognized her.

He had good reason to be wary of her. After the way he'd treated her, he probably thought she was here to join in torturing him.

When it became obvious he didn't intend to speak first, she said, “I guess, you weren't expecting me?”

Jango didn't answer, continuing his intense stare and making no move to close the gap between them. Buffy realized why when she looked at his feet. The vampires had shackled Jango to the wall with a chain running from his ankle cuffs. The chain's length only allowed the bounty hunter to take a few paces in any direction. It seemed like the vampires weren't taking any chances with this one.

Buffy decided she'd also keep her distance. Underneath the electro-collar were bite marks. Had there been mutual sucky-ness going on? Her Slaydar didn't think so, but she'd leave him chained until she was certain.

“You're working with them now,” Jango said, his eyes watchful, obviously on edge in her presence.

Buffy snorted. “Mom always told me never to assume,” she replied. “She said it makes an ass out of you and me.” She frowned, wrinkling her nose up in frustration. “Ah, I guess that doesn't work out the same in Basic as it does in English.” She continued, “And you probably have no idea what an ass is either.”

Jango got the gist of what she was trying to say. “If you're not working with them...” his eyes never straying from hers as if expecting a sudden attack. “What are you doin' here?”

“Me? Oh, I'm just snooping.” Buffy leaned nonchalantly back against the wall, folding her arms, “You could say I've got a long history of breaking into vampire's homes and causing personal damages.”

“Snooping,” Jango repeated, still trying to get a read on her. Funny that, because she was doing the same with him.

Her eyes flicked around the cell. “Nice place you've got here, Jango. Homely, in a minimalist meets gothic torture kind of way.”

It looked as if the vamps had taken a normal room and made a few adjustments. They'd installed hooks on the walls, chains, a drain to carry away the sewage; in fact, everything to make it a home from home for their victims. She took in the layers of filth and the blood splatters and her mood soured. Buffy had the feeling the vamps had been stashing prisoners here for months. That left a bad taste in her mouth.

Their deaths were on her conscience. She was the only one with experience of vampires in this dimension and Quin had turned up a connection between the apprentice and Naboo months ago. If Obi-Wan and the Jedi-Scoobies hadn't helped her, she could still have stolen aboard a ship and investigated by herself. People had died needlessly because she'd not come out here. She couldn't even lay any of the blame on Yoda and the Jedi Council either. They were completely in the dark where vampires were concerned. Buffy's brow furrowed. Actually, the Jedi Council were in the dark about a lot of things, including Sith Lords who were supposed to be their specialty. If she left everything up to them, they'd be facing a Jedi apocalypse faster than you could say 'Anakin Skywalker'.

'Concentrate on the here and the now.' And yeah, there was Obi-Wan's voice in her mind again. She was going to have words with him about drilling gems of wisdom into her head with his evil mind-powers.

Her eyes left the blood splatters and moved back to Jango. How long had he been imprisoned here? Days? Weeks maybe?

“What are you doing here, Jay?” She nodded at the chain shackling him to the wall. “I'm guessing this isn't a bondage game that got out of hand?”

“I'm here to build up my tan,” replied Jango, his eyes still watchful. “The vampires said they were running a health resort. They never mentioned paying in blood. I found out the hard way.” He lifted his hands and placed his fingers to the base of his throat. Then curled his fingers into a ball.

Looking at the cuts and bruises on his hand. Buffy guessed whichever vampire had tried making a meal of Jango had found himself eating a fist sandwich.

“That's the problem with having a vampire as your employer,” she said with a hint of disapproval, “Sooner or later they can't resist going for a neck nibble. How long have you been here, Jay?”

The bounty hunter snorted. “Too long. They asked me to a meeting, saying they'd a new mark for me. They'd been asking around so I believed it was genuine. Once I got there it was obvious something more was going on by how they were acting. They got lucky. I was fighting two of them and got hit from behind by a speeder.” He rolled his neck and his shoulder. “Yeah, still feeling it. It damaged my rocket pack so I couldn't get away. Then I was drugged. Next thing I know, I'm being unloaded.” He tried for a half-smile, his eyes running over her face. “I guess, they were real sore I never captured you.”

Buffy closed the distance between them with a blur of Slayer speed, ignited Mr Smoky, and slashed with the darksaber.

The Mandalorian stared at the severed chain lying on the floor, his lips moving almost soundlessly. Almost soundlessly, but not quite. To Buffy, it sounded like, “Son of a Rancor.”

“Lift your hands to waist level and try not to flinch,” Buffy said, gesturing to his handcuffs. She gave him a wide smile and added chirpily, “You wouldn't want me to miss and accidentally chop something else, would you?”

When she'd severed the cuffs, Jango moved his hands apart. He stared down at them, hands fisting despite the injuries, disbelief mingling with surprise on his face.

Buffy motioned to his collar. “We need to get that off. I don't want them zapping you while we're escaping.”

Jango looked up sharply. “There's a 'we'?”

Buffy tutted. “Try to keep up, Jay. I'm helping you escape.” She gave the collar a thoughtful look. The one the slavers had put her in was nowhere near as complex. “If you like, I can poke the mechanism with,” she waved her energy blade, “Mr Smoky and see what happens.”

“They keep the keys in the desk down the hall,” Jango replied quickly, not liking the thought of a lightsaber so close to his throat. “They threw them into a drawer after a torture session. If we can avoid the guard droids, between us we can take out the vampire who normally sits there.”

“I've no idea where the vamp is,” replied Buffy turning off the energy blade and moving towards the door, “but the droids are taken care of. Wanna give me a hand dragging smoking body parts into here? I've been trying to cover my tracks by hiding the trail of bodies.”

Jango nodded, following her out the door. “Sure, but why are you helping me?

“I'm a vampire slayer. That means I protect people from them.”

“Even though I tried to kidnap and then kill you?” Jango argued. “it's only a job to me but most people take that sort of thing personally.”

“I've neither forgotten nor forgiven,” grumbled Buffy. She grabbed several droid body parts and began dragging them into Jango's cell. Behind her, the bounty hunter grabbed legs and followed her. “I still have nightmares about being shot from the roof.” She added, “The Jedi council had to airlift me to safety.”

“Sorry about that. You got under my skin that day,” Jango replied. He kicked the last section of droid into the cell and closed the door. “I'd like to say in a nice way, but I'd be lying.”

“The way you try to hook up with the ladies, it's a wonder you've ever had a date,” she replied. She leaned towards him, nose wrinkling because the guy smelt sweaty, and allowed a hint of Slayer to peek from her eyes. “Don't try it again, else I'll make an exception to my rule about not slaying humans.”

“I swear as a Mandalorian that I'll never take a contract on you again,” his words rang with truth and he smiled. Which would have looked better if his face wasn't as swollen.

“See that you don't,” said Buffy as they reached the desk in the hallway.

At the desk, Jango tapped in a code and when a drawer slid open pulled out asked, “What color is the light on the front of my collar?”

“A pretty shade of lilac that matches your eyes.”

Jango picked out a lilac plastic square embedded with a chip. He pressed it into a groove on his collar and the device beeped twice before sliding open. Throwing the collar into the drawer he rubbed at his neck and then used the same key to open the remains of his cuffs and ankle shackles.

“Sweet,” he said when the last shackle dropped away, “Now, where's my armor?”

“I need your help Jay,” Buffy said, she picked up all the chips in the drawer and pushed them into her coat pockets.

“And I thought you'd released me because of your kind heart,” the bounty hunter muttered. He sighed. “Who do you want killing, Sweetheart?”

“I don't want you to kill anyone!” Buffy squeaked. Maybe Obi-Wan was right about this guy. He was too dangerous. Perhaps she'd made a mistake in releasing him? But no, after seeing him, she couldn't have left the guy for the vampires to continue torturing. Even Sid didn't deserve that kind of fate. Okay, she was lying, Sid really did deserve that kind of fate.

“I need your help freeing the other prisoners,” she explained. “When I met the vampire Dyplo-toad-”

“You met the Diplotid?” Jango broke in, looking around him as if expecting the four-eyed vampire to step from the shadows.

Buffy wondered what the four-eyed demon had done to upset Jango. “I bumped into him on the stairs-”

“I owe him,” hissed Jango, “He did this.” He touched the bite marks on his neck. Buffy had a feeling he was angrier about being bitten than beaten. “Where is he?

“He's on the stairs,” she replied truthfully.

“You let that peedunky go?” He turned, as if ready to head to the stairway and catch up with the Diplotid. Buffy put a hand lightly on his arm. “ We gotta find him, quick. Once he's told the others the place will be crawling with the scum. Don't you realize how much those vampires want you?”

“Chill. He's not gonna tell anyone,” Buffy replied smoothly, “When I say I left him on the stairs, I meant I dusted him there.” From the confused look Jango shot her she guessed he'd never killed a vampire. “To kill a vampire you need to impale them through the heart with a wooden stake or behead them. They turn into dust. They're pretty resilient and can recover from all sorts of serious injuries if you don't do it the right way.”

Jango stilled, obviously filing the information away for future fights. “Those other prisoners you mentioned,” he said slowly. “They brought a bunch of kids here after me. Every so often they go into their cell and take one out,” his face darkened. “ I heard them screaming... crying. They don't bring them back.” There was a hard look in his eyes. “Let me find my armor and I'll be happy to get them out of here.”

“There are more prisoners here besides the kids,” Buffy pointed out. She needed Jango's help to get everyone out, not just the kids.

“You're here for the crazy Jedi?” Jango asked, he'd opened a door on the left-hand side of the corridors and, after switching on the light, scanned the chamber for his armor. When she didn't reply he shot a look over his shoulder, saw her confusion, and jerked his thumb in the direction of a door-less cell.  
“He ripped the door off and escaped. Fought off a stack of droids by the sound of it. The vamps shot him with something called an 'inhibitor dart'. I heard them saying they'd put him on level five, behind a forcefield with the others.”

“Ah, that explains it.” Buffy touched the sensor control and raised the view screen showing the cells. “I wondered why I couldn't sense any of these up here.” Jango moved back alongside her. “There's those four sleeping beauties and then there's candidate number two,” she pointed to Sheev Palpatine. “Your friendly neighborhood Sith boy.”

Jango snorted. “So that's why you broke in here! Snooping! You're here to rescue your boyfriend!”

“He's not my boyfriend!” Buffy snapped. “And no, I didn't know Palpatine was being kept here, I was just snooping.” She reached to the back of the drawer and pulled out a box of bacta powder and patches. “Here, use this and hurry up and find your armor.”

He shrugged. “Whatever you say. It's nothin' to do with me if you shack up with an old guy whose stinkin' rich. You gotta do what you've gotta do.” Buffy rolled her eyes and Jango took the box from her. Moving across to the next door on the left, he slid it open and then shot her a smug look. “Got my armor. No rocket pack but everything else seems to be here.”

The bounty hunter pulled the filthy tunic over his head, revealing the hardened muscles on his back. Buffy did a double-take and it wasn't just the imposing muscles that caught her eye. From what she could see, Jango's body was covered not only with fresh bruises but also crisscrossed with old scars and intricate tribal tattoos. She watched, as he ripped open a large bacta patch and applied it to the wound on his side. Then he began rubbing the fast healing powder into his face, wrists, and hands.

He glanced over, caught her staring, smirked, and shamelessly yanked his trousers down. She caught a glimpse of round, muscle-hardened buttocks before turning sharply away.

VRRRR!

Buffy jumped, wondering what was vibrating in the front of her trousers before realizing it was her com-link.

Pulling out the communicator, she flicked it open. “Hey! How's my favorite Jedi?”

Obi-Wan hesitated. Buffy knew she'd overdone the perkiness.

“What's my wayward apprentice up to?” Suspicion laced his voice.

“Thank you, for your unwavering confidence in my abilities and judgment,” snarked Buffy. “If you must know, your wayward not-an-apprentice is on level four. I'm here checking out...” she shot a guilty glance at the doorway where Jango was now donning his armor, “um... checking out the prisoners.”

Instantly, Obi-Wan became all business. “Palpatine is amongst them.” the Jedi replied. “I overheard a meeting with Darth Desolate in attendance. They were unaware Palpatine was a Sith until after he'd been kidnapped and displayed Force abilities trying to escape.”

“Did he shoot energy beams from his hands and electrocute people?” Buffy asked, interested in how that had worked out. She still thought that was the coolest Force power to have.

“I'm not sure. He blew the door and used his lightsaber to take down droids. Desolate wants him tested to see if he's worthy of being made into a vampire. Jar Jar intends to raise a Smoke Demon which Palpatine will fight. Do you know anything about that type of demon, Buffy?”

Buffy thought for a minute. “Nope, it must be a Sithy thing.”

She heard Obi-Wan groan. “I was hoping you'd know an easy way to deal with it.” He sounded worried. “The demon once summoned takes the form of its adversary's worst nightmare. If things didn't go as planned the vampires spoke of blowing the entire level.”

Jango, now dressed, had come over to stand beside her, helmet in hand. He stared at the com-link and then gave her a questioning look. No doubt wondering who she was talking to.

“Sid's on level five,” replied Buffy. “I just need to release the prisoners on this level before I go down there.”

Buffy could almost taste the Jedi's disapproval. “That will jeopardize our mission to rescue Palpatine. The vampires are on their way to take him to level eight and if he defeats the demon they'll turn him. We need to move fast. Leave the other prisoners and go to Palpatine. I'm on my-”

“WAIT! These are Jedi kids!” She couldn't walk away leaving them in danger. Buffy took a deep breath, knowing Obi-Wan was not going to like this. “I'm gonna release the kids and then Jay can take them to you. You get them somewhere safe while I go for Sid and the others.”

“Jay? Jay!? You mean Jango Fett the bounty hunter?!” Obi-Wan spluttered, totally aghast like she'd thought he'd be. The Jedi lowered his voice. “Please, don't tell me you have released the person who shot you off the Temple tower roof?”

Before she could explain, Jango leaned into the com-link. “Guilty as charged,” he smirked. “Me and Sweetheart have put our differences behind us and have forged an alliance. An alliance of mutual hatred of the bloodsucking leech variety.” He smirked as a thought occurred to him. “If you're the Jedi who flew off that day in the speeder, rather than stand and fight, I'd have thought a pacifist like yourself would be more forgiving.”

“I didn't fly off!” snapped Obi-Wan. “Alright technically I did but that was because there was a speeder malfunction. And I'm a Jedi. We fight for those who cannot. I'm not a cheap assassin for hire like you!”

“I'm not cheap.” Jango grinned at Buffy. “Don't assume. It makes an ass out of you and me.”

“I'm not assuming,” replied Obi-Wan silently fuming.

Jango continued, “I'm just a simple man trying to make his way through the galaxy. It isn't my fault the Jedi keep getting in my way.”

“A simple man?” Obi-Wan spluttered. “You're a criminal! Buffy, you can't trust him! He's already tried to kill us both.”

“He was a prisoner,” Buffy explained. “I released him, so he owes me one.”

“And I'm happy to give you one,” Jango smirked at her. She scowled and turned her back on him so he couldn't butt into the conversation again.

“I don't like this,” Obi-Wan sounded as if he was talking through gritted teeth.

“ We need his help getting the kids out of here,” said Buffy. Obi-Wan needed to go along with this. The guy was annoying but if anyone could get those kids out it was him. “Where are you?”

“Level two.”

She could tell he was really cross with her. Obi-Wan wasn't saying much but he didn't need to. Through their bond, she could almost hear his lecture about trusting the wrong people.

Jango leaned over her shoulder and into the com-link device again. “We're gonna need a diversion. Something like a big bang to cover our escape,” Jango said. “They've got themselves a small army of droids on level six and without a distraction they'll use them to stop us. Have you got a fast ship nearby?”

Buffy shook her head. “No, we came in a little speeder.” She hadn't thought further than getting them all out the mountain. Jango was right, they needed transport.

Jango mulled that information over. “Then we'll need to steal one belonging to the vamps. They've got ships and shuttles on level one. I'll take the kids to meet Jedi-boy while you grab Palpatine. If I set a few charges around the place that should keep them busy.”

“You seem to be mightily well informed for a prisoner,” Obi-Wan's voice had become sharp with skepticism, his Coruscanti accent stronger than ever.

“The vamps talked and I had nothing to do but listen,” Jango replied. “I was hoping the information would help me escape.”

“I don't like this,” said Obi-Wan, not bothering to hide his distrust. “There's too much that can go wrong.” He meant Jango.

“It's the best plan we have,” claimed Buffy. “I'll get the kids from the cell. Jango can take them up to you via the stairs. In the meantime, Ubi can you check out the ships and see if there's anything suitable to steal?”

“Hmm,” the Jedi replied, not happy his warnings were being ignored. Buffy felt a little guilty for riding over him roughshod but now wasn't the time for caution. Something told her Jango could be trusted, at least to get himself and the kids to safety. Afterward, she didn't know.

“Look for something with blaster cannons on board,” Jango was saying, “something with plenty of firepower, in case we need to take the droids down. I saw one up there.”

“Do you know where the droid command control is?” Obi-Wan asked crisply. “You seem to be remarkably well-informed where everything else is.”

“And you're a typical Jedi, jumping to the wrong conclusions,” snapped Jango. “I can't tell you where the droid control is because I don't know, but I will tell you this... I won't hold the fact those kids are Jedi against them, but I won't let it stop me taking a pot shot at the older members...” he let his words trail off, the threat clear.

“No hurting Obi-Wan!” admonished Buffy. She pouted when the bounty hunter shook his head in exasperation before pulling on his distinctive blue stripe helmet. She went on, “Jay, I'm trusting you to look after him for me when I'm not there and that includes not shooting him. Don't let me down.”

“Anything for you, Sweetheart,” the bounty hunter's muffled voice came from the helmet. “Let's grab those kids and blow this ship.”

.........


	168. Chapter 168

The door slid smoothly open with a gentle swish and Buffy and Jango entered the cell. On the opposite side of the room, the Jedi kids shrunk back, the older and larger kids at the front the younger ones behind them. One of the smaller ones burst out crying, causing the eldest three, a green Twi'lek boy, a human boy, and a human girl, to push him further behind them. They then eyed Jango and Buffy warily, their faces pale but protective.

“We're here to help,” Buffy said soothingly. She could hear the youngster's sobs and the murmurs of another child, quietly trying to hush him. Hoping to calm all the kids and not just the one crying, Buffy sent out reassuring vibes through the Force. Since she wasn't a Jedi and Force use didn't come easy to her, she wasn't sure how well she'd done. Looking at the panic in the kids' faces, she suspected her Force reassurance powers were a bit of a flop.

The kids shuffled, staring first at her and then at Jango. Buffy glanced sideways. Seeing the bounty hunter still wore his helmet, she hissed, “Jango, take that metal bucket off your head, you're scaring them.”

Jango muttered, “If you think this is a bucket, your eyesight must be terrible.” He pulled off the helmet, glowered at her, and then tucked the helm underneath his arm.

The kids gaped at Jango. Buffy wasn't sure if it was because his face was a mess or because they rarely saw outsiders. The way the Jedi kept their kids secluded from the outside world didn't sit well with her. It reminded her too much of how the Watcher's Council kept potentials.  
Knowing it upset her, Obi-Wan had explained (at length) that Force-sensitive younglings were occasionally kidnapped, sold into slavery, and 'their abilities were open to exploitation by criminal masterminds'. Hence the need for protection.

Buffy still thought it more likely a form of cult brainwashing and control. She particularly liked voicing this opinion to the masters on the Jedi Council and watching them squirm - guilty.

Now as she looked at these kids, Obi-Wan's comment made her wonder if that was the reason for their abduction. She doubted that they'd be turned into mini-vampires. Although she'd come across demonic children in the past, they were few and far between. Vamps usually preferred to kill them outright. So why were these still alive? Was it because of their value? On the whole, vamps were brainless and evil, but sometimes they could be bribed - for the right amount of cash.

As she ran through the possibilities, one child let out a whimper. She frowned. Not all the kids were fated to be sold. Jango said the vampires had taken kids into a nearby cell and he'd heard them begging and screaming. Looking at the kids' frightened faces, Buffy had the sudden and overwhelming urge to drive her fist into the nearest demon. Around her, the shadows in the room lengthened as the Dark Side of the Force closed in, drawn by her dark thoughts.

Unaware of the way she was affecting the Force, Buffy continued thinking of all the different ways she could exact retribution on the child abusers. Her eyes changed, taking on a golden hue as the Slayer part of her stirred, demanding revenge. A huge wave of dark power rose up inside her, sending a tingle of invigorating energy all the way to her toes. Once she found those responsible they'd pay in blood and pain for what they'd done. After being pummelled into a bloody mass, she'd take them outside for the sun to find, and then she'd watch them as they slowly burned to dust.

Find the culprits later. Focus on getting the children out of there. Obi-Wan's voice whispered in her mind. Buffy gave herself a mental shake, blocking the murderous thoughts, and refocussing on the kids.

“I know you're all...” Buffy paused, she'd been going to say scared, but remembered how the Jedi drummed into kids that fear led to the dark side, “...um, worried. Don't be. We're going to get you all out of here and then take you back to the Temple on Coruscant. Which one of you is the eldest?”

She looked at the ones standing in front, expecting one of them to speak. None did. Buffy stared at them blankly for a moment before realizing they'd picked up on her anger.

They're too scared to speak. She felt like slapping herself over the head. Stupid Buffy! Ugh, and now she was getting angry at herself. Taking a deep breath, she released it slowly, along with all her pent-up (but totally justified) anger, letting the emotion disperse into the Force. Obi-Wan would be so proud of her.

Now that she wasn't simmering with the wrathful vengeance on a scale that would impress even Anya, she tried again.

“I'm Buffy Summers and I'm not a Jedi. I'm a vampire slayer who's currently working with a Jedi knight called Obi-Wan Kenobi. Yoda and his cronies, er, fellow Council members, sent us here to hunt vampires and look for you.” That was a sort of lie, but she was sure Yoda would approve. If he didn't, it wasn't as if she cared. She nodded towards Jango. “This ugly, scary man is -”

“Hey! I'm not ugly!” Jango argued. He scowled at her, an expression that did him no favors nor helped him win the argument.

Buffy heard a couple of the kids giggle. The rest didn't exactly relax, but she thought they looked less wary.

“Yeah, anyway, this guy with the 'pretty' face is Jango Fett. He's a Mandarin... Mandolin... Mandatori-”

“Mandalorian,” piped up a reedy voice. The voice's owner, a small, dark-haired human boy of around ten or eleven years, gazed at Jango shyly. “That's Mandalorian armor. My parents were from Mandalore.” Realizing he'd drawn attention to himself he shrank away.

“Well done, kid.” Jango gave the boy a surprisingly gentle smile. “You've more brain that Buffy has, although I'm afraid that's not saying a lot. I think she's had a lobotomy.”

“Hey! Less of that Mister Wanna Dance, I've got the 'Jangly-Feet',” snarked Buffy, ignoring the kids' giggles. “I wasn't the one draped from a hook on the wall, awaiting the pleasure of the Marquis de Sade.”

“Marquis of who?” asked the Mandalorian.

She waved a hand. “That guy who was into...” Buffy glanced at the circle of curious faces and decided to change the subject. “Um, it doesn't matter. This is a rescue, guys. First, we're gonna take off those collars. I've got the keys in my pocket and it's just a case of finding the color to match your collar.”

The thought of having their electro-collars removed galvanized the kids into action. All fourteen of them lined up in front of her and Jango. She and the bounty hunter threw a few snarky remarks at each other as they worked, but they soon had all the collars thrown into a pile.

“Jango is gonna take you up the stairs to level one where you'll find the Jedi Knight waiting for you with a ship.” Buffy hoped Obi-Wan had found a ship. “Remember the vampires are still out there and you've got to be as sneaky as possible and try not to make any noise.”

“Aren't you coming with us?” the green Twi'lek asked. His head tails twitched nervously and the human girl next to him slipped her hand into his.

Buffy shook her head. “Sorry, I can't. The vampires have more prisoners that need releasing. Once I'm done, I'll meet you all up there.”

The kids shuffled, shooting each other nervous under glances. The thought of sneaking through the vampires' lair scaring them yet, at the same time, terrified of being left behind.

She looked to the man next to her and caught the look in his eye. The sarcastic spark had gone and in its place sympathy and compassion. Buffy found it comforting. It made her more certain than ever that placing these kids into his care was the right thing to do. The Mandalorian wouldn't suddenly take off and abandon them in the corridors for the vampires to find. But Jango's expression soon changed from compassion to mischief.

“I know you're havin' trouble takin' your eyes off me, Sweetheart,” he drawled. His arrogant grin instantly irritated her. “I get that reaction from the ladies a lot, especially from those who've seen how impressive I am. Unfortunately, time's running out. Plus, you don't want your boyfriend jealous of us.”

“Eww! You're nothing special, and what do you mean us?!” she snapped. “Obi-Wan has nothing to be jealous of.”

A flash of surprise followed by fiendish delight. “The Jedi?” he asked, “I meant Palpatine.”

Buffy's cheeks heated. The kids were staring at her.

She spluttered, “I, er, … They are so NOT my boyfriend, er, boyfriends. Yep, Buffy is a boy-free zone. It's Buffy the monk-girl where relationships are concerned.”

Inwardly, she winced. She gave Jango a mega-watt smile, hoping it would distract him from her idiotic Willow-waffle.

Jango gave a snort of disbelief. Expecting more goading, she nearly sagged with relief when he turned to address the kids.

“It's time we made tracks.” He waved them from the cell, adding, “If there's a fight, can any if you defend yourselves? I noticed some of those Jedi glow sticks in the storeroom across the hall. If the vampires took one from you, now's the time to reclaim it.”

Buffy waited behind, wanting to make sure they all left. She really hoped Jango wouldn't say anything to Obi-Wan about that slip-up. She'd a horrible feeling he might try to use it to torment the Jedi.

….............

Obi-Wan peered around the wall of the stairway, checking the semi-open hangar which lay in front of him. It was a large space, made originally to accommodate the old mining shuttles that flew in here to take away the mining waste and the crystals. Around him, fragments of the old mine still remained. The huge chains from heavy lifting gear hung from the walls and the mechanism that had driven the crystal and rubble shoots were in place, although broken and jammed with rust.  
The old mining shuttles were long gone and whoever had taken over the place had modified the docking bays to accommodate much larger vessels. Currently dominating the landing bays and dwarfing two smaller ships was a sleek, silver space yacht, its reflective surface shining brightly under the hangar lights. The other ships parked alongside were light freighters, the kind you saw in every spaceport across the galaxy. Nothing special to look at, but perfectly adequate for hopping short distances in.

Between Obi-Wan and the ships was the main launch area. Whilst one side was devoted to ships and their maintenance, this side had become storage for the installation. Rows of stacked crates along with towers of fuel pods for the ships were stored on this side. Further along, closer to the hangar entrance, were rows of land-speeders. Most looked as if they'd been parked there for decades, but a few were newer and still in use.

As the Jedi surveyed the area, a formation of droids emerged from a door to his left. Once they'd passed, he moved out to stand between the crates. They continued to march along the central launch area, then veered off, passing the space yacht, and moving over to a metal stairway. The droids climbed up to the landing and took a sharp right. They then strode past a room, with a large window, before disappearing through another door.

Obi-Wan barely noticed their exit, his eyes remained on the office window. From where he stood, he could glimpse the tops of the computer consoles inside. Could this be the droid central control room?

Something else caught his eye. Four vampires, ex-Jedi by their robes, had entered the hangar. Obi-Wan winced and drew back to stand between two sets of crates. He was lucky the vampires hadn't seen him as they'd come through the door. He could imagine what Qui-Gon would say if he'd seen that stupid mistake – it would not have been complimentary.

As he watched the newcomers, one of the vampires raised his communicator to his mouth. The man listened, cut the call, and then spoke rapidly to his partner. Leaving the other two vampires behind, the pair sped off up the stairs to the control room.

“Kriff,” Obi-Wan murmured. He hoped that had nothing to do with Buffy. During their short call, there'd been no mention of taking out guards, but it was unlikely the prisoners had been left unguarded. Had the droids she'd attacked broadcast her face to central control?

His hand reached for the communicator in his pocket, intending to send a warning, yet as he touched it he hesitated. Was it wise to disturb to her? She might be busy and he didn't wish to distract her. For some reason, an image of Jango Fett's smug face rose up in his mind. Annoyed with himself, he pushed the thought away. Jealousy and anger served no purpose, and he could almost hear his old master's voice telling him to, 'Concentrate on the task at hand, Obi-Wan.'

With that in mind, he turned his attention back to the ships. Sullustan workers clustered around the star yacht, some directing maintenance droids in the ship's refueling, whilst others had removed a panel and were making a repair to an outlet pipe. He felt a flicker of surprise when he realized the crew of small, humanoids weren't vampires. Vampires working with the living? He wondered what Buffy would make of it.

This yacht must be Darth Desolate's. He found it interesting the vampire owned such a new and costly vessel. The Sith must be well funded and his choice of a ship for speed and comfort suggested long-distance travel was on his agenda. Why? What was he up to? Did the Sith vampire have more lairs scattered around the galaxy? Obi-Wan rubbed his upper lip thoughtfully. It seemed that no sooner had he found the answer to one question, than another rose up in its place.

He eyed the star yacht speculatively, before shaking his head. The thought of stealing Darth Desolate's ship from under his nose was an amusing one, but it wasn't feasible. Not with so many gathered around it. He viewed his other options. These simple transporters were the working vessels of the galaxy, built to move light goods short distances and easy to fly. They most likely also had a cannon stowed away for defense against pirate attacks. Not that he intended to let the bounty hunter involve them in a space battle.

Obi-Wan noticed something else about the ship furthest away. The loading ramp was down. A smile tugged on his lips. All he had to do was make his way down the hangar and then cross the open space to get to it. Of course, he'd need to avoid the two vampires who'd been walking in that direction. He peered around the crates once again. The vampires had stopped to admire Desolate's ship so he took a moment to appraise them.

'Service Corps,' thought Obi-Wan, taking in their robes. He cocked his head, probing through the Force. Those two carried lightsabers. He noted the fact, but it didn't worry him. A padawan was trained daily in various combat skills. Those sent to the Corps received little, if any, combat training and were no threat to a knight. His main problem was that if they spotted him they'd raise an alarm.

Speaking of being spotted...

Camouflage yourself, Ubi, you're looking very shiny. Buffy's voice whispered in his mind. Ah, he'd let his shadowing slip. It was something he had a hard time getting used to. A Jedi wasn't a Sith, who needed to avoid detection from other Force users, and to Obi-Wan muting his Force presence felt like a strange and underhand practice. If Buffy hadn't insisted he learned to do it, he'd never have thought of it. The grooves between Obi-Wan's eyebrows deepened, as he concentrated.

Once done, he slipped from his hiding place and stealthily wove a path between the stacks of crates and then on, into the rows of speeders. He'd just reached the final row, when the two vampires turned and began to stroll down the launch area, heading straight for him.

Heart pounding, he dropped down behind a cargo speeder. Had they seen him? He pressed his back against the driver's door, as the vampires came close enough to overhear.

“...he's mad that Jango never captured Vader,” one of the vampires said, “Sifo-Dyas plans on serving the bounty hunter to him tonight. He hopes it'll put him in a good mood.”

'Pity they hadn't eaten him earlier,' Obi-Wan thought. For once, he didn't admonish himself for having dark thoughts.

“They'll need to stun him first. My jaw still hurts,” said the second.

The first snorted. “He punched you? You should have been there when we captured him. He blew a hole through Devet's head with a rocket.”

“Oh, I got my own back and then some,” the second vampire sniggered gleefully. “My boot in his face. It'll take him longer to heal than it will me.”

Obi-Wan smirked darkly. So Jango had a few facial bruises did he? It couldn't have happened to a more deserving person.

“Let's hope you haven't softened him up too much. You know how Darth Desolate enjoys playing with his food.”

“And while he sinks his fangs into yet more unwilling flesh we get a blood ration pack.” There was the growl of anger and resentment in his voice.

Obi-Wan frowned. Blood packs? Where did they acquire blood packs? Did they come from a hospital or had they 'donors' stashed somewhere?

“All those kids down there just waiting to be plucked.” The pair made lip-smacking noises. “It's not fair that we were stopped from playing with them.”

Obi-Wan's face hardened. He fought down the urge to jump out and behead the pair of them. Buffy was right in getting the youngsters out of here. He just hoped she was also right about trusting the bounty hunter.

One of the vampires turned back to look at the yacht. The beginning of his sentence was muffled but Obi-Wan heard, “...turning more knights, means less of anything tasty for the rest of us.”

Knights? Obi-Wan's heart skipped a beat. Had more Jedi knights been turned into vampires?

“And we've all seen the way Master Sifo-Dyas favors the knights and masters above those hailing from the Corps. We're going to see more and more of their arrogant flouncing as they give us orders...”

Obi-Wan's jaw tensed and his eyes flicked across in the vampire's direction. Arrogant flouncing? The Temple Jedi were neither arrogant nor flouncy!

There was a bark of laughter. “Ha! We'll see! No matter how strong your self-control is, once the blood lust hits the newborns there's no stopping it. It makes idiots of the best of us. That feeling as the blood gushes down your throat... Mmm, it's better than sex.”

“How do you know? You've never had sex!” the vampire pointed out happily

Obi-Wan couldn't help the smug smirk, especially as he could almost hear the other one sulking.

The vampire muttered, “Neither have you! And that's not the point...”

“You can't compare the blood lust, and the rush it gives you, to something you've never experienced.”

Blood rush! Obi-Wan tensed. Back on the Valiant, Buffy had told him that freshly made vampires lacked control over their thirsts. She'd been talking about Jar Jar at the time and he hadn't taken much notice because... well, it was Jar Jar Binks they were discussing and he'd never exhibited any control. However, if this lust for blood made an experienced Force user lose control it was a weakness that could be exploited. He must remember it and inform the Council. Obi-Wan filed away the information for future use.

A few seconds passed without hearing any more of their conversation. That didn't mean anything in itself. This far along, the hangar was open to the outside elements and echoed with the noise of maintenance on Desolate's ship. They might still be close by. Obi-Wan used his senses to check the area, tentatively checking the Force for any faint shadows before peeking out from over the speeder hood. The vampires had turned back and were heading for the main doors. When the door slid open to allow them to pass through Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of corridors beyond.

He checked the area once again. Up in the windowed control room, the two vampires leaned over a console. To his left, the Sullustans were still performing maintenance on the space yacht, whilst a trio of guard droids faced them. No one was looking towards the other ships and the ramp was still down.

Obi-Wan shot across the runway, mounted the ramp, and darted inside the ship.

“Oh, this will do very nicely,” he said, looking around the cockpit. There'd be no problem taking this ship. They'd even left the key in it.

…...............

“Pssst.” The padawan called over from the doorway, unwilling to venture into the chamber but desperately trying to get the attention of Sifo-Dyas. When several members of the Dark Council turned to glare at him, he tugged on the end of his long padawan braid self-consciously.

Master Sifo-Dyas rose to his feet with a frown and made his way to the door.

“What's the meaning of this interruption?” he asked. No one was supposed to interrupt a meeting when Darth Desolate was in attendance and this padawan should know better.

“We've got a problem,” the padawan replied, wishing he wasn't the messenger who'd been sent bearing bad news.

In the semi-darkness behind Master Sifo-Dyas, the padawan could see Darth Desolate sitting on a high backed chair. Behind the Sith Lord, sat the rest of his Dark Council. Their eyes darting alternatively from the enlarged images of the 8th level projected in front of them to Jar Jar Binks, who stood to one side.

One the floor in front of the Gungan, a circle had been drawn in chalk, outlined in charcoal, and filled with ancient sigils. Skulls from a variety of sentient species lay around the outer edge. Inside each skull a single lit candle flickered, casting a fiendish light upon the features of the waiting Gungan. At Jar Jar's feet lay a bowl filled with a bubbling liquid and an opened book. A book far older than most of those present had ever seen, even those who'd studied the ancient texts inside the Jedi Archives. This book was an ancient Sith grimoire, its pages covered in a script very few had knowledge of. For all the Gungan's irritating ways, none excelled his expertise in Sith magic.

“What's the problem?” Master Sifo-Dyas prompted. He could see the padawan had become distracted by the sight Jar Jar and his summoning circle. “I gave orders that we weren't to be disturbed.” Through the Force, the ex-Jedi Master sensed Darth Desolate's patience wearing thin.

The padawan leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Master, I'm sorry to say that we've lost contact with both patrols on level 4.”

“That's the prison level,” Sifo-Dyas growled, his mind leaping straight to Jango Fett. They'd all felt the Dark Lord's wrath when Jango returned his contract fee (less expenses) and refused to have anything more to do with the Slayer. Knowing how much the Pau'an despised failure, Sifo-Dyas had ordered the bounty hunter's capture intending to present him as a gift for Desolate. Now, if Jango had escaped, he'd be the one facing the Sith Lord's displeasure.

“Who was in charge?”Sifo-Dyas asked. If heads were going to roll he'd take several down with him.

“No one. All the Order members were recalled, to welcome our Commander.” The padawan peered over at the Sith Lord with nervous curiosity.

“Any transmissions before contact was lost?”

The padawan shook his head, making his braid bounce. “They were the same droid model that the Supreme Chancellor almost destroyed...”

“Farks sake!” snapped the ex-Jedi Master. The expletive echoed around the chamber.

Jar Jar whipped around, his large ears flying and his bulging eyes reddened around their yellow irises. “Meesa need de peace and quiet before doin' this. Mesa no liking all dis noise,” he waved his hand at the book at his feet, “Dis make a big bombad trouble if no going right.”

Darth Desolate growled, “Sifo-Dyas, your conversation must wait. Return to your seat.” The Sith Lord, expecting no argument, turned back to stare at the projected images of the lower level chamber. Since the image only showed an area strewn with old mining equipment, Palpatine had still not arrived.

The ex-Jedi quickly whispered to the padawan, “Send a team to investigate. Preferably knights. If Jango has escaped someone will be held responsible...” Master Sifo-Dyas let his words trail off, allowing the unspoken threat to hang in the air.

The padawan swallowed nervously, bowed, and scuttled from the chamber.

Once Sifo-Dyas had rejoined the rest of the Dark Council, Jar Jar picked up the grimoire and stepped inside the circle of burning skulls. He began chanting, reciting the words of the ancient Sith ritual Dwomutsiqsa, words that would summon the Smoke Demon, and give it solid form.

…........


	169. Chapter 169

“You want me to do what?” Kardash asked.

The question had barely left his mouth when the vampire master grabbed him. The Iktotchi's oversized, leathery hand completely encircled the human's neck as he dragged him forward and lifted him off his feet. Eyes with yellow pupils and reddened rims glared at Kardash.

Finally, the Iktotchi snarled, “Scruffy little Nerf herder!” and sent the smaller vampire flying.

As he fell, Kardash desperately tried summoning the Force to cushion his landing. It failed and he slammed into the floor, with a bone-jarring thump and an involuntary groan. Vamping out, Kardash snarled intending to jump to his feet and attack. The Force warned and he froze, looking warily up at the master. The Dark Side currents whirled around the Iktotchi as his anger fed and was fed upon by the Dark Side. He knew then he must tread carefully.

“In future, you will do as you're told,” the ex-Jedi master growled. “You will not speak. You will not question. Should you do so again I will crush every single bone in your body. Do you understand what I am telling you?”

Kardash's face reverted back to his human features and he dropped his eyes to the floor. Showing any form of defiance to the Iktotchi would be suicide, even though every cell in his body screamed at him to draw his lightsaber and retaliate.

“I understand, Master,” he whispered. The words burned like acid in his throat.

The Iktotchi leaned over and pushed his leathery face into Kardash's. His curved horns almost scraped the human's cheeks as he spoke. “Your thoughts are open to me. I see defiance and ambition to overpower your superiors.” He laughed harshly. “I'll tell you now, weakling, that is never going to happen. The Jedi put you in the Service Corps for a reason. And it is the same reason you'll never make a Sith Lord.”

He stood and prodded the younger vampire with his boot. “Remember, your place is on the bottom rung of the ladder. Keep remembering it. You'll live longer that way.”

Stifling his mutinous thoughts, Kardash nodded. “Yes, Master. I understand. Please accept my most humble apologies.” Thinking fast, he smoothly added, “I was simply surprised you chose someone like me for such an important task.”

The Iktotchi's mocking smile had no traces of friendliness. “You were specially picked for this task. Now get up.”

Once on his feet, he handed the younger vampire the injection vial. “This is the antidote for the Force inhibitor drug. You must administer it to the Supreme Chancellor before moving him.”

Seeing Kardash's horror, he added, “This isn't a suicide mission. You'll have a droid patrol with you and the injection takes a while to kick in. As long as you don't dally, there won't be a problem. ”

The young vampire nodded, not daring to speak.

Next, the ex-Jedi master took a gold-hilted lightsaber out of his pocket and offered it to Kardash. Kardash stared at the weapon blankly.

“Take it. It belongs to the Supreme Chancellor. Place the man on the ground and leave the lightsaber next to him, then leave.” He pushed the weapon into Kardash's hand. The boy paled, sensing its creator's powerful Force connection.

The ex-Jedi master smirked. “Make sure you lock the door behind you. It wouldn't do to let anything escape.” The Iktotchi grinned evilly and although Kardash didn't dare ask what he thought was so amusing, he did have another question.

“Master,” Kardash began. Anger flared in the master's eyes and Kardash quickly added, “Do you want me to wait nearby or come back to level two?”

He hoped he'd be ordered back to level two. He'd been one of the first ones on the scene after the Supreme Chancellor had escaped from his cell and seen the carnage the furious Sith Lord had wrought the first time he'd regained consciousness. The further he was away from the man when he came around the better.

“You must take the elevator to level seven and wait in the corridor. You may watch the Supreme Chancellor's trial on screen. I'll com you when it's safe to retrieve Palpatine.... or what's left of him.”

“Safe?” Kardash repeated, without thinking. One day, when he'd been bored, he'd taken Marto with him and the two brothers had explored the lower levels. Apart from the mining relics from the mountains past both levels had been empty.

“A Smoke demon is being summoned,” replied the Iktotchi with a smack of his lips. “Believe me, you wouldn't want to get too close to one of those.”

….........

When he arrived on level five, Kardash waited for the droids to recognize him before calling their captain over to him.

“I've new orders. We are to take the Supreme Chancellor to level eight. All but one of you will come with me. The one who remains will stay to guard...” his words trailed off as he looked into the second cell.

Inside, one of the Jedi prisoners had woken from his slumber. The bearded Jedi knight sat watching him from behind the humming energy barrier, with a faint expression of puzzlement. Although the man's three companions still slept, Kardash knew that if one had woken they others would soon be up and on their feet.

“Ah, I see there's no need to guard,” Kardash said softly. He looked across to the droid sat at the desk. “Cut the energy to the Jedi's cell door and allow those inside to freely wander.”

He turned back to the Jedi and pasted an insincere smile of welcome on his face. It was always wise to offer friendship to those more powerful in the Force than himself. These knights might require an apprentice, someone they'd grow to rely on and impart knowledge of the Force to. If they did they might look in his direction.

The energy field that had covered the door was turned off and Kardash stepped across to the doorway. Giving the man a short, formal bow he said, “Welcome to Naboo. I'm Kardash Rawn. You must be hungry? Level two is the place to find sustenance. I can meet you for a drink later and introduce you around?”

The Jedi lifted his chin, silently studying the younger man's grey, untidy robes before raising a condescending eyebrow. Kardash turned away, exasperated. The Jedi Temple knights were notoriously stand-offish and obviously this one wouldn't be an exception.

Kardash remembered Palpatine and his mission. It wouldn't do to keep his superiors waiting. Taking the antidote out of his pocket he addressed the droid captain. “Come with me, we don't want the Supreme Chancellor late for his next meeting.”

…......

Buffy trailed along behind Jango and the Jedi kids as he led them all down the corridor. Behind Jango were the younglings and then three older teenagers, armed with their lightsabers, were at the rear of the group.

The bounty hunter had put his helmet on again. Knowing how dark the stairway was, and how precarious the steps were, she couldn't help shouting out, “Does that helmet have night-vision?” The bounty hunter stopped and looked back at her. “Because if it's not, it's no use trying to look cool. You'll only end up falling and breaking your leg.”

“You think I look cool?” the bounty hunter asked.

“No, I think you look like a guy who's lost his motorbike,” Buffy replied. “I just don't want you breaking bones because you trip over something in the dark.”

“What you're breaking is my heart,” Jango replied, lifting a gloved hand to the center of his chest. “I can feel the pain, here.”

“Sounds more like something you ate,” Buffy snarked. “I think you'll find that's indigestion.” She wasn't stupid, she knew he was avoiding the question. Jango obviously wanted to keep his helmet's capabilities a secret.

A smile lit her face as a wicked thought entered her head. What would happen if she introduced the bounty hunter to Andrew? Back home the Watcher had a giant poster of Boba and Jango Fett's armor pinned to his bedroom wall. It listed all his weapons and accessories, their functions, and where they'd been manufactured. Oh, she definitely needed to find a way to get those two together.

“You wound me,” Jango drawled, enjoying himself. “You never take my love makin' seriously.”

Buffy didn't bother answering him. Her eyes had gone from the bounty hunter to the Mandalorian boy at his side. Jango had found a spare lightsaber in the hall closet and given it to the boy. The kid had almost swooned when the man had offered it to him and now the boy was following him around like a lost puppy.

Buffy could see the lightsaber was far too big for him, that was dangerous. She hoped Jango knew what he was doing. The kid could easily get over-excited and mistakenly lop someone's hand off with it.

“Aren't you goin' to wish me luck, Sweetheart?” Jango called to her, as he reached the stair door. “No kiss and a hug goodbye for your departing hero?”

The kids giggled and Buffy rolled her eyes. At least the kids liked Jango.

“You want me to kiss you? Are you going to take off your helmet then?” Buffy couldn't resist teasing. The bounty hunter stared at her. Or rather his helmet did. “ Ha! I thought not. I'm going to be good and not wish you anything.” Then she added more forcibly, “And I'm not your Sweetheart. Stop calling me that!”

She'd no idea how Obi-Wan was going to cope with Jango. Although the Jedi had the patience of a saint, the bounty hunter knew how to push people's buttons. She hoped their meeting wouldn't end in tears or, in Obi-Wan's case a dramatic rooftop fight in the rain with him dangling from a piece of string.

Once the kids had and the bounty hunter had climbed out of sight, Buffy began to hurry downwards. Jar Jar Binks was out there, summoning a demon. And wasn't that crazy? The Gungan could hardly walk in a straight line without tripping over his feet and yet there he was, summoning demons. Maybe though, it wasn't as crazy as it first sounded.

If Andrew Wells could summon demons she guessed there was no reason why Jar Jar couldn't either. Any idiot could perform a summoning. The difficult part was persuading the demons you'd summoned to leave afterward.

The Force whispered, telling her to hurry. She began to run, taking the stairs two at a time. Jumping over broken sections and skirting cracked steps that threatened to break loose and send her tumbling down them.

If the steps were in such bad condition, would the droids be able to use them? She hoped not. That would mean the kids had less chance of meeting anyone on their way to level one. Once they were there all Jango and Obi-Wan had to do was sneak them aboard a ship.  
That part would be easy - right? She frowned and jumped over two more missing steps before catching sight of a sign on the wall.

Level Five.

Her hand automatically reached for the door control before she stopped herself. Uh-no, she was not making that mistake again. This time she would check first, slay later.

She concentrated. Listening to her own senses and searching for anything nearby. Her Slaydar proved as silent as the grave. Except in her experience, graves weren't always silent. How many times had she been in a quiet graveyard late at night, innocently wandering around with a stake in her hand, when a vampire burst from the earth and attacked her?

It made her check her Slaydar once more and this time she got a faint tingle. It was an odd tingle, faint and then it slipped away almost as fast as it had appeared. Was she picking up vampires on a different level?

The Force wasn't proving to be a good informant either. Buffy had the impression that beyond the doors lay more corridors and something mechanical. She could definitely sense something, but was that a droid or a large coffee machine? Okay, the coffee machine wasn't likely, but it would definitely be a welcome change.

She crept quietly through the door and hugged the side of the corridor. There was no sign of a coffee machine, but a droid sat at a desk. Buffy tiptoed towards it, tugging a lightsaber from her belt as she moved.

With a blur of Slayer speed, she sprang forward. The dark blade arcing through the air, right to left, before stopping level with her left shoulder.

The droid remained where it was. It creaked, as its head fell forward, severed from the main trunk it hit the desk a loud thunk. The rest of the body teetered sideways, gravity pulling it down onto the hard floor, the noise of the crash echoing around the corridor. Buffy rolled her eyes. So much for being a silent assassin. That was almost as bad as the time she'd been following a demon down an alley and she'd fallen over a metal trashcan. It was all so much easier (and quieter) when your enemy dusted in mid-air.

Aware that a droid patrol might appear at any moment to investigate the noise, Buffy quickly checked the cam-link on the desk.

“Crap.”

The prisoners were no longer in their cells. Palpatine must be on level eight. She turned for the stairs before realizing that she needed to double-check the other cells in case the were others here. With a growing sense of urgency, Buffy raced the length of the corridor. All the cells were empty. She'd a horrible feeling she'd just missed everyone.

She darted for the stairs. Jar Jar was summoning a Smoke demon. She'd no idea what a Smoke demon was, but they didn't sound good. Was there a certain way to kill it? A stake? Her lightsaber? Would she able to kill it or, since it was his demon, was it all down to Palpatine? It was supposed to take the form of his worst nightmare.

What would a powerful Sith Lord be scared of?

Buffy hoped it was something simple. Anya was a demon and had been scared of bunnies. Maybe Sid was scared of bunnies? Bunnies she could cope with. Could she reach Palpatine and escape before the Smoke demon materialized or would it track the Supreme Chancellor, like a missile searching for its target?

Sensing her time was running out, Buffy increased her speed. The Force guided her steps and took her deeper and deeper into the mountain.

…......

“Place him over there, in the center of the room,” ordered Kardash. He shot a fast look at the hovering camera droids before quickly looking away again. He knew he was being watched and who by.

The two droids gently dropped the Supreme Chancellor against a broken mining trolley. He opened his eyes and, focussing on the young vampire, muttered, “Pathetic nightcrawler with delusions of power and darkness.”

Despite still being under the influence of Force inhibitors, the Dark Side whirled around the Chancellor. Hastily, Kardash stepped back. If the Sith Lord was already influencing the Force the antidote was working faster than it normally did. And once the antidote started to kick in, it kicked in fast.

As soon as he reached the elevator, Kardash called over to the droids, “Remove the electro-collar and the Supreme Chancellor's cuffs.”

The Supreme Chancellor glared at the vampire as the droids removed his binders. “You won't survive long,” he growled softly. “I promise you that.” Despite his voice being barely above a whisper, it filled the chamber with its dark muted power.

Kardash held up his hands. “Whoa, don't take it out on me! I'm only carrying out orders.”

Palpatine's eyes flicked up to the hovering camera droids.

Knowing the Chancellor would need an apprentice if he lived and might look favorably on someone who helped him, Kardash decided to encourage the Dark Lord. “I know you're angry right now, but try to think of this as your padawan trials. If you pass, you become a Jedi Knight.”

Across from him, the Supreme Chancellor made a sound as if he was choking on a chicken bone and his face darkened, with rage.

“Ugh, yeah that was a bad example,” Kardash admitted sheepishly. Thinking of another way to calm the Sith, he said, “Look at it this way. Win today and you get the prize every Sith has always wanted.”

“You know nothing about the true nature of the Sith,” Palpatine spat. “You know who I am, but do you know what I am? I know exactly what you are and I don't intend to-.”

“Hey!” Kardash interrupted. He pulled Palpatine's lightsaber from out of his pocket and waved it at him. “Look, what I've got!”

The Sith Lord quietened as the sight of his weapon. Silently, he willed the weapon to his hand. When nothing happened he gave a low growl of frustration.

The gold-hilted lightsaber still in his hand, Kardash stepped into the elevator, the droids moving in to stand behind him. As the elevator doors began to close, Kardash threw the lightsaber into the room.

The golden lightsaber rolled along the floor and stopped just short of the Sith Lord. Darth Sidious lifted a trembling hand in its direction. A line of sweat broke out on his forehead, the lightsaber wobbled, his brow furrowed, and the lightsaber began to vibrate.

“Arrrghh!” Palpatine's hand dropped. He was too weak. Leaning back against the mining tub, he closed his eyes and concentrated on his heartbeat. His heart rate increased and with it the speed the antidote was pumped around his body. Already, he could feel the Force inhibitors weakening and his connection to the Force growing stronger with every passing minute.

Soon... soon he'd be at full strength and, when he was, he'd make those vampires' wish that they'd never laid eyes on him.

…...................


	170. Chapter 170

The Sith's Slayer“Sith's Slayer and Slayer's Sith.  
The crimson blades will bond.  
A Temple's hand and A Senate's rift.  
To rise and fall,

And then rise again once more...”

The prophecy of Mother Ta'La

….......................................................................................

In the main chamber on level two, Darth Desolate silently watched Jar Jar Binks. The heavily-lined face of his species showed no emotion as Jar Jar recited the spell from the Sith grimoire, his voice echoing around the chamber without a trace of his strong Gungan accent. Occasionally, he'd punctuate certain words of the Sith language with a hand movement, specifically made to draw on the powers within the Force and send the demon to the victim's location. Around Darth Desolate the dark council sat in silence, watching and waiting patiently for the summoning ritual to end.

As the ritual drew to a close, Jar Jar translated the last few sentences into Basic for the benefit of those without knowledge of the ancient Sith language.

“Shadowed Demon, Beast Forlorn,  
Appear now in nightmare form.  
Mass and weight you now have found,  
Bringing you to the solid ground.”

Jar Jar grinned smugly at the watching audience. “Meesa finished dis ritual now. De mighty bombad demon will be appearing.”

All eyes turned from Jar Jar to the screen. There was a close up of Palpatine, slumped against the mining trolley. Darth Desolate leaned forward, altering the viewer and studying the lower chamber, expecting to see signs of the Smoke demon materializing.

Jar Jar added, “Wesa not want it here yet. Wesa want de Chancellor be much, much stronger first.”

“Very well.” Desolate relaxing back into his throne-like chair, his eyes on the Supreme Chancellor's face. “Palpatine will soon regain his Force powers and I am looking forward to seeing how he fares in this fight.”

***

Outside the doorway leading to level 8, Buffy paused. Her Slaydar was tingling, letting her know that demons were close by. Her Force sensitivity relayed even more information about the area beyond the door. She sensed a large chamber containing broken machinery, droids, and an oily sensation that she usually associated with Sid the Sith when he was getting over-excited about something.

Putting her hand on the door, she leaned in, turning her head to listen.

There came the sound of droids feet moving from one hard surface to another, the soft swish of doors closing and then the whir of a moving elevator. Someone leaving? The Force confirmed the droids had left and her Slaydar assured her so had the vampire.

Buffy leaned away from the door. She was here. It was finally time to make her grand entrance and rescue the Supreme Chancellor. With a roll of her shoulders and a crack of her neck, she hit the door button with the palm of her hand. Then Buffy bounced lightly on the balls of her feet as she waited for the door to slide open.

From somewhere above her head came a grinding noise. There was a sound of unoiled metal scraping against metal. The door shuddered violently, creaking open a few inches, before coming to a stop.

“Someone here really needs to have a word with housekeeping.” Buffy banged on the door with the flat of her hand. The gap wasn't wide enough to push her shoulder through. She squeezed her hand into the crack, got hold of the door's edge and tried to force it open. The gears screeched and the door shuddered again, opening a few more inches.

Buffy glared at the door. This was down to Murphy's. It had to be. The very last obstacle between herself and Sid and Murphy had jinxed it so it wasn't going to open. Well, she wasn't going to be stopped by a door, she'd go Slayer on it. Although it might be better to take a look first and see what was in there. Putting her face near the gap but not too close, in case someone on the other side tried poking her eye out, she spotted the Supreme Chancellor lying in the center of the room.

He'd heard the commotion and was peering in her direction. Since he wasn't being attacked by anything... smoky, she assumed the demon hadn't arrived yet. That was good. It meant she'd still time to grab the Chancellor and go. Once she'd got inside that is. Again she pushed on the door, trying to ease it open a little more.

….

Sheev Palpatine shuffled and rose to a more seated position. A trial. That scruffy vampire who'd brought him here, had informed him some type of trial was to take place. And now something was trying to force its way through the door. Was it here to fight him?

Palpatine made a short attempt to sense them via the Force before grimacing. The Force inhibitors must still be in his system, He couldn't make sense of who or what this person was. Palpatine shot the camera droids a reproachful and angry look. Those vampires were idiots! How did they expect him to fight in this condition? What sort of trial would that be? Or did they simply wish to see a Sith Lord lose?

Unwilling to suffer the indignity of being slaughtered on the floor, Palpatine drew his knees towards him, hoping he'd have the strength to stand. His legs were too weak. Any attempt to climb to his feet would only result in him falling, sending him sprawling to the ground.

What about Force lightning? Could he at least muster up a short spark? At the very least it would give the newcomer a little shock.

“Who's there?” he called, allowing a tremor to appear in his voice in order to feign more weakness than he felt. Could he persuade the unknown assailant to toy with him first, rather than killing him outright? While the creature gloated over an easy prey, he'd gain time and grow stronger with each passing minute.

On the other side of the chamber, Buffy pushed her head through the gap in the door.

“Sid!” she waved and grinned. “I'm not Jack Nicholson and I haven't got an axe!” Seeing the Supreme Chancellor frown, she waved again. “It's me! Vader! This dimension's one and only Slayer!”

***

Up on level 2, Darth Desolate's face darkened when he saw the Slayer. He shot Jar Jar Binks a look that allowed all his disgust and displeasure to be clearly read in every line of his face. Despite once again being the focus of attention, the Gungan failed to see the Sith's look. He was far too busy gaping at the events unfolding on the screen to notice anything going on in the room.

“What is the meaning of this?” The Sith Lord's knuckles whitened on the arms of his chair. The Force currents around him vibrating with his anger. Curling back his lips, he showed long, thin teeth as he looked back to the image of the Slayer trying to open the door.  
“You were asked to summon Sheev Palpatine's wortht nightmare,” he snarled. “Instead, you have summoned his girlfriend. Are we to sit through his fantasy? Once again, Jar Jar, you have let me down with another ruinous mistake.”

Jar Jar dragged his eyes from the screen and began flipping over the pages of the Sith grimoire. “Pleeze! Dis can't be happening! Meesa knows dis is in here somewhere! Meesa just need to find.”

He flipped the pages back and forth until he found the inscription at the start of the spell. Underscoring the words with his finger the Gungan's lips moved silently, as he read through the instructions once more. “Say notin in dis about summoning girlfriends. Only say Smoke demon make worst nightmare.”

“Perhaps Jar Jar's mistakenly invoked his own nightmare?” one of the dark councilors suggested. Several others nodded in agreement. Everyone knew the Gungan had jumped ship after Lord Vader had throttled him for throwing caff over her.

“Are they right?” snarled the Pau'an, his fingers twitching with energy. “Have you summoned your own worst nightmare?”

Jar Jar dropped to his knees, one hand clutching the book to his chest, the other against his forehead. “No, no. Pleesa, meesa knows I got dis right. Tis Palpatine's nightmare, not mine. Meesa not understand how dis atrocity happen.”

“That's her!” Master Sifo-Dyas suddenly hissed. He'd not taken his eyes off the screen from the moment the Slayer had appeared. “That's really her! That's Buffy Summers. There was a report that the droids on level four had gone dark. I presumed it was the work of the bounty hunter. She must be here searching for her lover.” He rose to his feet and bowed to Darth Desolate, “I will attend to this immediately, my Lord.”

“No!” The Sith Lord motioned to the ex-Jedi master to retake his seat. “No, we shall leave the two of them together.” He smiled, long yellow teeth bared at the former Jedi around him. “This, my friendth, is the will of the Dark Side. It has brought us the two strongetht Sith in the galaxy to duel before us. The victor shall be my apprentice and, once I've drunk from their veins, my resurrection will be complete.” He threw up his hands and gleefully announced, “My name will make the galaxy tremble, for my power will soon know no boundaries and I will become truly indestructible.”

At his side, Master Sifo-Dyas gave the Sith Lord a narrow, side-long look and stared up at the screen once more. The Pau'an thought this would make him indestructible? Harder to kill perhaps, but not indestructible. Not if those old texts told the truth. Memories came to him of him and Dooku. They'd made a habit of sneaking into his master's room when he was out. There the two of them would spend an evening viewing the Sith holocrons and reading the forbidden texts together, both greedy for knowledge. Back then, he'd believed those old prophecies rambling about resurrection were the meanderings of a sickly Sith mind. He'd been wrong.

Sifo-Dyas dipped his head, long sections of dark hair brushed the sides of his face. He continued to keep up strong shields, knowing his knowledge of the dark weapon must be kept secret. That information was not only valuable but also very dangerous. Darth Desolate's time of destruction would come. The Force had whispered it to him, but what it hadn't whispered was the identity of the powerful Force user who wielded it. They could be anyone. They might even be himself.

Beside Sifo-Dyas, Darth Desolate concentrated on the screen, unaware of his councilor's thoughts.

***

Sheev Palpatine blinked in surprise as the Slayer waved to him. Buffy?

The shadowy alien power inside her, seemed more muted than normal. She must have camouflaged her presence to avoid detection by the vampires. At the thought of all those strange powers had access to Palpatine's knees trembled and, without realizing it, he let out a yearning sigh.

“Are there any monsters in there?” Buffy shouted over to him. “Besides you, I mean?”

“I'm alone,” Palpatine replied, feeling put-out that Buffy had found him in this undignified condition. He'd often daydreamed that she'd be kidnapped, suffer a little light torturing, and he'd charge in to rescue her. That way he'd be the recipient of her loyal and undying affection. She'd be so grateful she'd agree to do anything he suggested, which was good as his imagination knew no bounds.

Buffy banged again on the stuck door. She gave it a kick and a section buckled at the bottom. Seeing that it was never going to open, she curled her hands around the metal, twisting it and curling it to one side so there was enough room to climb through.

Watching her, something puzzled him, “Vader, why are you using your bare hands to tear the door apart? Have you lost your lightsaber?”

With one leg on his side of the door and the other in the stairway, Buffy stilled.

“Oh.” She flashed him a pink-cheeked, apologetic smile, “I er, sorta, forgot that I could use my lightsaber on doors. Oopsie.”

Palpatine closed his eyes and sighed. Sometimes it seemed as if there was only him with a brain in the entire galaxy.

“What are you doing lying on the floor?” Buffy asked. It was the question he didn't want to hear. “You know how black collects dust.”

“I'm... resting.” It wouldn't do to admit he'd been hit with Force inhibitors. Were possible, a Sith should never admit to weakness, especially to another Sith who was his intended wife-apprentice.

“You can sleep later.” She began walking across the chamber towards him. “We've got to get out of here. This place is a hive of scum and vill-, er, demons.”

Palpatine flexed his limbs. His knees were still too weak to take his weight. He needed a little more time. He mustn't let her see his weakness only his strength, otherwise she might reconsider marrying him and look favorably on one of her Jedi apprentices. Most likely Dooku. He was a Sith Lord in the making if ever he saw one, not to mention rich enough to keep her in fashionable shoes.

“How did you know where to find me?” he asked, putting the flash of bitter jealousy to one side.

“I didn't,” Buffy replied closing the distance between them. She was almost level with the elevator doors. “Well, I did, but only at the end. The Force was out there singing to me.”

“What?” Palpatine's head began to throb as he attempted to make sense of her words. The Sith nature was one of passion, change, and chaos. Sometimes though, Buffy's brand of chaos was a little too... chaotic for him. Sometimes, it made him feel downright old.

“It might have been a tune. I was poking around outside the mountain and I heard this...” Buffy paused, sensing she was being watched she looked up sharply. A camera droid hovered above her, its lens fixed on her. “Are we being televised?!”

Palpatine snorted and replied in a low drawl, “The vampires wish me to play some sort of game for their viewing pleasure.”

“Great, we've got ourselves on an episode of Running Man,” muttered Buffy, giving the camera droid a sour look.

The Supreme Chancellor suspected she was talking of a holo-net game show and since he rarely watched game shows he ignored the comment.

“Jar Jar Binks is a vampire. Did you know?” When Buffy nodded, Palpatine shook his head and tutted. “I wish you'd killed him onboard the Valiant,” he continued petulantly, “It would have saved me a great deal of trouble.”

“And it would have caused me a great deal of trouble if I'd slayed him without proof. That reminds me. Why didn't you tell me he'd bailed out in an escape pod? Did you... forget?”

“Did you forget to tell me he was a vampire?” Sid answered with a raised brow.

Buffy didn't reply. Her Slaydar pinged softly and she looked over her shoulder. The shadows in the far corner of the chamber were much darker than elsewhere and something had wigged her Spidey senses out.

Her mind and eyes still on the dark shadows, she said, “I broke into Jar Jar's room searching for clues to where he'd gone.”

“So did I,” declared Palpatine. In the past, he'd rarely taken much notice of Jar Jar, having always had a general dislike for the Gungan species. However, Jar Jar's launch of an escape pod, and the clumsy use of a lightsaber on the guard, had struck him as decidedly odd. For that reason, he'd decided to look more closely into the Gungan's affairs.

Sid admitting to having searched Jar Jar's room pulled Buffy's attention from the shadows.

“It was you! You're the one who snuck into his room after the Floral ball!”

Whilst under the bed she'd gotten a weird feeling as the intruder had wandered around the bedroom, checking all Jr Jar's closets. She hadn't known it was Sid, but he must have been camouflaging his presence even more than usual. Buffy had suspected it was him all along as he'd forgotten something that was a big clue to his identity. “I thought I recognized your expensive shoes,” she added smugly.

“My shoes?” The Sith Lord brow furrowed, thinking back to his footwear that night. “How did you see my-? You were there!” His eyes narrowed. “It was you. Under the bed.”

While searching the bedroom he'd felt watched. The sensation had vanished as fast as it had appeared but it had made him feel uneasy and for that reason he'd not checked as thoroughly as he should have. Now Palpatine wasn't sure whether to be angry or in awe at Buffy's ability to hide from him. Since she'd come to his rescue, he decided to go for awed. Buffy was going to be his wife after all. Whether she wanted it or not.

“In the future I'll expect you in my bed rather than under it, my dearest love.” His voice rang insincere sweetness and he wagged a finger at her. “There'll be no more hiding from me.” But not from others. Her skill at cloaking was one that he could and would make full use of.

Ignoring the skeevy Sith's attempt at flirtation, Buffy looked up at the camera hovering above her head. There was still no sign of the Smoke demon but the blinking light on the side of the droid-cam suggested they must be expecting action soon. “What are you scared of Sid?” she asked.

Using the mining trolley to help him stand, Palpatine climbed to his feet. His legs were much steadier. “Nothing. I'm not scared of anything,” he stoutly replied. It was true. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing in the galaxy more dangerous than he was.

“What about bunnies?”

“Since I have no idea what bunnies are, why would I fear them?” Palpatine's nostrils flared, resenting the probing questions. She should know better than to ask a Sith Lord a question like that. It wasn't as if she'd get an honest answer. He leaned back against the tub. The Force around him prickled with energy - Dark Side energy. He closed his eyes and greedily began to draw strength from it.

Buffy's eyes scanned his face. He'd a green tinge to his already pale face, sections of his thinning hair were stuck with sweat onto his forehead and more sweat dripped down his cheeks. He looked really ill. Buffy hoped if he was going to barf he'd have the sense to do it well away from her. What could be more repulsive than a Dark Lord of the Sick?

Still thinking about vomiting Sith, she didn't see the object lying on the ground until she trod directly on it.

Buffy frowned and lifted her foot to see what she'd trodden on. Since she was in a dumping ground for old mining junk she expected a mining tool. Her heart skipped a beat. Palpatine and her surroundings faded away as she stared down at the weapon lying on the floor.  
The Force hummed with excitement and her inner Slayer urged her to snatch up the beautiful golden hilted lightsaber pulsating with power at her feet.

Buffy didn't remember picking it up. One moment it was on the floor and the next she held it in her hand. She held the weapon out, testing its fine balance, design, and expert workmanship. She admired the way the rare electrum coating caught the light and how its surface felt smooth and silky beneath her fingers. Buffy smiled. She hadn't even switched it on yet, but she already knew this was a very special lightsaber. Her fingers searched its length, found the hidden switch and when the beam of red energy ignited her smile widened. She'd found another Mr Sparkly!

“Whoa! This is so cool.” She flourished the weapon, swinging it from one side of her to the other, admiring the colour of the blade and the noise it made as it cut through the air. Whoever had dropped this was not getting it back!

Hearing the familiar noise, Sid opened his eyes and almost choked on his own tongue. Buffy had hold of his lightsaber!

“Buffy...” he began but got no further. Even though he suspected she knew the truth of what he was he'd never voiced it out loud. He'd hidden his Sith affiliation for so long the words 'That's mine, I'm a Sith' stuck in his throat.

“I am so keeping this!” Buffy smiled as she waved his red blade at him.“Who would want to throw this away?” A little scowl marred her features. “Except Yoda, cos he's weird and thinks everyone is going to fall to the Dark Side. He is so not getting his sticky lily pads on this!” Her hands lovingly stroked the hilt once more. “It's beautiful and it's shiny, and now it's mine.”

“That's my lightsaber you're holding!” The words were finally forced out by her intention to pocket it. For Force sake, he couldn't allow that! He liked Buffy, loved her (possibly) but he wasn't going to give up his lightsaber.

Buffy's face blanched. Palpatine took pity on her disappointment. His lightsaber was bound to be the best she'd ever seen because he was the best Force user who'd ever lived. He lowered his voice, letting it become soft and seductive, “It is impressive, isn't it? I always knew once you saw it, you'd be begging me to allow you to play with it.”

“Huh?” Buffy's eyes flicked to his, then back down at the weapon she held. “Here.” She deactivated and almost threw the hilt into his hand. “You keep it. It's yours. Keep it in your er, hand where it belongs.”

“I'm sorry to dash your hopes,” the Sith's voice thrummed with persuasive Force seduction. Swiftly, before Buffy guessed his intention, he wrapped her in a hug. “Don't worry,” he whispered into her ear. “Once we're married I'll let you play with it as much as you like.” He smiled and clung to her, all dark robes and roving hands.

Buffy stiffened, her inner Slayer screaming at the oily closeness of the Sith. She pulled back and tried shaking off the Sith, which wasn't easy as he'd dug his long, claw-like fingers into her clothing.

“Hey! Let's not get so grabby with those hands,” she said, tugging herself loose.

The Sith pouted at her.

“We need to get out of here. Are you strong enough to walk?” she asked, remembering how ill he'd looked.

“Of course,” replied Palpatine stiffly. “Having you at my side, Vader, makes me stronger than ever.” It was true, while he'd hugged her the Force inhibitors had disappeared from his system and now the Dark Side of the Force was at his fingertips once more. Perhaps it was Buffy's presence that had done that or perhaps the antidote had finally taken full effect.

“Good,” said Buffy, “Those vamps have summoned a Smoke demon so we need to get out of here.” She turned, intending to head back to the stairs, and came to a dead stop.

Standing directly in their path were four Jedi, Knights, or maybe even Masters. Buffy recognized them from the surveillance footage. When she'd found their cell empty she'd presumed the vampires had moved them elsewhere. She'd been wrong.

The four of them were now vampires. A wave of sadness and regret went through Buffy. Someone had captured these Jedi, brought them to the mountain, killed, and then turned them. The Jedi Order might drive her bats with their stupid code and pompous ways but on the whole they were good people. Good people were scarce enough and she'd arrived too late to save these four.

Why hadn't she noticed them hunting her? She guessed she had, but she'd been distracted by getting to Sid and her conversation with him. Now she faced four demons with a raging thirst and the uncontrollable urge to kill. Oh joy, she mentally rolled her eyes, they were all looking at her to quench their thirst.

Buffy gave them a long, measured look. They were all armed with lightsabers. She'd no doubt that they'd know how to use them, but she now was no longer an inexperienced girl, armed with only a stake, and fighting against the odds. She was a woman at the top of her game. She'd been trained first by Merrick and then by Giles. Count Dooku had taken her as his lightsaber pupil and she sparred daily with Obi-Wan, who wasn't exactly a light-weight with a lightsaber. Therefore, instead of being a bundle of nerves, she bounced eagerly on the balls of her feet, eyeing the vamps and wondering how they'd respond to Slayer quippage and an unpredictable lightsaber opponent.

Newborn vampires were almost always easier to kill. On wakening, they craved blood and tended to chase the first victim they saw without thinking things through. It was another reason why she'd patrolled the cemeteries so much, killing the newborn as they clawed their way out from their grave. Driven half-crazy with bloodlust they tended to make stupid mistakes which she liked taking full advantage of.

With that in mind, she began walking towards them, a swing in her stride and a perky smile on her face just to annoy them. Surprisingly, the Supreme Chancellor kept his position at her side, his expression intent and watchful.

“Hey boys!” she called out as she got closer. “Are we going to dance, or are we going to stand around, in one of those awkward 'who's gonna ask who out' moments?”

For a second, she thought she saw a battle going on in the bearded Jedi's yellow eyes, then the man smiled ferally at her, the tips of his fangs showing underneath his top lip. Throwing back his shoulders, he allowed his robe to cascade to the floor before dramatically drawing his green lightsaber and striking an arrogant pose. Around him, more robes were discarded and more energy blades sprang to life as the vampires prepared to fight.

“Prepare to die... painfully,” hissed the bearded Jedi, opening his mouth to show off his fangs. “I shall enjoy listening to the last beats of your heart as I drain the blood from your body.” A long dribble of saliva slid from his mouth, ran down his chin before landing on his tunic.

“Eww!” Buffy shuddered. “I've got to say Spitboy, I can see why you'd have no trouble with keeping your Jedi vows. I bet you'd be a real sloppy kisser.”

Incensed, the vampire snarled and in response she drew Mr Sparkly. The crimson blade made the vampire pause and Buffy grinned at them. “Ha, you didn't expect that!”

Beside her Palpatine smirked as he ignited his own red blade. The two scarlet lightsabers hummed ominously in the air alongside each other and Buffy couldn't resist saying, “I don't care what Yoda says. I still think red is a cooler than yellow, blue or green.”

“Long have I waited of this day, Vader,” Darth Sidious drawled, his face intent and pale. “I have dreamed of it many times. You and I, fighting side by side against the Jedi with our red lightsabers. First, we shall take down the Jedi Order and then we take the galaxy.” He cackled, happily, at the thought.

“I hate to be the one to break this to you, Sid,” Buffy replied, “but these aren't your average common or garden variety Jedi. They're now vampires.”

Darth Sidious considered this for a moment before concluding it made not the slightest bit of difference. “Show them... no mercy,” he instructed, his eyes on the two on his right.

“I'm a Slayer. One girl to hold back the forces of darkness blah, blah, blah. These vamp boys chose the wrong girl to dance with and they'll get no mercy from me.”

“Good. Good,” Sid muttered, “That's what I like too hear.” He took a couple of steps away from her, to give himself more fighting room.

The vampires snarled and, through the Force, Palpatine sensed the intention to circle before attacking.

“Now!” he yelled to Buffy. With a flash of Force enhanced speed he sprang forward, attacking them before they could put their plan into operation.

Buffy threw herself forward. Leaping up into the air, she somersaulted over the fighters to attack from the rear. Her blade came up, instantly defending herself against a dual attack by blue and a green blades. Opposite her, Palpatine's lightsaber blade blurred as he met each strike from two green blades whilst adding in a frenzied attack of his own.

Buffy almost laughed, who'd have thought she'd be fighting Jedi-vampires in the company of Darth Sidious? It was just too weird. Andrew was so gonna freak!

...............


	171. Betrayal

Betrayal

“Naarad! Don't!” From the corner of her eye, Amaltha had caught her friend's stealthy movement towards the door as she soothed a fractious youngster. The Twi'lek boy stopped and shot her a guilty look. She added, “Mr Fett said we were to wait here and not wander off.”

“I only wanted to see... what the corridor looked like,” Naarad replied, his lekku curling guiltily. He raised his eyes to sneak a quick look at Amaltha's face, catching her look of disappointment and disapproval. She knew he was lying, but he couldn't tell the truth in front of the younglings, not without alarming them.

The truth was he wanted to spy on Jango Fett.

Why, when they got to level three, had the bounty hunter suddenly remembered a 'small but important errand'? What sort of errand was it? Why was it important? It didn't make sense to delay their escape when the vampires might be looking for them. Naarad couldn't help be suspicious.

On the opposite side of the stairwell, the third teenager of their group watched them both with a small quirk to his lips. With a shake of his blonde head and his usual sarcasm he said, “Just tell her the truth. The real reason for sneaking off is to make sure Jango Fett hasn't abandoned us. It's nothing to do with developing a sudden interest in subterranean architecture.”

Naarad mouthed 'shut up' at him and Bruck rolled his eyes.

Amaltha glared over. “There's no need for anyone to go out into the corridor.” She shot a pointed look at the kids huddled around her. “Mr Fett hasn't been gone long. I'm sure he'll be back very soon.”

But the damage had been done. The already shaken youngsters eyed the door warily and moved closer to her, seeking comfort. After they'd been kidnapped and thrown into the cells together the normally shy Amaltha had stepped in and taken charge of the youngest kids. With quiet words and a gentle soothing manner, the girl had come out of her shell, gaining more acceptance and respect than she'd done in her previous fourteen years.

Borondi, the Mandalorian boy who'd been asked to guard the door gave Naarad a hard look. “Mr Fett said I wasn't to let anyone through this door.” Holding the over-sized lightsaber hilt with both hands (since it was too wide for him to hold with only one), he waved the deactivated weapon at the green-skinned Twi'lek. “That means you too, Naarad.”

The older boy's brow lifted in surprise at the warning. Keeping his eyes on the borrowed weapon in case the kid accidentally activated it, Naarad said, “You shouldn't be using that, Borondi. It's the wrong size for a little boy like you.”

“Mr Fett gave it to me!” Borondi's fingers wrapped around the weapon's handle more tightly. “And I won't always be a little boy. One day I'll be a big, um, be bigger. I'm goin' to be a bounty hunter when I'm grown, so I'll need a weapon!”

The Twi'lek's lekku twitched from side to side, this time with annoyance. “You'll be a farmer, Borondi. You'll be sent back to the Corps and become a farmer like the rest of us.”

The younger kid's jaw stuck out. “I won't!” he replied stoutly. “I'm going to ask Mr Fett if he'll take me as his padawan learner.”

“Non-Jedi, like Mr Fett, don't take padawans,” Amaltha replied primly. She didn't know a lot about the non-Jedi but she was quite sure of this. “And Master Yoda wouldn't allow you to become one if they did. The Council of Reassignment will most likely send us all to another agricultural planet.” Seeing the boy's face drop, she added kindly, “If you tell them how much you disliked it they might send you to another branch of the Corps.”

She hadn't exactly liked Bandomeer herself, but since she'd never shown any great aptitude with a lightsaber or the Force she'd long since resigned herself to not becoming a knight. It came as no surprise to her when she found herself on the first shuttle from Coruscant to the AgriCorps only days after her thirteenth birthday.

“I'm still going to ask Mr Fett,” Borondi muttered mulishly. “See if I don't.”

“That's if Fett comes back,” said Bruck. He straightened up, shooting looks up and down the stairs. “He's a hitman for hire and we aren't the kind who can pay. I think we should leave now. The longer we spend here, the more chance the vampires have of finding us.”

“Is Mr Fett not coming back?” piped up a white-faced youngling from the group huddled around Amaltha.

A gangly Anx asked, in a low rumbling whisper, “Are the vampires going to get us?”

“Will they eat us?” whispered a small human girl and grabbed a fistful of Amaltha's robe.

“Of course, they won't.” Amaltha stroked the child's hair as she buried her face in the older girl's robe and began crying. Several more kids around her started to gulp, trying to stop tears, some with more success than others.

Naarad shot Bruck a dirty look and quickly replied, “Mr Fett will be-”

“Right here.” Jango Fett stood in the open doorway. “Sorry for leaving you. I had something important to do.”

Relief poured off the kids, tears dried, and next to the door Borondi beamed.

Naarad wasn't happy with the vague answer and spat out the question that had been on his mind since Jango had slipped through the doorway. “What were you doing?”

“Mindin' my own business,” replied Jango testily, he'd a bounty hunter's dislike of being questioned. Taking in the kids tear-stained faces, he softened. “I went off to plant charges,” he explained. He didn't want to go into details.“When we reach the next level I'll nip out and plant more.”

Jango would have left it at that, but caught sight of the questions on oldest girl's face. They didn't have time for this and he wasn't going to give them a full break-down of his movements. “I'm thinkin' we might need a distraction when it's time to make our get-away. There's nothing more distracting than a big ka-boom going off nearby. I was also thinkin', and I'm sure you'll agree,” and not caring if they didn't, “those vampires deserve a going away present to remember us by.”

He turned and began climbing the stairs. It was dimly lit in the stairway and the steps were in disrepair. His helmet's night vision, however, enabled him to see the best places to put his feet. The kids following on behind him were silent, but thoughtful. The bounty hunter knew they'd ask more questions. Maybe, with these being Jedi taught, they'd complain that innocent bystanders might be injured when the charges went off or they'd object to his destruction of property. Then again, he knew enough of Jedi to know they'd happily bring war to a people who hadn't deserved it. Whatever these kids had to say, he didn't want to hear it.

“Can I come with you?” Borondi asked. The kid jumped from step to step to get to his side. “I want to see how you lay charges so I'll know how to do it in future.”

“You want me to teach you how to lay charges?” Jango asked, almost stopping in surprise.

The kid nodded. “Huh-huh, I really want to know.”

Jango stuck out a hand and ruffled the kid's dark curly hair in amusement. The Jedi Order wouldn't like that one bit. A rogue bounty hunter teaching an impressionable Jedi kid how to plant charges? The Order was notoriously protective of its younglings, although they hadn't done such a good job protecting these. “You're one smart kid. What's your name?”

“Borondi, Borondi Mereel.”

Jango's hand dropped and he gaped at him. Mereel! That had been the name of his foster father, the man who'd trained him after both his parents were killed. Where had the Jedi got this kid from? Who were this kid's parents? What Mandalorian would willingly give up their kid to the Jedi?

“Nice to meet you, Borondi Mereel,” he managed to say when he got over his surprise. “I'll make sure to take you with me.”

“Thank you,” Borondi replied politely. If there was one thing the Jedi Temple excelled at, it was teaching the kids to act respectfully. “I'm grateful and I'm a fast learner.”

To stop further questions, Jango set as fast a pace as he dared up the broken stairs. As he climbed he was aware of the Amaltha's annoyed gaze burning into the back of his neck.

…...........

Sid and Buffy were fighting back to back. The three remaining vampires were circling, probing for an opening. Palpatine's first vicious attack had taken out one vampire with a strike to his stomach and Buffy, seeing the Sith Lord appeared to have no interest in finishing the job, had rushed over to stake him. Andrew had told her people in this dimension were known for making dramatic returns, even after being chopped in half and thrown down energy drains. It made her breathe easier knowing the vamp had dusted. She didn't want to run into a souped-up demon at a later date, complete with a set of extra-springy metal legs.

A little annoyed at her need to deliver a coup de grâce to a fallen enemy, Sid had backed over to her, the three vampires regrouping and surrounding them.

“These Jedi-vampires are very slippery customers,” Sheev Palpatine hissed over his shoulder to Buffy. His blade flashing as he deflected a blow.

“In my dimension, the vampires have superior speed, strength and healing ability compared to normal humans,” Buffy whispered to the Sith, feinting a quick jab at the nearest vamp yet failing to draw a response. The vampires reminded her of sharks circling, scenting blood, and preparing for a sudden, frenzied attack. “Once you add in all the Forcey powers they're even more dangerous than normal Jedi.”

Buffy knew Sid wasn't happy about the Jedi-vampires not being easy to kill. Despite his intense (and she had to admit impressive) acrobatic moves and vicious attacks, he hadn't been able to break through the three remaining vampire's defences. Now he was bristling with indignation.

“So am I.” Palpatine raised his arm and lightning shot out from his hand.

His intended victim sensed the attack and dodged away before being struck. Next to him, the red-haired vampire wasn't as lucky. He stepped back, colliding with his friend, and was accidentally thrown directly into the current. For a few seconds, the hapless vampire was locked inside the lightning. His arms and head thrust back, legs apart and limbs stiffened as the current ran through him. Palpatine cackled with delight, the Force bending to his will as he threw a last blast at the vamp.

When the lightning stopped, the vampire, instead of dropping as Palpatine expected him to, merely shook his smoking hair and snarled.

“I'm thinking the elec-trickery thing isn't working out as well as you hoped?” Buffy didn't wait for Sid's reply. A slight flicker in the bearded vampire's eyes warned her and she lunged forward at the same time as the vamp dove at her. With precise and well aimed flicks of her wrist she used her crimson blade to block a series of fast strikes.

Driven back, the salivating bearded Jedi (she'd already nicknamed him Officer Dribble) brought his powers into play. With a flick of his hand, he called on the Force and sent a push her way. Another Jedi in that situation would have countered it with a push of their own. Since she wasn't a Jedi, Buffy had to deactivate her lightsaber and jump into a flip to avoid being thrown off her feet.

Spotting an upturned mining tub next to the bearded vampire, Buffy sprang once more. As soon as her feet touched the solid surface she swung. Her lightsaber's scarlet beam reactivating as it arced through the air towards the vampire. On the very last moment, Dribble twisted and brought his blade up, awkwardly. The blades buzzed angrily as they locked. Recovering his footing, the ex-Jedi master stepped forward, leaning in, and pressing his green blade against hers. A smug smile appeared on his fat wet lips as their faces grew closer over the hissing blades.

“Pooh! Officer Dribble your breath stinks!” Buffy fake gagged. “When was the last time you cleaned your teeth? It's not too late to become a brusher, you know.” She brought her Slayer strength into play and pressed her blade harder against his. “Oops, maybe it is.”

Across the chamber, Palpatine grinned at her remark as he fought the younger vampires with a series of fast and vicious blows.

The smugness left the bearded vampire's face, chased off by confusion. Sweat formed on his brow. He stared at the two locked blades and then at the slight woman in front of him. Forced further and further down under her pressure, he finally managed to slide away from her blade. Instantly he spun, swinging his blade to block another strike from above.

As Buffy's blade hit the green she noticed he'd left his left side undefended and kicked out. There was a loud crack as her boot caught the vampire's jaw and sent him flying off towards the trolley Palpatine had been sat beside earlier. There came a sickening and slightly damp thud as he crashed, nose first, into the metal side of the trolley.

“Oh, I 'nose' that gotta hurt,” Buffy called as she jumped from the mining tub to finish the vampire off.

In mid-air she felt a warning through the Force and realised she'd just made a bad mistake. She'd believed the other Jedi vampires were busy fighting Sid and weren't watching her, but she'd thought wrong. A sharp jolt came as someone Force tugged her, pulling her legs out from under her just as she was about to land on her feet. Unable to save herself, Buffy fell forward in an ungraceful face-plant.

“Oomph!” Her lightsaber fell from her hand. Deactivating, it rolled away.

From somewhere behind her came the sound of a vampire's sarcastic laughter, then Palpatine shouting what she assumed was something rude in a language she didn't recognise. Feeling foolish, Buffy raised herself up onto her elbows.

MOVE! The Force screamed inside her head.

Buffy rolled. As she did, she glanced left, and saw a green blade strike the ground where she'd fallen. She rolled again, following the path taken by Mr Sparkly. She heard, rather than saw, the green lightsaber hitting the ground again in the spot she'd just rolled from. Was that Dribble? It must be. She could hear Palpatine engaging the two vampires. It seemed Dribble wasn't happy about his broken nose. He was intent on pinning her to the ground, like an insect to a board.

Buffy looked to her right, eyes frantically searching for her own weapon. Her lightsaber shouldn't be too far away. Panic set in when she realised it wasn't in sight. Mr Sparkly had been with her since her first day, she didn't want to lose him. She twisted back as the green blade pierced the ground inches from her face. Bringing up her knees she kicking out at the vampire. Her feet slammed into the Jedi's shins and she felt smug relief as he staggered away.

She turned her head again, scanning the ground. There! The shiny hilt of her weapon lay a good way off, trapped beneath a large mining drill that was attached to a car-sized framework. Buffy felt a flash of anger. Someone had Force pushed it there. There was no way it could have rolled that far on its own.

Scrabbling to her feet, Buffy used Slayer speed to dart to the machine. Then she dropped to the ground, wriggling, and twisting to squeeze as far as she could under the machine before stretching out with her arm. Her fingers reached, trying to touch the lightsaber hilt.

Palpatine glanced over as he sensed Vader's dangerous position. Crawling on the floor when her enemy was approaching? What was she thinking?

It was no use coddling apprentices, and he certainly would have left Maul to his fate, but since this was his Sith-Queen he went to her aid. He sprang, summoning the Force to help him flip clear over the heads of his adversaries. In mid-air, he spotted and used the Force-given opportunity to slice through the vulnerable neck of the tallest vampire.

The Dark Lord of the Sith landed in front of the ex-Jedi master cutting him off from Buffy. His face curled cruelly in the parody of a smile.

“Jedi filth,” he snarled. Blades met with a harsh hiss. The sharp tang of ozone filled the air and the two Force users' feet kicked up the dust from the exploded vampires as they fought one another.

The red-haired vampire bounded over to the pair and Darth Sidious's blade blurred as he took on them both, driving them away from the prostrate Slayer.

“Vader!” Palpatine shouted over to her, blocking a blow from the master and then striking out at the knight. “Why are you still lying on the floor?”

“Mr Sparkly rolled off and got stuck under the drill!” Buffy yelled, still half under the machine, her fingers trying to grab the lightsaber hilt.

“Well, use the Force!” Palpatine shouted back, exasperated. The bloody-nosed, bearded vampire moved closer, snarling, and Palpatine leaned away. His nose wrinkled with distaste. Buffy was right, the breath on this one was quite obnoxious.

“Use your power,” he shouted again, “and call the weapon to hand!”

A still struggling, and now grimy, Buffy shouted back, “I can't just accio it back to me! I don't do the Forcey stuff!” She stretched out her wriggling fingers, but the hilt remained frustratingly just out of reach.

Palpatine pirouetted, his black robes spinning out around him, as he slammed one of the vampires with a Force kick, before sending halitosis-breath halfway across the chamber with a strong Force push.

As he did so the Sith Lord scowled, baffled by Buffy's odd comment. “What do you mean, you don't do Forcey stuff? Of course you can control the Force. All the Sith can control the Force!”

“I'm NOT a SITH! I'm a Force void!” Buffy jumped to her feet. Grabbing the waist-high bar she tried to lifting the machine. It wouldn't budge an inch. She'd no idea what it was made of, but it was impossibly heavy.

Up on level 2, Darth Desolate's jaw dropped. Around him, his dark councillors murmured in surprise at the Sith Queen's surprise admission.

“She's no Sith,” Desolate hissed, as he watched her using brute strength to try and lift the machine. “It's Palpatine! He's the strongest Sith in the galaxy! He's the one I'm searching for!”

Palpatine stood, his lightsaber hanging low as he gaped at her. “You weren't... pretending?!”

Buffy pushed again on the framework of the drill, determined to free her lightsaber. “Nope, I'm not pretending. I told you all along that I wasn't a Sith.”

“But you...” The Dark Lord of the Sith's words trailed away. He passed a hand across his forehead as her words sunk in, the world tilting beneath his feet as his perspective changed.

When he'd first met her, he'd seen the Dark Side around her and believed she was here to destroy the Jedi Order by eating away at it from the inside. He'd thought she planned on corrupting as many of the knights and masters as she could to the Dark Side. There were all those mugs she'd handed out with 'Sith boys have more fun' printed on the side, designed to provoke discontent and make the Jedi wonder what they were missing out on.

And then there was her own mug. The one she used every day in defiance of Yoda. It proclaimed that she was a Slayer Queen. Someone (possibly Andrew, on her instruction) had crossed out the word Slayer and written Sith over it in red. Palpatine blinked as he remembered how shocked he'd been when he'd first seen it. Later he'd thought it an amusing slap in the face for the dim-witted Jedi and a big hint to him of her true allegiance. It'd had all the hallmarks of a Sith joke.

He'd been secretly delighted at her naughtiness and even indulged her wish to remain chaste until their wedding night.

She'd lied to him.

He ignored all the times she'd told him she wasn't a Sith. He'd thought she'd been denying it to continue the pretence. He'd have done the same if questioned and not ready to show his hand.

She'd led him on.

She'd used her little half-smiles and devious ways to make him believe they were this galaxy's power couple. He'd thought she was his female counterpart in the Force. She'd done that. She'd let him believe it. Encouraged it.

For so long he'd been alone. Then he thought he'd found her, the one who would share all his passion and ambition. Vader would have been his queen, given birth to his children, and been a mother to a brand new Sith dynasty which would rule for a millennia. He'd have put her above every female in the galaxy, perhaps even been faithful, and she'd...

She'd betrayed him.

She'd also scuppered all his original plans with her antics and then demolished his new ones with lies. Rage flooded through him and his vision painted the chamber in shades of blood red.

She was a void. Empty. Weak. Useless to him.

A vampire stepped in front of him, blocking his view of Vader... No, not Vader, she wasn't Vader. She was a useless waste of space that had fooled him and needed to be eradicated from the galaxy.

The red-haired vampire wore his demon face and when he snarled the Sith Lord's lip curled in contempt. Was that supposed to scare him? He allowed his own facade to drop. Sith-yellow eyes burning with hatred in the ravaged face of an experienced Dark Side practitioner.  
It made the vampire pause. Palpatine brought up his lightsaber blade, using it with such savage, rage-empowered strength that it sent his adversary staggering across the chamber and falling to the ground.

Instead of killing the vampire, the Sith Lord turned back to a position where he could view the woman who'd betrayed him. She wasn't even looking at him and had no idea that he no longer cared for her. With dogged but pathetic determination she struggled, muttering to herself as she tried to use her brute strength to lift the drilling machine.

“No wonder she steals other Force user's weapons,” Palpatine growled softly, “And is so desperate to retrieve this one. She is weak without another Force user helping her.”

Across the chamber, another had noticed Buffy's distraction. The bearded vampire stalking towards her was being very careful to approach from her blind side. Palpatine watched the creature smiling, long fangs exposed as he readied to attack the, apparently, oblivious woman.

The Sith Lord tensed. Without his intervention, would the vampire strike her down? An image filled his mind of Buffy in agony. Her once beautiful face tortured by pain as she lay on the floor gasping for air, as the foul creature defiled her body by sucking the lifeblood from out her veins. She deserved it for lying to him.

Suddenly, his view was blocked by the red-haired vampire and Sheev Palpatine snarled, “Out my way, Jedi scum!”

Palpatine swatted at the annoying vampire who stood in the way of his enjoyment. But no sooner had he thrown the vampire to one side than it bounced back, driven into attacking him by its need for blood. Irritated anew, the Sith Lord threw up a hand and made a sharp downward movement with his fingers. High above him, a large metal hook held in place by heavy lifting chains broke from its moorings and hurtled downwards.

With a flick of his robes, the Supreme Chancellor took a neat step back as both hook and chain crashed down onto the vampire directly below it.

“Fool,” Palpatine spat. He'd no time to entertain minions when the main event was playing out elsewhere.

Ignoring the whimpers of pain coming from the now impaled demon, Palpatine held his robe to one side and stepped delicately around it. There was blood pooling on the floor and the Sith didn't wish to soil the soles of his expensive shoes with spilt demon blood.

The Sith's eyes focussed once more on the woman he'd chosen to be his Vader, his second-in-command, and his future queen.

And a thrill of dark pleasure ran through Darth Sidious as he prepared to watch her die.

….........

….........


	172. Chapter 172

PredatorThe Dark Side currents inside the lower-most chamber grew in strength as the Sith and the Slayer fought the vampires. Had Obi-Wan or any other Jedi been present they'd have found the atmosphere not only oppressive but would have been physically and mentally weakened by it as well.

Sheev Palpatine had no such problem. For the Sith, those volatile Force currents flowing around him only served to enhance and empower his rage. At another time he might have taken a moment to ponder on the nearby Dark Side nexus, but now he let nothing distract him from the scene in front of him.

There was Buffy, completely unaware a vampire was stalking her as she struggled with the drill and tried to free her lightsaber. The Force around her bubbled with building anticipation, no doubt due to her impending destruction. A fate she well and truly deserved for pretending to be a Sith and misleading him. Yet even as he watched, something in those currents caused Palpatine to tense. There was a frisson, a warning to the sensitive that something unexpected was about to occur. Something hidden from normal sight would make itself visible.

Buffy had told him Jar Jar had summoned a demon. Palpatine stretched out his senses, checking the undulating currents for further clues. His jaw tightened as he realised the source. The aberration was at its strongest around Buffy.

Palpatine flicked an eye at the vampire stalking towards her. From the way the creature continued to slowly move towards the Slayer, it hadn't sensed anything amiss. Darth Sidious sneered. Of course, it wouldn't. The vampire had been a Jedi and the Jedi were all amazingly stupid.

The aberration in the Force flared again as the vampire stepped closer to the Slayer and Sidious had a sudden flash of memory. Early on in his apprenticeship, he'd been visiting the planet Zaloriis with his master. Plagueis had sent him to investigate a tumbledown tomb half-way up a mountain. He'd been forced to hike up the rocky terrain and felt a similar warning through the Force. Looking up he'd spotted a Rock-Lion lying in-wait in the shadows, its amber eyes watching him unblinking as it considered him for its next meal.

The Force told him another predator was nearby. Darth Sidious lifted his chin, intrigued.

Across from him, the bearded vampire had gotten close enough to attack. Leaping forward with his green blade hissing, the ex-Jedi master had positioned himself perfectly to swipe the Slayer's head from her shoulders. Yet his swing was not destined to land. Buffy spun in a graceful and perfectly balanced turn. Eyes alight with an unnatural golden hue, her ignited darksaber in one hand and a green bladed lightsaber in the other. With a blur of deadly speed and precision, she struck out. Her two blades cutting short, vertical loops through the air as they ripped through their targets.

A scream of shock and agony rang through the chamber and the vampire fell to his knees in front of the Slayer. His arms, one still clutching his lightsaber hilt, dropped to the floor. Both were sheared off above the elbows.

It was only years of control and Palpatine's tight discipline that kept his jaw from dropping. Once again Buffy had surprised him. It really was a reoccurring event around her and one he should have expected. He raised his head, watching her face as he reassessed her. So she'd known all along the vampire was stalking her, had she? Her 'guileless' struggle with the drill had been anything but. Not a Force user? Ha! She may not be the Sith Queen as she'd claimed (embers of that betrayal still burned inside him), but she was definitely Force sensitive. Idiotic Jedi with their idiotic midiclorian tests. The Sith never bothered with those, they'd miss too many with potential.

“You've annoyed me, Officer Dribble,” Buffy said. “You gave me no option but to disarm you.” The sound of tightly reined-in anger in her voice pulling the Sith from his musing.

Palpatine could see she was annoyed. His mother got the same look whenever someone put her out of sorts. It was the way she held her head, the angle of her neck as she looked down on whatever pitiful creature grovelled at her feet. Oh yes, Buffy was just like Mother, they even had the same glare that could cut someone to ribbons.

The kneeling vampire didn't reply to her comment. His focus was on those amputated limbs, regarding them with what could only be called white-faced horror. Palpatine ignored the pathetic creature, despite his anger he found himself admiring the way Buffy held her hissing blades. The two lightsabers were crossed, hovering on either side of the vampire's neck mere inches from inflicting death and suffering.

“...following me around, eyeing my neck, and breathing on me with your breath. Ugh!” Buffy mock shuddered and gave a small shake of her head. “It doesn't matter what galaxy or dimension we're in, newborns always think they're something special. You fell for the oldest trick in the book, Dribble!”

“Buffy,” Palpatine murmured, her name inadvertently escaping his lips. His anger blazing into arousal. Those flashing golden eyes of hers, the way she'd set her trap, the pool of darkness inside her, and the callous treatment of a prisoner at her mercy was truly beautiful to behold. It was enough to drive any red-bloodied Sith Lord insane with passion.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten how she'd upset him. There was a punishment coming her way, something creative that she'd remember for a long, long time. That he'd make sure of. However, her lack of Force training could be rectified, she just needed a firm hand on her rudder. Palpatine's tongue came out to lick at his gray lips. She'd lost her position as his Queen, but she'd do well as an apprentice. Very well indeed.

The Dark Side would welcome her as a practitioner. Why, even now, her anger was already causing sparks inside the Force. Palpatine rubbed his hands together with satisfaction. With a little training, she'd soon be making sparks of her own.

“Use this time to focus, Buffy. Focus,” Darth Sidious kept his voice low, the cadence steady, and soothing. She already had so much anger churning away inside her. The Dark Side was being pulled in, enveloping her in a dark caress. It would only take a little push to make her kill in cold blood.

Palpatine knew once she'd sampled the intoxicating power of the Dark Side, she'd be on her knees begging him to train her. The thought of it almost made him cackle and he was forced to take a deep breath in order to steady himself. It would not do to get ahead. Before that could happen, she needed to slaughter the Jedi master kneeling in front of her. He called out encouragingly, “I know you can do this.”

“Huh?”

Buffy wrinkled her nose and looked over to where Sid stood, rocking in his bespoke shoes. Whilst she'd been luring the bearded vampire into attacking her, Sid had been throwing out some weird, angry vibes. Now his voice was all smarmy and... insidious again. Buffy hoped he wasn't going to start going Sith Lord on her, she had enough to deal with.

The vampire in front of her squirmed, drawing her attention, and she moved her crackling blades closer to the creature's neck.

Palpatine watched her refocus. “Good, good,” he praised. “You're doing well.”

Buffy's blades moved closer to the vampire's neck as the creature shuffled again on his knees. Was the vamp thinking of escaping? Buffy's dark glare became a whole lot colder and the Force around her churned with agitation.

“Do it!” Palpatine yelled, a quiver of ecstasy running through him. “Use all your anger! Use all your hate!”

Sparks flew inside the Force as Buffy's anger grew.

“Kill him! Kill him, now!!”

Buffy's head swivelled towards the Sith, her expression sour. “Who's doing this? Me or you?”

“Do it!” Palpatine croaked. “Taste his pain. Taste his death! Do it!”

“Bossy, much?”

“BEHEAD HIM!” Palpatine's frustration bounced around the chamber.

Keeping the green blade at the vampire's throat, Buffy waved Mr Smoky in Sid's direction. “Will you shut up, please? I'm trying to concentrate here. I don't need you yelling in the background. Honestly, you're worse than Dawn when I'm on the phone.”

She turned back to the vampire and asked, “Who told you to follow us?”

She could see Palpatine from the corner of her eye death glaring her. Not that she cared. He was most likely miffed because she'd told him to shut up. It was either that or he was having age related testosterone problems. Was he going through some kind of mid-life crisis? That would explain the new hairstyle and wearing less bulky clothes.

She gave an inward shake and frowned down at the bearded Jedi-vampire. He was either giving her the silent treatment or was in shock from being dis-armed. He kept looking at his hands. The ones on the floor a few feet away.

“Who sent you?” Buffy repeated. “Tell me or your death will be... um, prolonged and insanely painful.” She didn't like torture, she was more of a 'dust and go' type of girl, but she knew how to apply pain when it was needed.

Across from her, Sid seemed to have accepted she was interrogating. At least, he'd stopped shouting 'kill him' over and over again and his face was no longer as pale and wrinkly. That could only be of the good. She'd been worried in case he dropped dead of stroke disease.

“More painful?” hissed the vampire incredulous at what she'd threatened. “You've cut off both my arms and now threaten me with pain? What's your next step? Pull out my fingernails?”

“Ah, that's a good question,” replied Buffy. She looked upwards, pretending to think. “ What about a spot of sunbathing?” Her smile was as deadly as it was bright. “I could tie you to a rock outside and toast marshmallows on your flaming corpse as the sun rises. Or, since I don't want to wait that long, I could just set fire to you in here. Have you any idea how long it takes for a vampire to burn to a crispy cinder?” She leaned in, eyes gold and calculating. “No? Neither have I. It could be fun for me to find out.”

Sid sighed in ecstasy and Buffy shot him a startled look. Catching her eye, he sent her a soft smile that worried her far more than his previous angry glares. “Good, good,” he whispered. “You're doing well, Vader.”

Her eyes widened and she quickly looked away. That guy was totally wigging her out.

The threat of an un-dead cremation must have worked as the vampire started to talk. “No one told us to follow you. We woke and sensed a living body, pulsating with fresh blood.” He dribbled and he went to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand, realised he didn't have a hand and looked as if he might burst into tears. Buffy felt sorry for him.

Taking her silent pity for doubt, he added shakily, “It's true! I'm telling you the truth. The thirst came on us and we couldn't stop ourselves. It drove us to attack you.”

Buffy nodded, knowing it made sense. Vampires woke with a strong thirst and would usually hunt down the nearest warm body. It was why she spent so much time hanging out in graveyards rather than having a social life.

Sensing her pity, Palpatine growled, “You have your answers, Vader. We're not here to take prisoners. Show him no mercy! KILL HIM!!”

“Honestly,” Buffy huffed in response,“what is it with guys trying to tell Slayers how to do their job? I've been a Slayer since I was fifteen. I don't need another Watcher telling me what to do.”

The vampire in front of her groaned, “Please, can we just get on with it?”

“Sorry,” Buffy said, “I got distracted.”

With a fast movement, she slid both blades through the vampire's neck. A bright white light flashed and a plume of dust rose into the air. Stepping back, Buffy waited until the dust settled before speaking. “That flash of light I get with the stronger Force users,” she asked, “do you think it's the Force leaving their bodies? Because it's totally weird and I've never seen it before.”

She looked at Palpatine, hoping he'd have an answer. He was the one who'd been sneakily killing other Force users for years after all. Sid merely smiled at her, which was creepy. Then again, she'd never seen him with a normal expression. He always looked as if he was plotting the downfall of the galaxy or as if he'd indigestion.

“You did well.” He made sure his voice was gentle and encouraging. “The Dark Side of the Force has many gifts to bestow upon its practitioners.”

Buffy walked towards him putting her lightsabers away. “I told you, I'm not a Sith.”

“It doesn't matter,” he replied. “The way you tricked him into falling for your ruse. How you drew the Force to you. That was-”

“You thought I only had one lightsaber as well, didn't you?” Buffy grinned, pleased she'd fooled him too.

He wanted to scream at her that he was a Sith Lord and she should have more respect. Instead, Palpatine gave her a sycophantic smile. “Well, you did seem rather frantic to retrieve the one you lost...”

“Oh yeah!” She'd almost forgotten to grab her lightsaber. “I need to grab Mr Sparkly before we can leave.” It was easy enough to do. She'd use one of her other lightsabers to cut through the drill and free it.

With a dramatic thrust of his hand, Palpatine called the Force and Mr Sparkly shot out from under the machine. As it flew through the air, heading towards him, Buffy moved and caught the weapon in mid-air. “Hey thanks. Saves me damaging my manicure when I turned the drill parts over.”

“I know several techniques that make the Force push and pull easier.” Palpatine smoothed down his long black cloak, assuming an outwardly unconcerned expression, yet watching her surreptitiously. No Force user could resist the opportunity to acquire more knowledge. “I could show you. I'm sure you'll have no trouble mastering the basics with the right... teacher.”

Buffy's eyes slid over to him, her face thoughtful. “Are you gonna expect me to lift a spaceship out of a swamp?” She frowned as she remembered all those times she'd tried levitating things with Willow and Obi-Wan. “I'll tell you now, I can't even levitate a pencil.”

They headed towards the stairway. Buffy thought silently, wondering if a Sith would make a better trainer for a Slayer than a Jedi? After all, her Slayer powers were linked to the dark side by the Shadow demon. Maybe she needed a Dark Side tutor? No sooner had she thought it than she discarded the idea. Why was she even considering learning anything from Sid? That thought was... icky. Just the image of being trapped inside a small deep-meditation chamber with Sid was sending her Slaydar haywire.... But before she could voice her refusal, the Supreme Chancellor changed the subject.

“You're slipping, Vader.”

“Huh?”

“The kill count is 3-1 to me,” Palpatine smiled contentedly as he strolled beside her, his dark robe wafting around his ankles. “Vampires are supposed to be your speciality, yet this suggests a Sith is far better trained than a Slayer.”

Buffy gave a little huff. She took her time answering him, sorting out her lightsabers and stowing them about her person. If she didn't stash them away now she might be tempted to use one of them on the annoying Sith next to her. She was already feeling hyped up, she didn't need his obvious digs about her joining the Dark Side for more training. Her name was Summers not Skywalker. It wasn't going to work with her.

“And who was it who told you how to kill those vamps?” she finally retorted. “You were going Dr Frankenstein on them with the Force lightning. The idea is to kill them, not rejuvenate them.”

Instead of replying he stopped dead. At the same time, the scratchy feeling Buffy had been getting on her Slaydar and been putting it down to the creepzoid Sid grew more intense. It only took her a moment to see what Palpatine had noticed. Over by the doorway a thin column of smoke had appeared amongst the shadows.

“What did you say they'd summoned?” Palpatine's voice was low and urgent. His lightsaber hilt was once more in his hand.

“Smoke demon.” Buffy watched as the smoking column began to coalesce and take form.

“That's bad,” Darth Sidious said.

“No kidding, Sherlock.” She swallowed, the jarring sensation in the Force making her feel queasy. She wished (silently) that Giles or Willow were here with a huge pile of research they'd done on Smoke demons for her. She hated going into a situation blind and missed those Scoobies. “You didn't seem all that bothered about this demon before?”

“I thought you said Snoke demon. Those I can handle. This is...” he swallowed audibly, “...bad.”

“How bad?” If the Sith knew what this was, he should know the best way to dispose of it. Killing things seemed to be his speciality.

“They take the form and the powers of their victim's worst nightmare. As they have no true form of their own it makes them almost impossible to kill. No ordinary weapon, such as a blaster, will affect it. Fortunately, we have our lightsabers but even they do little more than weaken it. Smoke demons are notoriously difficult to destroy. It is more a case of dispersing their power or killing the summoner.”

“I find beheading usually works.” Buffy didn't take her eyes off the undulating column of smoke. “Although according to Anya some demons can regenerate their heads due to having their brains in a different part of their body.”

The form this demon had chosen to manifest into was something tall, painfully thin, and it wore the stereotypical bad guy's long, black, and hooded cloak. She almost laughed out loud but decided not to mock the fashion sense. It might change its mind and come back naked. She'd seen enough naked demons to know it could get ugly.

The smoke demon raised its newly formed head and faced them. Buffy wasn't impressed with the form it had taken. An elongated, pale, and deeply lined face with Sith yellow eyes stared back at her, dismissed her, and then turned to Palpatine. The Sith Lord beside her stiffened in recognition.

Buffy shot Sid a quick look. He was paler than normal and looked as if he'd aged ten years in a matter of minutes. Whatever or whoever this was totally wigged him out.

“Darth Sidious,” the high nasal voice of the Smoke demon flowed through the air as he raised a skinny arm and pointed to the Sith next to her. “I see you... remember me.”

Buffy felt the fear rolling off the Sith next to her. He stood, his mouth opening and closing as if he'd lost the power of speech. She prodded him with her elbow.

“Who is it, Sid?” she asked. “Where do you know him from? Why is he so thin? Has he got anorexia?”

Without taking his eyes off the tall creature moving from the shadows towards them, Sidious replied, “All the Muun are like that. It isn't a wasting disease. His name is-,” the Sith's voice broke and he stared at the robed figure without continuing, seemingly lost in unhappy memories.

“What's his name?” Buffy prodded Sid again. “Who is he?”

Darth Sidious turned his head towards her, eyes flicking continuously towards the figure as he spoke, “His name was Darth Plagueis. He was my master.”


	173. Obi-Wan & Jango Fett

Obi-Wan & Jango FettObi-Wan and the Bounty Hunter  
Or  
No one normal lives inside the Jedi Temple

The door to the stairway burst open, Jango Fett hurriedly pushing the small boy into the stairwell before turning to quickly hit the control button. The door closed, shutting off the corridor from sight. Jango raised his blaster and fired a bolt at the controls. The panel sizzled, sparks of green and red flying into the air. In the small confines of the stairwell, Amaltha, Bruck, and Naarad exchanged puzzled glances.

“Why've you done that?” asked Naarad.

“It's to delay anyone following us,” piped up Borondi. “That's right, isn't it Mr Fett?” The boy had looked scared when he'd first been pushed through the door, but now he looked pleased with himself.

Jango nodded. “Good boy, we'll make a bounty hunter out of you yet.”

“Gee thanks, Mr Fett.” Borondi face glowed with pleasure until he spotted Amaltha's repressive glower. Hastily, he wiped the gleeful expression from his face and avoided her eye.

Stowing his blaster back in its holster, Jango called out to Bruck and Naarad, “You two, take the lead. The rest fall in behind them.”

Amaltha stayed at the rear of the group to help the smallest and slowest. Jango and Borondi waited, hanging back until the group had moved past them before dropping into step behind the older girl.

Amaltha looked over her shoulder. “What happened back there?” she asked Borondi. “Why do you think someone might follow us from that level?”

When the boy looked across at Jango, waiting for his permission before answering her, she felt a flash of annoyance. The man wasn't a Jedi, Borondi shouldn't be trying to copy him.

At Jango's nod, Borondi explained, “Oh, a vampire came from a side room and nearly caught us.” The boy's eyes slid over to the bounty hunter. “We jumped back and bolted down the corridor, but he might've seen us.” Although the boy was acting as if it wasn't a big deal, Amaltha had seen his frightened face when Jango had pushed him through the door.

Amaltha's sharp gaze went to the bounty hunter. “Was it worth risking everyone's safety to plant those explosives?” In front of her, a section of broken steps made a tiny Chadra-Fan stop suddenly and Amaltha had to make a fast sidestep to avoid bumping into him.

“Mr Fett knows all about causing confusion in the enemy ranks,” Borondi jumped to the bounty hunter's defence. “He's done this for years. It's rude of you to question him.”

Amaltha shot him another glare for interrupting. She wanted answers from the silent bounty hunter, not a boy who'd only just met him. She jumped over the damaged steps in front of her and reached back, lifting first the delicate Chadra-Fan and then a small human girl over the gap. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Borondi smiling smugly at the bounty hunter, which annoyed her even further.

Guiding the Chadra-Fan over more broken steps, she sensed Jango Fett watching her and a picked up on his irritation. Was he annoyed at her questions? Or did he blame her for the way the smallest children slowed them down? That wasn't her fault. Naarad would have helped but Jango Fett had sent him to the front and the other kids weren't big enough to help her. It wasn't easy to shepherd all the younglings and help the weakest on her own.

Awkward, self-conscious, and more than a little stressed, she snapped, “Buffy asked you to take us to safety. You never said anything about leaving us to plant explosives. I don't think it's fair that...” her words trailed away and she cringed. Was she really criticizing someone who wasn't obliged to help them? He was only doing this as a favor to Buffy. The bounty hunter could walk away at any time and leave them to find their own way out.

She took a deep breath and added, “It isn't that I'm not grateful for your help. I'd just prefer it if we didn't keep stopping on every level so that you go off and... do what you do.”  
The bounty hunter's helmet completely covered his face making it impossible to see his expression or even be sure what direction he was looking in. From the way the dark 'T' section in the front faced her, she'd a feeling she had his full attention.

“Buffy asked me to take you to safety,” he agreed. “And I'm gonna do my best to fulfill that promise. If that means takin' the time to set charges, then I'm settin' those charges.” He leaned forward and surprised Amaltha by picking up the Chadra-Fan who was dithering over another broken section. Swinging the small bat-like child upward, Jango tucked the child into his left side, balancing the boy on his hip.

With only one child needing help from Amaltha the group picked up the pace. Despite that, Jango had a feeling it wasn't going to be enough to avoid trouble. Sooner or later someone would come looking for them, yet he knew pushing the already nervous kids wouldn't help them reach the next level any faster. These stairs were lethal. All they needed was a frightened child falling and hurting themself to delay them further. So Jango bit back on his impatience, carrying the smallest child and constantly monitoring his helmet's built-in 360 degree monitor for potential enemies.

They'd gotten further than Jango had expected before sounds of a low hammering and then a loud bang came from below. The sound echoed around the stairway and made several of the kids squeak with fright. Having half-expected it, Jango sighed.

“Someone's tried the door,” he said, trying to sound as if it was nothing to worry over. He didn't add that the vampires were probably already in the stairwell. There was no need to scare them any more than he had to. Keeping a firm grip on the Chadra-Fan, he discreetly pulled out a blaster with his free hand and kept it down by his side. In front of him, the kids had slowed.  
“Keep moving! Naarad and... er, you.”

“Bruck,” the blonde boy replied, with a fast glance back over his shoulder.

“Bruck,” muttered Jango, committing the name to memory. “Keep up the pace, but stay on the alert for anyone above you.” The vampires might have messaged ahead and sent someone to wait for them.

“Yes, sir,” Bruck called. “We're almost at the next level.”

“You can see the door already?” asked Jango craning his neck, trying to look over the heads of the kids in front of him. He couldn't see anything, not even with his helmet's infa-red and heat-vision.

“Not yet,” Bruck called back cheerfully. “But the Force is telling me it isn't far.”

Next to him, Naarad nodded, his green lekku twitching in nervous agreement. “Bruck's better at it than me, but I sense a change of level too.”

“Hmm,” The bounty hunter replied non-committally. He'd known for a long time that members of the Jedi Order had sets of skills and abilities that a non-Force user lacked. Since this gave them an advantage over him it wasn't something that filled him with joy and wonder, especially since he and the Jedi Order were usually on opposing sides. Even now, working with them like this didn't sit well with him.

Jango looked up at the sea of frightened young faces. Kids, these were just kids, he reminded himself. They weren't even proper Jedi. They were the Temple's cast-offs by all accounts. He'd taken the time to question Borondi and the boy had described the agri-corps and how they'd been 'chosen' to join it. The Order had taken innocent kids and condemned them to a life of unpaid farm work.

Family bonds were strong for the Mandalorians. Why had Borondi been given away? He was a bounty hunter and had a hectic lifestyle and he'd still not see a son of his in the Jedi Order. Those bownucks might have the Republican law on their side but he'd still kill any Jedi knight or master who came to his door trying to steal one of his away.

His hand gripping the blaster handle tightened and he'd the urge to reel off a bunch of blaster bolts at the walls. Realizing he was becoming rattled by something that was never destined to happen, he took a deep breath and let out a chuff of self-deprecation. He needed to get this together. This wasn't helping.

Making sure all signs of anger was absent from his voice he said, “Come on, Jedi-kids. No dawdling. Oh-Be-Waiting-For-A-Long-Time will be wondering where you are.”

A couple of kids threw him a grin and the little Chadra-Fan made a chuckling sound in his throat at how Jango had garbled Kenobi's name. Within the confines of his helmet, Jango's lips twitched in response. If he could get them moving he'd make more jokes than a Corellian smuggler who'd drunk too much whisky. Not that there was much to joke about. Although Jango's helmet hadn't relayed information to confirm it, his instincts told him that there was someone on the stairs behind them.

As Bruck and Naarad rounded the next flight of steps, the doorway to the next level came into view. Eager to leave the stairway, the pair picked up their pace, darting forward and extending the gap between them and the main group. They were almost at the door when Bruck's senses screamed. Grabbing Naarad's shoulder, he pushed the wide-eyed Twi'lek boy back down the steps.

“There's someone on the other side of the door,” Bruck hissed, motioning for the rest of the kids to stay where they were.

A heartbeat later Jango was at his side, having handed over the Chadra-Fan to the Amaltha. The bounty hunter already had both his blasters drawn as he moved stealthily upwards, placing himself in front of them.

“A vampire?” Jango asked. He'd set his blasters on full power. Buffy had told him that vampires needed beheading to keep them dead. As far as he was concerned, once he'd finished blasting bolts into their faces they wouldn't have a head.

Bruck shook his head. “I don't know. It feels shadowed, sort of how the vampires do.” He shook his head again. “Something doesn't feel right.”

“But it might not be a vampire?” Jango pressed. “Could it be your Jedi?”

“I'm not sure,” Bruck admitted. “I've heard some of the masters can hide their Force presence.”

That didn't give the bounty hunter much to go on. “Guess we'll have to wait 'n' see.” His fingers twitched, ready to blast the next creature who came into view, yet knowing he needed to hold back in case he mistakenly killed the contact. Stang! He really preferred the role of a hunter rather than the hunted.

Whoever lingered on the other side of the door must have used the control button. There was a soft hiss and the door opened to reveal...

Nothing.

Only semi-darkness lay beyond the doorway. The distant echo of hammering, low voices, and the smell of starship fuel floated down the stairway from the hangar bay. Jango's fingers rested on the triggers of his two blasters and he was just about to creep upward when a shadow moved in the opening.

A moment later a figure stepped into view. Dressed in an oversize dark robe, their hood pulled over their head casting deep shadows across the visible sliver of a pale face. They tilted their head, eying the group and noting the blasters trained on him. Slowly, the man raised his hands and tossed back his hood. The face of a young and handsome man was revealed, auburn hair, bright piercing blue eyes, and a gentle smile.

“I mean you no harm,” he said quietly. “I'm exceeding pleased to see you.”

Jango recognized the Jedi from both the Outlander club, where he'd first made contact with Buffy, and from the Temple roof when he'd tried to abduct her. This was the knight who constantly shadowed her and had gotten in his way more than once.

“Guessing you're Oh-Be-Found-Wanting?” Jango drawled, throwing his shoulders back and looking him in the eye. He lowered his blasters slightly, but didn't put them away.

“My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the Jedi replied evenly, refusing to be riled by Jango.

He made a small and stiff formal bow of greeting to the Mandalorian. Jango noted how he warily kept his eyes trained on him despite the respectful greeting.

Obi-Wan continued, “I'm a Jedi knight working in partnership with Buffy Summers. I'm here to take the children that are currently in your care.”

The man had a very strong Coruscanti accent. Jango had heard Obi-Wan speak before, but previously he'd either been drunkenly slurring his words or shouting as he deflected blaster shots. Now it was far more pronounced, precise, and... karking irritating. At least to Jango. With his 360-degree vision, Jango watched the children step out shyly to greet the Temple Jedi.

“Why, hello there.” Obi-Wan treated the youngsters to one of his warmest and most reassuring smiles. Even Jango felt the effect of its charm and the kids lost their haunted look. It was almost as if the mysterious Force had reached out to wrap a comfort blanket around them.

Jango watched as each of the kids, even the smallest, made the Jedi knight a formal bow in turn.

Introductions out the way, Obi-Wan rubbed his hands together. “Now, what we must do is get you all safely away from here. There's no need to worry. I have a ship nearby. It's simply a case of keeping our heads low, being silent footed, and staying under-cover. Come with me and -.”

“I'm thinkin' there's someone on the stairs behind us,” Jango interrupted. He disliked this clean-cut Jedi instinctively. How did Buffy put up with this laserbrain who liked talking so much? “You take the kids. I'll deal with them.”

“Very well,” Obi-Wan replied. “I've secured a transport ship. It's the one furthest from the control room and closest to the docking bay entrance. Meet me there once you've... taken care of your business.” He motioned to the kids to pass him and then, giving the bounty hunter a level look, he lowered his voice, “Try not to alert the entire mountain to our presence. I've still not heard from Buffy and we aren't leaving without her.”

“I'll keep it in mind.” Jango sneered, finding it hard to keep civil. He didn't like the Jedi - any Jedi - it wasn't personal. Not after the way these emotionless robots slaughtered his people, all in the name of their precious Republic.

“See that you do,” Obi-Wan said coldly and gave a slight motion with his hand.

Jango heard the unspoken threat in his voice. With only four words he impressed on Jango that if he drew the attention of vampires and threaten Buffy's escape in any way he'd provoke the Jedi's wrath.

It almost had Jango wanting to obey him. He blinked away the odd feeling. Retribution? Revenge? That was a surprise. He already knew the Jedi Order weren't the unbiased pacifists they portrayed themselves as and that as fighters they had a streak of beskar running through their blood. To be threatened like this though... That was something new. It seemed this Obi-Wan Kenobi had something going on that was darker than normal.

Buffy's verbal slip and then long-winded denial over Obi-Wan being her boyfriend came into his head. Weren't the Jedi forbidden to have relationships? Was that true? He wasn't sure. The Jedi kept themselves to themselves and no outsider really knew all that what went on behind closed Temple doors. Jango frowned. As far as he knew, the only non-Jedi living in the Temple were Buffy and Andrew Wells. That didn't tell him much. Neither of them were normal people. They'd arrived from another dimension, Buffy was an accomplished fighter and also supposedly Palpatine's love interest. Andrew was... something else entirely.

The first night he'd met Buffy, at the club on Coruscant, she'd left with a drunk Jedi. He'd intended to follow them, but as he'd crossed the floor he'd been waylaid by a rowdy Andrew and his friends. The blonde boy become very vocal, loudly demanding his autograph and then asking to have a holopic taken with him. Jango had refused. That hadn't been the end of it. The chubby blonde had followed Jango, yelling that he was his biggest fan and that he'd seen all his fights on YouTube. A crowd gathered eyeing him with interest and it had shaken Jango. He was incognito, he wasn't supposed to be recognized. He'd tried to stay low after that and not approach Buffy openly, in case Andrew spotted him. Of course, that hadn't worked out well either. When he'd released the kouhans on her Kenobi had run over and leaped onto the hovering droid. He'd had to shoot it to dislodge him. Then another Jedi had chased him shooting lightning bolts out his fingers. Jango could definitely say that the Jedi Temple housed a lot of strange people.

As Jango mused, Obi-Wan turned away, no doubt thinking the conversation was over. The bounty hunter stared at the Jedi's arrogant back thinking of all the times he'd gotten in Jango's way. Turning his back on Jango like that was either a brave or foolish move to make. Surely he knew his danger? Jango's finger slid across the firing button of his blaster. A little bit of pressure and there'd be another dead Jedi to add to his kill count. Except... he wouldn't do it. He lowered the weapon. He'd given Buffy his word that he'd look after this guy and a Mandalorian's word was his bond.

Kenobi turned his head then and gave the bounty hunter a dark smirk from over his shoulder, letting the bounty hunter know he'd been aware of him all along.

“Follow me,” Obi-Wan told the kids and, without looking again at Jango, walked off.

This left the bounty hunter alone in the stairwell, with whatever it was that had been chasing them.

….


	174. Under Orders

Under OrdersJango Fett watched Obi-Wan leading the kids away. Putting the urge to get out of here faster than a Correlian smuggler shipping spice, he turned back for the stairway. It was time to deal with whatever was lurking on the stairs.

Despite his armor, the bounty hunter moved lightly. His footsteps barely made a noise on the steps, his helmet's in-built computer system constantly monitoring the environment around him. He'd not gone far when his audio picked up the sound of mechanical footfalls. Stopping sharply, he took a step back, hiding against the inside stairway wall and listening. Footsteps! His eyes narrowed as he counted the footfalls. Four, maybe five bipeds. He made a silent bet with himself that there'd be four droids and a vampire – most likely human.

As he went to draw his blasters from their leg holsters an idea began to form in his mind. The Jedi hadn't wanted him making too much noise and drawing attention. If the circumstances were different, he'd most likely have ignored him and done just the opposite purely to be contrary. However, that course of action would put others at risk. Those young kids he'd become emotionally invested in were counting on him, not to mention Buffy. He made a tsking sound with his tongue, feeling a little irritated, but not overly so. The odds were five to one, the location was a little too confined for comfort, making it an interesting challenge. Jango had never been one to back away from a challenge.

He waited and listened. As soon as he heard the droids' feet hit the steps just below him, he leapt from his hiding place, his right gauntlet raised ready to shoot. It only took him a micro-second to work out positions and aim his weapon. The whipcord shot through the air, the hook wrapping around the lead pair of droids legs, tangling them together. As the droids stumbled, Jango reversed the cord's mechanism, yanking the droids limbs before darting back to relative safety behind the wall. As he hunkered down, wild blaster shots took out sections of plaster and left scorch marks on the walls and ceiling around him. The bounty hunter waited until the volley had finished before jumping back out, both blaster pistols raised.

In front of him, the lead droids had tumbled back into the pair following close behind them.  
A rookie mistake by whoever was in charge. Jango would have left a gap between the droids and not bunched them together. That way if they'd run into an enemy they'd suffer fewer losses.

“Idiot vampires,” snorted Jango raising his blaster, “they've got less brains than the clankers.” He fired off half a dozen bolts. Aiming for each droid's head, his blasts taking out receivers and transmission lines, blowing away what little 'brains' they had.

That left the Jedi-vampire who'd stayed further back. The man's face was set in grim lines as he ignited a cool blue lightsaber. Jango noted straight away the gray robes and how his fingers fumbled on the hilt's control button.

“Service Corps,” Jango muttered. He knew that those in the corps weren't given the same amount of training as the Temple Knights. How much weapon training did they have? He guessed he'd soon find out. Raising both his blasters, he let off volley after volley in the Jedi-vampire's direction.

Despite him being in the service corps it seemed his Force skills hadn't deserted him. Shot after shot was deflected back at Jango, the bounty hunter having to dodge being hit by his own blaster shots. Yet Jango soon spotted that the man was more skilled at defense rather than offense. Never once did he try to advance his position and bring the fight to him.

Was he trying to buy time? Jango knew the longer they played this game the more likely others would appear. Either drawn by the sound of blaster shots or perhaps alerted by a distress signal. He needed to up his game to win this one. He smirked, allowing one of the returned blaster shots to graze his armor and dropping to the floor on the small landing.

The vampire hesitated, then stepped closer. Jango brought up his knee and fired the knee dart projector. At the same time as he rose up, letting off another volley of shots. With a Temple knight or master his ruse wouldn't have worked. The Jedi would have sensed the dart through the Force and deflected it as easily as a bolt, but this vampire had never been a master or a knight. The bounty hunter's dart slipped under the vampire's defenses and struck him in the stomach.

The dart was triggered to release the toxin on impact and would quickly work its way through the creature's system, no doubt causing a great deal of pain. When the vampire lost momentum in deflecting shots, Jango knew the toxin was working and it enabled him to get in several hits to the creature's chest.

The vampire swayed but didn't go down. Buffy had warned him vampires were already dead and needed to be disposed of in certain ways. She'd handed him a very sharp stick and said, 'Take that. Drive it through their heart or behead them.' He'd never insult someone by turning a gift down, especially if the giver was a pretty woman talking dirty as she handed it to him. But it was only a wooden stick. He preferred to use his vibro-blade for close-up work.

With a fast, sideways dodge to avoid a weak Force push he saw coming his way, Jango ran down the steps sending blast after blast at the vampire. When he came within range he kicked out, his boot cracking the vampire's wrist and sending the lightsaber spinning and bouncing off down the stairs.

Now dizzy from the nerve agent and finding it hard to keep on his feet, the vampire swayed. Jango took advantage, grabbing the creature's head and twisting it to one side, he pulled out the short vibro-blade and began cutting through the neck. He hadn't gotten half-way through when the creature imploded into a dust cloud.

Jango stared at the ash as it settled. “Guess that's where the expression comes from about shaking the dust from your feet.” With that, he turned and hurried back up the stairs.

When Jango sneaked out the door on level one, he noticed straight away how the noise had increased. There was a high pitched alarm going off that rattled his teeth and, over on the other side of the hangar, a group of Sullustans were shouting at the vampires gathered around them. From the insults that were being traded, it appeared the two groups were blaming each other for damaging Desolate's ship. No wonder no one had come to investigate the stairway or even looked in this direction, all the noise had covered the sounds of his fight.

He turned his attention from those arguing to the three ships across from him. The expensive star yacht with its crew of yelling Sullustans instantly caught his eye. He ran his eye covetously over the ship's sleek lines and imagined the engine capacity and weapons array. The damage the Sullustans were so angry about was to the front of the ship. A stack of drums and containers nearby had fallen, smashing into the vessel's side and damaging several panels. Two of the Sullustans were already making rudimentary repairs, while others mopped at the liquid leaking out of the broken drums. Through the helmet's filter, Jango caught a faint whiff of something that promised to be flammable.  
Jango's nostrils flared and he smiled. Spilt fuel. That was useful information and something he could put to good use. Kenobi most likely wouldn't like his plans. He chuckled. Oh yeah, the Jedi could be so damned straight laced, not that he cared.

Further along in the hangar, away from the bickering crew and the beautiful yacht, were two light-freight service-class vessels. Jango's smile disappeared when he saw the condition of the one furthest away. What the fack was Kenobi thinking? Pick the worst ship he could find?'

He gave himself a mental shake, he supposed he should give the man some credit. The Jedi had, somehow, managed to sneak a large group of kids through an area teeming with lifeforms and then sneaked them on board a ship right under the vampires' noses. How had he managed it? Jango looked back over to the yacht and the carnage of the fallen barrels around it. Looked like the Jedi, Oh-be-Wanna-girlfriend, had created a little diversion of his own.

Scanning the area around the yacht, Jango tapped his thigh holsters as he examined the hangar's control room located on the level above Desolate's ship. Kenobi had wanted to know where the droid control center was? Jango grinned. The droid command was exactly where Jango had expected it would be. Now, maybe if he-.

The door to his left opened sending Jango scurrying for cover between container stacks. A group of droids emerged from the corridor. Jango watched as they marched across to the scattered drums and begin to move them.

“Watch out!” yelled a Sullustan, jumping forward and waving his arms trying to stop a droid. The droid had grabbed a barrel and tried to balance it on top of an already lopsided tower.

The tower teetered, sending panicked Sullustans running off in different directions, as the tower collapsed. Taking advantage of the distraction, the bounty hunter slid from his hiding place and sprinted across the landing area. He dived behind a stack of plastoid blocks, his blaster drawn. There he waited, once he was sure no one had spotted him or was looking in his direction he ran on, moving to a thick metal column lying directly below the droid control.

In the quiet shadows underneath the droid and hangar control, Jango planted his final charge. A nice big one, one that would make a lovely booming noise when it went off. With any luck, it would leave the droid army impotent and also damage Desolate's yacht. There was nothing Jango liked better than making a dramatic exit.

….......


	175. Smoke Demon

After the Smoke demon materialized and announced its identity, Darth Desolate looked away from the holo-broadcast to covertly scan the faces of those around him. Most were watching the fighting, completely enthralled in the violence going on in the lower level.

He'd already noticed that Master Sifo-Dyas wasn't as interested in the fighting as his fellow council members. He'd spent most of the time watching Darth Sidious fight and then regarding Darth Desolate speculatively. Desolate knew he'd wonder if Palpatine would make a suitable candidate for their Order. He'd also be weighing up the likelihood of there being a power shuffle if an already strong Sith joined them. Without doubt, Sifo-Dyas was torn between the need for their Order to grow in strength and power, and the worry that he'd lose his position of second-in-command to another. Sifo-Dyas glanced over at Desolate, met his eye and flinched guiltily.

Darth Desolate merely smirked before turning his attention, somewhat reluctantly, in the Gungan's direction. The oblivious Jar Jar stood beside his summoning circle, humming to himself with a pleased expression on his long face.

“We need to stop thith,” the Dark Lord growled, making all but Sifo-Dyas jump. “Sifo-Dyas, go to level 8. Distract the Smoke demon and get Palpatine away from there.”

Sifo-Dyas froze. His Adam's apple bouncing up and down as he swallowed the lump of fear Desolate's words had caused in his throat. The Master wanted him to face the Smoke demon? Palpatine was the creature's intended prey. Why was he trying to stop it? This would be a suicide mission.

Jar Jar stopped humming. His bulbous eyes swiveled in Desolate's direction. “Whaa? Oh, meesa gettin verrie confused. Meesa thought yousa wanted him to be fightin dis Smoke demon?”  
Jar Jar Binks looked from the images projected into the chamber to his master, his long muzzle twisting with confusion. “Why yousa be wantin to stop dis?”

“Oh, please don't stop the fight! We want to see how Darth Sidious and the Slayer destroy the demon!” protested Erin Kar, drawing Desolate's attention. “It's not fair to stop it now. We've all been waiting for ages.”

Desolate's face darkened. The newest member of the Dark Council, a human female with carefully pinned back blonde hair and a petulant face, stared back at him. Having got his attention she pouted and fluttered her eyelashes, making Desolate wonder if she had defective eyesight.

“Those other fights were interesting,” she continued, still simpering in that annoying manner, “but I was really looking forward to watching the main feature.” She dimpled and added coyly, “I've made a small bet on the outcome. I think 'Sid' will kill the demon and then sweep Buffy off her feet with a passionate kiss.” Several others murmured their agreement with her; keen to see the fight take place and take their winnings

Desolate's hands twitched at the protests. He'd known about the discreet betting going on and turned a blind eye to it. Placing bets on fights had long been enjoyed by the Sith apprentices in the Empire, he'd even made them himself during his youth. This was something very different though. This was a direct challenge to his authority. The Pau'aan's eyes changed to a deep glowing yellow as his anger grew. His councilors thought to ally themselves with one another against him? The Force crackled and the more cautious in the chamber began to eye him warily.

Flinging his cloak to one side, Desolate sprang to his feet. His face morphed into that of a vampire. How dare they?! Any who stood against him faced annihilation! Those who stood against him were nothing! They were all expendable!

From the shocked and frightened looks being shot at one another, it appeared they had no idea what they'd just done. The Sith Lord bared his teeth, revealing his sizable yellowed fangs and snarled, “What's happened to the galaxy while I slept? Has the level of intelligence declined?!”

The chamber fell silent. Desolate glared at each councilor in turn, before continuing, “I demand absolute loyalty and obedience from my followers, yet it seems that some of you,” his eyes rested on the blonde woman, “think that by whining it will stay my hand!”

When he moved towards Erin Kar the woman shrank back, realizing she'd made a very bad mistake. Desolate placed a hand on the back of her chair, lowering his face so that it was level with hers. With his lips drawn back and his fangs fully exposed, he spat, “Get out of my sight! Now!”

The woman almost fell out of her chair. She stumbled, regained her feet, and ran for the door, frantically hitting the door control and shooting a terrified look over her shoulder. Desolate watched her, his large hands twitching at his side as he contemplated sending a blast of lightning at her. When she darted out into the corridor, he inhaled deeply, relaxing into the heady effect of the power that surged through him. He promised himself the sweet taste of retribution later. He'd teach an agonizing lesson to her and to whoever dared recommend her as an adviser. In future, none would protest or try his patience again.

Letting out the breath, he regarded those around him with disapproval. “How am I to drink the blood of the strongetht Sith if he's dead?” he asked.

Across the chamber, Jar Jar timidly raised a hand. Desolate ignored him. The question was a rhetoric one and after what had just happened, only an idiot like Jar Jar Binks would try answering it.

“This Smoke demon has materialized as a Sith. If it kills Palpatine what then?” Jar Jar waved his hand in the air again. Desolate avoided even looking in his direction and pointed to the holo-image of the Slayer. “As for her... I was told she was the most powerful Sith in the galaxy, but look at her!”

Everyone obediently looked at the holo-images. Palpatine was speaking to the Smoke demon while Buffy stood behind him, examining her nails and frowning over the chips to her nail polish.

“She can't use the Force! She's useleth! Completely and utterly USELETH!” Desolate's head spun in Jar Jar's direction. The Gungan no longer had his hand in the air, now his yellow eyes swiveled from the image of Buffy to Desolate and back again, getting wider with each pass.

“You, Jar Jar, informed me that she was the Sith Queen! You told me that she fought a Sith Lord and defeated him on Naboo. And you,” his long finger pointed in Sifo-Dyas' face, “you did as well. Don't think I have forgotten!”

Sifo-Dyas froze. Knowing he needed to tread carefully to avoid provoking the Sith's ever present anger, the dark-haired master quietly explained, “The information came to me via Master Yoda, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. Master Yoda believed her to be an immensely powerful agent of the Dark Side. He told the masters that he only invited her to stay at the Temple so that he could keep an eye on her and her apprentice.”

His words didn't satisfy his master. One moment Sifo-Dyas was in his chair, his feet firmly on the ground, the next he and his chair had been slammed into the wall by a blast of energy through the Force. He slid down, still seated in the remains of his chair and hit the floor, shock, pain, and trepidation on his weather-beaten face.

Should he remain where he'd fallen or try to flee? Sifo-Dyas wondered which option had better odds for his survival. The Force advised him to remain still, telling him that the Sith vampire wouldn't destroy him – not yet anyway. Desolate needed him to face the Smoke demon and extract Palpatine.

“Yoda is an idiot!” snapped Desolate, contemptuously curling his upper lip. “He had years to uncover Palpatine and never noticed he was a Force sensitive, never mind a Sith. Then when this Slayer appears, he immediately thinks she's a Sith!”

Sifo-Dyas kept still, not daring to say anything. There wasn't much he could say. Desolate was right, Yoda had had plenty of opportunities to recognize what the Chancellor was, yet he'd never done so.

“Jar Jar,” Darth Desolate tipped his head in the trembling Gungan's direction, “banish the demon.”

Jar Jar dropped to his knees. Wringing his hands, he pleaded, “Meesa so sowwy. Meesa can try dis, but dis could take time. Dis very bombad magic. Tis so sensitive, me try-”

“Do it!” snapped Desolate. “There is no try! Do it! Now!”

The Gungan crawled over to where the dropped grimoire lay. Snatching up the book, he hurriedly began flipping pages, mouthing words and turning more pages, desperately trying to find the correct banishing spell.

Sifo-Dyas risked climbing slowly to his feet. Desolate addressed him once more, “Get Palpatine out of there. Destroy level eight, seven too if you have to. In fact, if that's what it takes, destroy the whole damn mountain! Prepare my ship for take-off and escort Palpatine on board.” Desolate pointed to the door. “GO NOW! Do not preth my patience further.”

When the door closed behind the now cowed ex-Jedi master, Desolate settled back into his chair, stretching out his legs in front of him, his face thoughtful. “In the meantime, I shall reach out and make this Sith an offer that he cannot refuse.”

…........

On the lowest level of the mountain, the Smoke demon, aka Darth Plagueis, eyed his former apprentice Darth Sidious with an expression of extreme distaste. “Who is this female you are consorting with, Sidious? Quickly! Answer me!”

“She is Darth Vader, my latest apprentice,” Palpatine replied nervously, feeling the need to explain.

This was a demon, not Plagueis, but Palpatine knew that if the old tales were true, the Smoke demon would have all the knowledge of his former Sith master. Lying would only antagonize it further and Palpatine had suffered first-hand under some of Darth Plagueis' more creative punishments. He heard Buffy snort softly behind him, but ignored her.

Seeing Plagueis was waiting for him to elaborate, Palpatine added, “She took over from Maul. Remember my assassin, Maul? You never liked him. You always said that he had more tattoos than brains. Darth Vader is far more ruthless and she has a certain set of skills that Maul never had.”

As he spoke, Palpatine was thinking of different ways to defeat this demon. That someone had managed to summon it at all, let alone bring it back as something as powerful as a Sith Lord surprised him. Made from the Dark Side of the Force using Sith alchemy, the demon would be immensely difficult to eradicate. He knew that only a lightsaber, being a Force charged weapon, could deter it. But if the demon did get hold of him, it would feed off his body until there was nothing left.

“Hey! I'm so not Darth Vader.” Buffy scowled as she walked up to stand alongside Palpatine. “If Faith and Xander ever find out that people here call me called Darth Vader, my life won't be worth living.”

Sid gave her a sidelong look. Although the way she'd come to stand alongside him pleased him, she should have remained silent and not corrected him over titles. That was something an apprentice should never do. And definitely never in front of a Smoke demon. If his old master punished him because of her, he'd-.

“Are you lying to me?” Plagueis asked pleasantly. Sid wasn't fooled. There was nothing pleasant about his old master. The Muun's small, peevish eyes moved from Sidious to Buffy. “One of you is.”

“She is Lord Vader,” Palpatine assured him. “She has yet to take her vows of subservience. It's nothing major. It's merely a formal ceremony that we haven't got around to yet,” he waved a hand, trying to look unconcerned and hoping Buffy wouldn't interrupt again.

“Why do I sense sentimental attachment?” Plagueis growled. He seemed curious about Buffy and hadn't shown any signs of attacking yet, for which Palpatine was grateful. “Sidious, I've told you, many times, not to become involved with girls. Human boys have a tendency to become distracted by their hormones when they reach a certain age. I don't want you neglecting your studies because you've started getting interested in the opposite sex.”

Sid heard Buffy snort back laughter and a flash of anger surged through him. Anger at the way his former master still belittled him and anger at his own fear. He breathed in, feeding off the emotion. Knowing anger was a good thing. Anger would build into rage and rage would bring him strength. If he could just-.

“Are you boys gonna stand around, reminiscing about your hormones all day?” Buffy spun her humming lightsaber to and fro with a dramatic flourish. (Palpatine felt certain she'd learned that move from Kenobi. It was the sort of thing he'd do, flouncing around trying to look cool.) She continued, “Because if there's gonna be a fight, I always say, there's no time like the...” she lunged forward, driving her lightsaber at the Smoke demon, “...now time.”

Her scarlet blade plunged into the Smoke demon's shadowy core. The demon let out a hiss of pain and dissolved. Buffy, expecting to find a denser opponent, stumbled through the space the demon had been in and landed in a less-than-graceful heap on the floor.

Sidious shot her a startled look, but her courageous attack had, finally, galvanized him into action. When the demon materialized a short distance away, he was ready for it. With an acrobatic flip, Darth Sidious somersaulted across the room. Flipping over the smoke demon's head, turning, his red blade slicing through the creature's neck as he landed. It was a move he'd used many times before on his enemies and with great success.

This time, his opponent didn't die under his red blade. The edges of the cut simply rejoining as the smoke flowed over the wound. The creature laughed long and low. A sarcastic sound echoing around the large storage chamber. Palpatine raised startled brows and met Buffy's eyes. Why had the Slayer's blade caused it to hiss in pain and yet his own did not? Why was that? Both weapons were created by a Sith. He'd created his own while Maul had created Buffy's. It didn't make sense that hers should cause more pain than his.

“Your fear weakens you, Sidious,” laughed the Smoke demon seeing his confusion. “You fear me and you fear to lose her.” The Muun gestured to Buffy. He continued with his taunts, “Love and compassion are useless and demeaning to a Sith. What next? Are you going to start wearing Jedi robes?”

Palpatine raised his blade and attacked. Yet every time he thought the blade had vanquished the demon it would reappear again in a different part of the chamber, a sneer on its face as if it was playing with him. Buffy came to join him, the two red blades flashing through the air as both attempted to pin the creature down before it turned into smoke.

With a sarcastic laugh, the demon coalesced in the center of the room. This time as it solidified it raised a hand, sending a barrage of mining parts flying towards them. Buffy dodged, narrowly avoiding a trolley and a drill. Knowing she was unable to Force push, Sid jumped in front of her, sending chunks of mining equipment harmlessly to one side with one hand, while the other whirled his lightsaber in a circle to deter the demon from attacking.

~He never appreciated you as an apprentice.~ a voice whispered to Sidious. ~He withheld knowledge and never truly shared his power. He always saw you as a worthless apprentice, unworthy to become a master.~

“One day, I shall be master of all! One day I shall be Emperor of this galaxy,” snarled Sidious.

Buffy, who'd climbed to her feet and was in the process of circling around the other side of the demon, stopped and shot him a strange look. It made Palpatine realize that only he could hear the voice. That could only mean whoever had contacted him was a powerful Force wielder.

Palpatine attacked again so fast that he blurred to the naked eye. This time his blade sliced horizontally through the smokey torso. On the other side of the demon, Buffy struck lucky with a jab to its throat. Yet neither red blade appeared to do any substantial damage. The creature would only hiss before disappearing.

~I will teach you all that he would not~ whispered the mysterious and powerful voice in Sidious's head. ~I am Darth Desolate and I know the secrets of eternal life.~

“Ha!” replied Sidious, “I already know a way!”

“Share it already, then!” yelled Buffy, ducking and diving to the side to avoid being Force pulled by the demon. “This is like trying to poke holes into a Dementor! The only way this could get worse is if he kisses me!”

~I know the secrets of the Sith Academy. Join me. I will teach you knowledge lost over time.~

“I am powerful in my own right. I don't need you,” snarled Palpatine, throwing up a hand to Force push the demon, driving it like fan-swirled smoke across the chamber. Buffy was looking at him as if he'd a screw loose. “Not you Buffy!” he called quickly. “I was talking to... er, myself!”

~Eternal life is yours for the taking~ the voice hissed. Palpatine felt the truth reverberate through the Dark Side of the Force. ~ Join me. I will show you the secret to immortality. We will command the New Order. Far away in the Outer Rim, there are planets once inhabited by the Sith that have been long forgotten. Much knowledge is hidden there. Knowledge, and power beyond anything you can imagine. You'll have all eternity to explore and rule...~

“Zap him, Sid! ” Buffy yelled. “When Plague-Face teleports in, zap him with one of your lightning bolts! Do it! Use all your anger, use all your hate! Go for it!”

Palpatine rolled his eyes. “Honestly, Buffy. Do you really think I don't know?”

~Come. Join me when my guards arrive.~

“And the secret to eternal life?” Palpatine called out. Knowing how much he'd wanted it, Plagueis had enjoyed to tease him with it. Dangling it, tantalizingly, in front of him. He wanted that secret! He wanted immortality!

“Concentrate, Sid!” yelled Buffy, swishing her lightsaber and backing over to the other side of the chamber as she waited for the Smoke demon to rematerialise. “You can get the Alzheimer's episode later!”

Plagueis materialized to Palpatine's left and laughed as he hissed, “I'll never tell you my secret.”

~Join me and you shall receive the knowledge.~

Palpatine drew back his lightsaber and feinted a blow at the demon. At the same time, he called on the Force, sending a stream of Force lightning in the demon's direction. Buffy kept well back. Not wanting to get in the way while the Sith fought with his lightning.

The demon snarled, sending out a blast of Force lightning of its own to block Palpatine's. Then while Palpatine was concentrating on his lightning, it made a small movement with its other hand. A drill flew up from the floor at high speed, slamming into Palpatine's chest and knocking him to the floor. With an angry shout of surprise, Palpatine accidentally released his grip on his weapon. It dropped from his hand, and before he could call it back to him, the demon used the Force to wrench it away and to its hand.

Now, with no weapon to aid him and fear freezing his blood, Palpatine lay at the mercy of the advancing demon and his own lightsaber. But in its eagerness to kill its prey, the demon had forgotten Buffy. The Slayer bounded forward, pulling a lightsaber from her belt, and throwing it with Slayer strength to Sidious. “Catch this.”

Sidious swept the weapon from the air, activating it, arcing it around the red saber, and plunging the darksaber deep into the surprised demon's core.

There was a loud, painful shriek of agony that echoed around the chamber. The Smoke demon tried to vanish but found it couldn't. The shadowy blade Buffy had created was made not only by the Force but also by the magical essence of the Slayer line. It pinned the demon in place, stripping away all its powers and leaving behind only a corporal shell that it had no way of escaping from

Palpatine's eyes widened with surprise. He looked down at the Slayer's darksaber in awe and then a sadistic smile crossed his face. Placing both hands on the blade's hilt, he began to make rough jerks with the darksaber. Slowly, he dragged the darksaber through the torso, up into Palgueis' face and then out through the top of its head. He stepped away, watching as the segments fell to the floor. The Smoke demon lay sizzling before finally dissolving into the floor.

“I guess my Mr Smoky out-smoked the Smoke demon.”

Palpatine looked up from his reverie to see Buffy smiling. That dizzying glow of pleasure he'd always felt when in her company, hit him once more. She wasn't a Sith, but she was his to train and by the Force, she was both merciless and powerful!

“I always knew Mr Smoky outclassed every lightsaber ever made.” Buffy's smile widened. “My shadowy saber is Slayer charged and there's nothing quite like it in this galaxy. I can't wait to tell Yoda about how it slayed the demon. He's always giving it dirty looks and saying I should make a proper one in a different colour. Just wait, I'm gonna make his life a misery for-.

Suddenly, she was enveloped in a Sithy embrace. Palpatine holding her against him with claw-like hands and pressing his moist lips onto hers. Buffy desperately fought to keep her mouth closed and the moment he released her, she stepped back. Wishing for soap and hot water to wash away Sithspit and a fire to burn her clothing. In fact, she might have to take a blow torch and burn the skin on her stomach as well. It was probably the only way she'd ever rid herself of the feel and shape of whatever it was the excited Palpatine had been pressing against her. She tried to avoid letting her mind dwell too much on the finer details because no one had invented brain bleach yet.

“Buffy, I believe it's time we-” Whatever Palpatine was suggesting was lost forever when they both heard the sounds of the elevator and stairway doors sliding open behind them.

The Sith and Slayer turned simultaneously, to see an army of droids and vampires pouring into the chamber.


	176. A dream?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This starts with a Jedi vision.
> 
> Sorry my italics are not transferring to this story. Driving me nuts

Obi-Wan opened his eyes to a blue sky. His first thought was 'blue'. The second, 'bright'. This place had two suns, one much larger than the other. Despite those two suns it wasn't hot.  
'Not hot, cold.' The thought drifted through his mind and he paid no further heed or wonder to it.

Lifting his head, he sat up and looked around him. Taking in the all too familiar sight of dunes, bushes, and rocks stretching as far as the eye could see. 'Desert.' He'd enough self-awareness to know this was a dream. It was his desert dream. Besides the sandy landscape, there was the usual feeling of overwhelming disappointment and loneliness. There was also the taste of ash in his mouth.

Ash. Ashes of fire or ashes of regret? If regret, for what? He doesn't know. Was that sensation a new one? He can't remember.

It was time to move. With a flip to his feet, he began the trudge to the top of the nearest sand dune. He always does this, it's like a routine. Once at the summit, he uses a hand to shade his eyes and scans the surrounding area. He's searching for... What is he searching for? Ah yes, the boy. The boy he needs to protect. The one whose face he's never seen.

~ The plans gone wrong!~

Buffy. Her name fills his mind. Her destiny entwined in his. They are something far more than two people in love. They share a Force bond. Master and Apprentice. Slayer and Jedi. Two halves that create a whole.

~Help me. You're not answering your com.~

Something gnaws at him but he can't figure out what it is. Where is she? He's met her in the desert before. It isn't such a lonely place when she's there. What about the young boy? Gone. A pity but Buffy is his Chosen One. She's his padawan, slayer, apprentice, lover, future...

Below him, on the other side of the dune, something catches his attention. A shimmering wall of silvery light stretching out as far as the eye can see. That's new. He moves forward and, in the way of dreams, arrives beside it in the next step. Reaching out, Obi-Wan presses his palm against the surface. He can't feel it. Obi-Wan stares at his hand, four fingers stretched apart and a thumb. Why can't he feel it? Do you feel in dreams? He can't remember.

Maybe it's more than a wall. Maybe it's a boundary.

He lifts his hand away and peers at the barrier thoughtfully. What does it separate him from? What is on the other side? The barrier quivers, it's silvery surface becoming transparent. On the other side lies another desert. That formation of rocks he can see... he remembers them. The last time he'd seen them Sineya had been crouched on top of them. This wall must divide his desert from Buffy's. Obi-Wan focusses on the Slayer's desert. When a column of light appears and transforms into a doorway he doesn't find it in the least bit surprising.

Buffy steps from it and comes across to the section of wall where Obi-Wan stands. He smiles a welcome and, just as he'd done, she places her hand on her side of the wall. Compared to his own, Obi-Wan notices how small the hand is. The lines that run across her palm fascinate him.

''Fate and love. Her fate is in his hands. His in hers.' Strange thoughts stray through his mind and the bitter taste of regret taints in his mouth. He's no idea what those thoughts mean.

“Obi-Wan.” When she says his name his heart skips a beat. He's hers and she's his. The Code is broken. He doesn't care. Why can he taste ash?

~Something's gone wrong. Obi-Wan, answer me!~

Obi-Wan frowns and looks about him. Wondering at the pulling sensation that's trying to get his attention. But, as always, his attention drifts back over to Buffy. She's looking at the ground, not at him and her long, blonde hair falls forward obscuring her face. For the first time, Obi-Wan realises that she looks utterly dejected and defeated. What's happened? What's wrong?

Panic. Fear. Claustrophobia. Those emotions, they aren't his. They tug, from somewhere outside the dream, demanding his attention. But dream Buffy stands in front of him and she looks defeated.

“BUFFY!” Obi-Wan slams a hand on the barrier.

“She does not see. She does not hear.” Sineya is beside him, her face painted white and wearing woven rags. There's a sharpened stake in her right hand, the symbol of her calling.

“Why?” Obi-Wan demands. “When I can see and hear her clearly.”

Sineya doesn't answer. She vanishes, materialising on a pile of rocks a short distance away. Standing erect, like a sentinel, looking out over the relentless sands and rocks of his dreamscape. He feels that she's guarding this place, but he doesn't think to ask what from.

Buffy raises her head. Her eyes are red and swollen from long bouts of crying. As he watches, a tear spills out and tracks down her cheek. He hates to see her cry. Obi-Wan moves closer, he wants to be as near as possible.

“What's wrong?” he asks, his lips close to the wall.

Almost as if she hears him, she roughly brushes away tears and gives him a watery smile. “I've such wonderful news, Obi-Wan.” But she can't hold the smile and her chin quivers and she begins to sob.

“Wonderful news?” he repeats. What can be so wonderful that it causes pain and tears? He looks around him. There's the smell of dusty tombs in the air and a bitter taste of regret in his mouth. Who's dead?

A shiver of fear. ~ Ubi, can you help me?~

Obi-Wan ignores the tug on his subconscious and steps away from the wall to regard Buffy warily. She's not been this upset since Whistler's visit. That day she'd told him she felt cursed and cried. Now she cried and said she'd wonderful news. Was this news going to be wonderful for the both of them? Or only her? Had she found a way of returning home? If so, would he be able to follow her? What if she leaves and he can't follow?

Panic hits him, along with fear. It sweeps along, washing away the light and bringing with it suffocating darkness. A darkness that's been waiting for an opening and now threatens to swallow him.

There's a Sith holocron in his pocket and the smell of death lingers in the air.

Something isn't right. Buffy needs him. This isn't wonderful at all. Obi-Wan hits the wall with his shoulder, only to rebound off it. When he falls back his hood drops over his eyes, blinding him. He grabs the fabric and wrenches it away from his face. Forcing it back so hard that the neckline presses against his throat making him choke. Rage, fuelled by fear, boils inside him. He claws at the fasteners. Unable to undo them, he drags the whole thing over his head and lashes it onto the ground in a fit of pique.

When he turns back to Buffy, he sees more tears on her cheeks. “I'm sorry for what I did to you,” she says, almost as if she's seen his tantrum. “I didn't mean to do it.” Her voice cracks, “Please, don't go off with her.”

Her?

Obi-Wan slams a fist against the wall. “Buffy! I'm right here!” This conversation is wrong. He'd never leave her. “BUFFY!”

Multiple lightning strikes hit the desert around him. Sineya watches the electrical display before leaving her rocky lookout and joining him at the wall. Her dark eyes regard him anxiously. When she touches his arm the explosive wrath inside him quietens.

Buffy asks softly, “Did she offer you something? Or, maybe, you never loved me?”

How can she ask that? “There's only you,” he whispers.

Something inside him shatters when she hugs herself and says, “I can't do this by myself. We needed you and knowing that, you still chose to leave. What shall I do? I don't trust Yoda and I can't let Palpatine find me.”

“I'm right here,” Obi-Wan's voice is little more than a whisper. There's a Sith holocron in his pocket, the smell of death hangs in the air, and he can taste ash in his mouth.

“Don't be weak.” The brutal voice of something long dead and lingering growls. “Fight. Use your anger, use your power. Make the planets burn. Let the galaxy weep at your feet.”

Sineya's eyes narrow. She looks at something behind him and snarls, “Leave here, demon spirit!” The firm pressure of her hand on Obi-Wan's arm drives away the dark despair the disembodied voice brought with it.

“You won't stop me, Slayer!”

The Slayer releases his arm and attacks the shadowy form behind him. Obi-Wan doesn't turn to look. His mind remains focussed on Buffy. He draws in a long, ragged breath and scrapes a hand through his hair.

“I love you.” Words spoken from the heart. They hang in the air between them, before passing through the wall in the form of pink sparkles.

The tug on his senses comes again. ~Help me! Ubi, please listen...~

Buffy stares into his eyes. Holding her gaze, Obi-Wan tenses. Can she finally see him? Before he can say anything, the wall turns silver, and she fades from view.

When the wall clears, things have changed. Count Dooku has appeared. The hem of the brown Serenno cloak swishing around his calves as he approaches the Slayer. The man's face is full of concern, tenderness, and love.

Love?

With a sinking heart, Obi-Wan recognises that the two of them have always been close. Far closer than a teacher and lightsaber apprentice should have. Even Qui-Gon, who knew Dooku better than most, had commented on it. It was as if Buffy and the Count had known each other in a former life.  
When Dooku puts a hand on Buffy's shoulder and gently turns her towards him, Obi-Wan snaps his teeth in frustration.

“Don't worry. I shall take good care of you, my dear,” Dooku murmurs softly. He plants a light kiss on her forehead. “You have my protection now. Forget him. You can do much better.”

What?

Dooku raises Buffy's hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles in an old fashioned, courtly gesture. Obi-Wan fumes, he wants to reach out, grab the older man's skinny, wrinkled neck and choke him.

“You'll make a beautiful Countess. There's no need to worry, we'll be quite Separate from the Republic. I'm one of the most powerful men in the galaxy and my droids will protect us from the Jedi.”

“No!” Obi-Wan bangs on the barrier between them.

Buffy and Dooku fade from view, to be replaced by a scowling Quinlan Vos.

“You let her down,” the Kiffar says. “You let us all down.” He leans closer as if imparting a great secret. “Andrew told me that Darth Vader takes down the Jedi Temple. Stop this. Don't ignore Andrew when the time comes.”

Take down the Jedi Temple?

Panic. ~Obi-Wan, I don't know how to get out!~ The outside tug comes again, stronger than ever.

But Obi-Wan is so horrified by what Quin's told him that he backs away, shaking his head. It doesn't make sense. Why would Buffy embrace the Dark Side and attack the Jedi Temple? There's the sound of flames spitting and crackling, the smell of burning flesh, and he can taste ash in his mouth.

He sucks in a great breath of relief when Sineya walks calmly towards him. She'll make sense of this. He can trust her.

“Jedi,” Sineya's voice is harsh. She meets his eyes and smiles - either that or she's simply baring her teeth. The first Slayer cocks her head and says, “Death was to be your gift.”

“What?!”

The first Slayer circles as Obi-Wan ponders her words. They don't make any sense and yet he knows she speaks the tru-.

Red hot searing agony punches through him. He staggers away, reeling from pain and uncomprehending at what's just happened to him. Looking down, he sees the point of a stake protruding obscenely from his abdomen. There's no blood, only agony. What has she done?

“Mine,” Sineya's face is close to his. Dark shadows move in her eyes. “Consider this a gift. To one of my own.”

There's a flash of white light so bright it almost blinds him and the desert explodes into a shower of ash.

….

Obi-Wan wakes disorientated. He opens his eyes to a bright artificial light that makes his head ache and he shuts his eyes again with a wince of pain. After a moment he reopens them and looks about him. Where is he? The smallness of the room, the cross-hatching on the wall, and the cheap heated space blanket on the narrow bunk he's lying on suggest he's on a spacecraft. The type of vessel that provides its crew with minimum comfort in their sleeping quarters.

How did he get here? He needs to find out. When he tries rising a sharp pain shoots from his lower back to his lungs, almost taking his breath away, and the pounding in his head increases. Force! He feels like he's been dragged behind a speeder in a pod race. He gingerly runs a hand across the back of his skull and feels a large, tender lump and the crustiness of blood. What happened? Where the Force is he? He lets out an involuntary moan and, suddenly, he's got company.

“You're awake!” exclaims an over-cheerful and loud voice. Immediately, the pounding in Obi-Wan's head grows worse and he has to grit his teeth against the pain.

Then a face appears in front of him. Human, light hair and eyes with an impossibly wide grin. The pounding inside his head makes concentrating difficult, but Obi-Wan recognises him. He knows him, he's... Force! The answer's right there, at the end of Obi-Wan's tongue, but he can't quite remember. His thoughts keep drifting back to his dream and Quin's warning. What did it mean? Did it mean anything? Buffy had told him that she'd also dreamed of his death.

Was it a warning? Was he going to become a vampire? Is that why he'd tasted ash? Or had Buffy's dream directly influenced his? He wished he could talk to Master Yoda about this, but the astute master would no doubt see his forbidden attachment. He daren't tell Yoda.

A pain spasm grips Obi-Wan and he bites down, determined not to groan again. Stifling the pain Obi-Wan eyes the boy in front of him.

“I'm Bruck.” The boy's grin is that wide it almost splits his face in two. “How you feeling?”

The name jogs his memory and he remembers who Bruck is. Memories flood back. None of them good. Is he still dreaming? He chews his bottom lip and loses himself in his thoughts. Bruck, the boy he'd known and grown up with, had died over a decade ago. He'd done his bullying behind the masters' backs and targetted Obi-Wan, doing his best to make him miserable. 'Oafy-Wan' the boy had called him, as well as other things...

Scowling at the old painful memories, Obi-Wan shoved a hand into his pocket and felt the sharp sides of the Sith holocron in the pocket's depths. Something about it felt slimy and he quickly retracted his hand.

The Jedi lifted his eyes to the boy's, remembering how he'd died. Bruck had fallen under a dark Jedi's influence and they'd duelled each other in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. During the fight Bruck had lost his footing and had fallen to his death. Obi-Wan still felt guilty despite being fully exonerated. Deep within his heart, he was convinced he could have done more.

So if this was still a dream, why was Bruck here? Was he a phantom, here to torment him some more? To belittle him for being weak and breaking his vows? For letting him down? The pounding increased in Obi-Wan's head. When would this nightmare end?

“I'm a Jedi knight now, Bruck,” Obi-Wan replied tersely. “My feelings are of no concern of yours.” He raised a hand to his forehead, trying to reconnect to the Force, and find relief from the pain. Hence he missed the way his words affected a very real boy.

Bruck's face dropped and his smile faded. Quickly, he lowered his eyes to cover his embarrassment. “There is no emotion, there is peace,” Bruck mumbled under his breath. Don't make a fuss, don't let the rebuke hurt. The man was in pain, don't take it personally. Carefully he rearranging his crestfallen expression to a bland one more befitting a Jedi.

“My apologies for offending you,” Bruck replied, raising his head to stare with a stony expression at the wall over Obi-Wan's shoulder. “Amaltha asked me to watch over you. She said you might swallow your tongue or injure yourself while unconscious.”

Obi-Wan jerked his head at the apology. Looking at the boy in front of him. Examining him properly for the first time. Noticing the differences between him and the boy he remembered from his past. “You aren't Bruck Chun!”

Puzzled light blue eyes slid over to the young knight's. “No, I'm Bruck Zanleer.”

“Ah, for that I'm grateful,” Obi-Wan gave the teenager a genuine apologetic smile. “I'm afraid I mistook you for someone else. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Bruck Zanleer. Thank you for your care.” He rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen out the knots and sore spots. He couldn't remember how he'd been injured, but there seemed to have rather a lot of tender bumps and bruises. “What happened?”

“You were thrown around during the flight,” Bruck said, thinking Obi-Wan was asking about his bruises. “Mr Fett, made several sharp manoeuvrers to avoid being hit by laser cannon fire and you almost rolled from the bunk.” He gave Obi-Wan a sheepish look. “I was going to tie you down so you didn't make your injuries worse, but I couldn't find any rope.”

“Thank the Force for that,” Obi-Wan muttered under his breath. Rope? Waking up and finding himself bound to a bunk by a rope would not have improved his mood.

Putting that uncomfortable image to one side, he thought back over his last memories inside the hangar. He recalled alarms going off, people shouting and running, the sound of several explosions... Palpatine! He recollected seeing Palpatine and Desolate. Surrounded by vampires they'd boarded the star yacht. After that his memory became foggy and, when he tried to push himself, it hurt. Had someone attacked him? Had he fallen and banged his head? That would explain the pain he was in. It couldn't all be down to a phantom injury.

He needed to speak to Fett. He'd a feeling the bounty hunter would know exactly what happened. Obi-Wan swung his legs off the bed, but when he tried standing a bout of dizziness set in. He quickly sat back down, knowing he needed a few seconds longer. That gnawing, tight pain in his back was puzzling. Had he been shot?

“The vampires... what happened in the landing bay?” Obi-Wan asked Bruck. He rubbed at his forehead, willing the headache to recede and his mind to clear. “I remember escorting your group on board. We were waiting quietly when the alarms started going off and I vaguely recall leaving the ship.” He lifted his hands from his knees, in a gesture of confusion. “I appear to have lost a few memories.”

“We barely got away!” Bruck exclaimed, his voice squeaking in excitement. “The vampires' ship was really fast with better weaponry than ours but...” Bruck paused, He'd been about to tell Kenobi how Mr Fett had asked Borondi to man the laser cannon. There'd been a short but intense battle and, although the yacht's shields had either deflected or avoided the boy's shots, Borondi had bought them precious seconds. It might be better not mentioning it, some of the Temple knights didn't think the Corps should be allowed to handle or keep their weapons. It wasn't as if they were trained in that field.

Evasively he answered, “I didn't see everything. Naarad remained in the cockpit with Mr Fett. He came in before to check on you. He said Mr Fett is the best pilot he's ever seen. He shook off the vampire ship and hid us at the bottom of a lake. We stayed there until the vampire ship left atmosphere.” His face became pink with excitement as he went on, “The lake's full of huge monsters! They kept swimming past the windows and looking in at me!”

“Where are we now?” Obi-Wan asked, more interested in where Fett was taking them than any lake monsters. He ran a hand across his stomach, checking for stake holes. He couldn't find any, which was a relief.

“We're almost at the hotel. The one whose co-ordinates you put into the ship's nav-system. Mr Fett says he promised to get us to safety and he's a man of his word.” Bruck watched the Jedi knight reach around and gingerly touch his back. Obi-Wan Kenobi's face was redder than his hair and sweat poured from him. He looked ill. Bruck guessed losing your memories and being shot in the back must really hurt.

“You went out into the hangar and Mr Fett went after you. We were all surprised when he returned, dragging you behind him unconscious,” Bruck said uncomfortably. They'd all been worried when they'd seen the Jedi unconscious.

“Had I been shot?” Obi-Wan had been shot in the past. This didn't feel quite the same.

“Um, yeah. Mr Fett said it was for your own good. He told us he'd thought the blaster was on stun and didn't realise it was on the wrong setting. Don't worry. He said that beyond a little light scorching there'll be no lasting damage. He thinks that you'll have more trouble from the crack on the head you got when your head hit the floor.”

“What!?”

“Mr Fett saved your life,” Bruck was wide eyed as he told the tale. “He dragged you with one hand through the landing bay by the collar of your robe. He struggled to get you up on the ramp and you, sort of, bashed your head against the edge of the ship's ramp. We all heard it, it made a funny noise. He dropped you into the storage bay, ran to the pilot's seat, and started the engines. He said we needed to get out fast as you'd been seen. Explosions were going! Mr Fett said the vampires had blown parts of the lower levels and those charges had set his off. We took off, droids were shooting at us, and the yacht with all the vampires in started chasing us!”

Obi-Wan knew he was gaping. He couldn't help it. It felt as though his brain had stuttered to a stop. His brain had stuck on the part were Jango Fett had shot him in the back for his own good. He didn't believe for a moment he'd accidentally set his blaster higher than stun. The man was a professional, he'd known exactly what level his blaster was set at. He'd known not to trust him! Jango Fett hated the Jedi. Obi-Wan touched the lump on the back of his head. Jango had hurt him on purpose. So much for Buffy's plan!

“Where's Buffy?” Obi-Wan asked, his lips in a thin line. “I need to see her.”

Bruck ducked his head. “ Um, I'm sorry, she didn't make it.” With all the excitement he'd almost forgotten about the blonde woman who originally freed them. He remembered now, she'd been working with the Jedi. “Mr Fett said he couldn't risk waiting for her. He said the lower levels had been blown first and she'd already be dead.”

Obi-Wan lurched to his feet. Buffy! For Force sake, she'd been trying to contact him! They'd left her behind!


	177. Chapter 177

After defeating the Smoke demon, the last thing on Buffy wanted to do was take on a droid army. Now, as she stood alongside Palpatine and watched droids and vampires surge into the chamber, she knew she didn't have a choice. She was just about to attack when Palpatine stopped her.

“There are too many of them, Buffy. It would be suicide to take them all on.” Palpatine didn't raise his voice, yet his words carried around the chamber, even over the thunder of the droid's footsteps.

Buffy hesitated and he whispered into her ear, “We'll surrender now and escape later. Deactivate your weapons and don't threaten them. Trust me on this.”

Her brows drew together, and she looked at him sceptically. Trust him? Did he think she was crazy? But Palpatine wasn't even looking at her. His attention was fixed on the vampires and their droid army. Even when the droids surrounded them with raised blasters, the Supreme Chancellor didn't flinch. Buffy wondered at his calmness. Did he have a plan?

Sifo-Dyas pushed his way towards them through the rows of droids. Staying behind the first row of droids, he called, “Give up your weapons, or prepare to die.”

Buffy scowled, knowing there was no way she could win this one. Palpatine was right. If they put up the slightest resistance they'd be mown down within seconds. Begrudgingly she handed both the red and green lightsabers to the nearest droid, who passed them over to a vampire.

Sifo-Dyas, rather bravely Buffy thought, stepped in front of Palpatine. She watched the Sith Lord tense, almost as if he was having second thoughts. Was he going to refuse after all? A shadow of regret in his face and a second later he was handing over Mr Smoky. When Sifo-Dyas took the weapon he cradled it to him, almost reverently, before slipping it into his robe pocket.

Buffy eyed that pocket with interest. If she could get close enough, she might be able to steal it back. As if sensing her thoughts, Sifo-Dyas swung around and shoved her out the blue.

Taken off balance, she half-stumbled. “Hey!” she said. “Less of the pushing and shoving. I gave you my weapons, there's no need to be a grouch about it.” Not every weapon, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

A tucked-in, calculating smile appeared on the vampire's lips. “Oh yes, I certainly do have your weapon,” Sifo-Dyas replied cryptically, before turning to Palpatine. “Supreme Chancellor, you'll be riding with me in the elevator. Miss Summers will be sent the longer, slower route via the stairway.”

Palpatine's face darkened. “I really don't see why you need to-” the rest of the comment was cut off when a droid jabbed the barrel of its blaster rifle into his side.

“Proceed to the elevator,” it ordered and jabbed again. More droids came over, pushing and harrying the Supreme Chancellor, driving him towards the turbolift where the majority of the vampires waited.

The majority, but not all. Sifo-Dyas called out, “Kardash,” and a dark-haired vampire moved up beside him. “I want you to take the droids and escort Miss Summers to her new residence on level five.”

Without warning, Sifo-Dyas' arm lunged out at Buffy again. Instead of a shove, this time, she felt a sharp sting on her upper arm and a hiss, as if something had been injected into her. Acting on instinct. She grabbed at him. Her hands caught empty air as he used Jedi reflexes to stay out of her reach. The droids instantly stepped between them and pointed their weapons a her.

“Not to worry,” Buffy could hear Sifo-Dyas telling someone. “The drug takes seconds to act. It was necessary, we couldn't risk her escaping.”

The last thing she heard, before blacking out, was Palpatine's voice shouting, “...you mustn't hurt her, he promised me... she's far too valuable to destroy...”

And then the chamber tilted, her legs gave way, and she felt someone catching hold of her as she fell.

….............

The vampire leaned over the unconscious Slayer. His fingers trailing delicately across her collar bone and over the swell of her left breast when Buffy suddenly wakened. She flipped to her feet, landing in a fighting crouch, going from unconsciousness to fight mode in a single move. She grabbed the vampire by his robes, fumbling at her waistband for the stake she usually stashed there. Finding it gone, she used her other weapon – her fist. Drawing it back and then planting it in his cheekbone - sending him sprawling on the floor, his grey robes in disarray around him.

Then her vision blurred, and she swayed. The remains of the drug giving one last kick to her system. Somehow, she kept her feet. Shaking herself, to fend off the dizziness and determined that if she was going to die, she'd go down fighting.

“Whoa! There's no need to punch me!” the vampire whined.

Buffy pasted on a dangerous expression, which was kind of easy since she'd been drugged and woke to find a vampire hovering around her neck. She stepped forward, menacingly.

The ground rocked beneath her feet. When she looked down, she found that she was stood on top of a battle droid. She stepped back onto more solid ground and squinted at her surroundings. The sickly light above her only illuminated a small area but it was enough to see the droids that lay unmoving on the floor around her. That was strange.

Buffy blinked rapidly. Was it her eyesight, or was the air full of dust? She drew in a deep breath and coughed. Yeah, the air was full of dust. What had happened?

~Obi-Wan, where are you? I think the plan's gone wrong!~ Buffy couldn't sense Obi-Wan. He felt alive but out of reach.

She fumbled in her pocket for her com-link and was relieved to find the vampires hadn't searched her and taken it. She quickly sent an alert to Obi-Wan. Hopefully, he'd get back to her soon.

The vampire was climbing warily back to his feet. Looking at his face, Buffy realised his face was familiar... Where had she seen him before? And then it came to her. He'd been with the other vampires they'd caught in the museum stealing artefacts. He was the one who looked a lot like Xander. She frowned. Well, he normally looked like Xander, now he was so covered in dust that she had trouble recognising him.

And if she hadn't stopped him just now, he'd have sunk his fangs into her neck!

Buffy darted towards him, her hand wrapping around his throat and lifting him off the ground.

“You tried to bite me while I was unconscious!” The thought of how close she'd been to being drained made her shake with rage. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you.”

He squirmed, trying to pry her hands away from his neck and failing. He then made a gurgling noise in his throat and pointed, trying to tell her he wasn't able to speak. With a huff of annoyance, Buffy lowered him to the ground and eased her hold on his throat.

“I wasn't trying to bite you!” he choked out.

“Yeah, right! Because vampires don't bite and Slayers don't slay.” She threw him down and looked about her, frowning. This wasn't a room, it was a corridor with its sides blocked off. The Force whispered to her of movement and she sensed there'd been a recent rockfall.

“I was at least expecting a thank you,” the vampire was still whining. He scowled at her from the floor, all cranky because he'd been strangled rather than thanked.

“Why is that?” Buffy asked. She was trying to piece together what had happened and the whining vampire wasn't helping.

“I saved your life!” He climbed to his feet and tried to shake off the dust from his robe. “If I wanted, I could have bitten you earlier!”

Buffy shot him a disbelieving look. “You saved my life? How? By delaying the fang biting until you found a more comfy spot? Yay, lucky me!”

“Yes! No!”

Exasperated, Buffy rolled her eyes. She didn't have time for this. “Which is it? Yes or no?”

“Both! Yes because I didn't sink my teeth into your neck when I had the chance. Although it looks like I wouldn't have been your first anyway, “ he gave her a little grin which earned him a glare, “and no, that wasn't how I saved you.”

“Bored now.” Buffy folded her arms and began to inspect her nails.

“I brought you to safety when all the explosions went off! I could have abandoned you on the stairs, but I didn't,” he retorted. He took a deep breath and explained. “I know Desolate ordered the lower chambers to be destroyed. I think he was worried in case the Smoke demon came back. But something strange happened when we were in the stairwell. Explosions went off on the higher levels, all the droids deactivated, and the Force told me to get out of there. I carried you here. I saved your life.”

Buffy kicked a deactivated droid and asked, “They all lost power at the same time?” He nodded. The droid central control must have been taken out. Had Obi-Wan done it? Was he okay? The Force assured her that he was, but it seemed odd he wasn't getting back to her.

“So why,” demanded Buffy, “were you hovering around my neck and drooling.”

“I was trying to bring you round!” The vampire's expression was a little too innocent for Buffy's liking. “If someone loses consciousness, you need to make sure their airways aren't blocked. I've read about it! I loosened your collar and got a fist in my face for it. It's hardly polite. You should be thinking of a nice way to thank me.” The grin he gave her wasn't a goofy Xander one, it was more like Spike's lewd one.

Buffy narrowed her eyes, then looked down at her blouse to see that more than one button was undone. “News for you, vamp-boy. Girls don't breathe through their navels.”

“It's Kardash, not vamp-boy.” The vampire's grin broadened. “As for knowing my way around girls...What can I say? Anatomy was never my strong point in school. I'm guessing that's why I was sent to the Agricorps. Not that I couldn't become a knight. I just didn't fancy it.”

“Yeah, sure.” She buttoned up her blouse and asked the question she should have asked right at the start. “What have you done with my lightsabers?”

She distinctly remembered a droid handing her lightsabers to Kardash. If this vampire was as friendly as he claimed, he'd return her weapons. If not, she'd go Darth Vader on him.

The vampire handed her Mr Sparkly and she asked, “And my green one?”

“How many lightsabers does a girl need?” she raised an eyebrow and he shrugged, “I gave it to one of the others.”

Buffy had a feeling he was lying as he looked shifty and wouldn't meet her eye. Without doing a full body search (which the pervert would probably enjoy) she couldn't be certain.

Kardash pointed at the darkness on her left. “We'll use our lightsabers to cut our way through the rocks. Further down the corridor it veers off into one that sees little use. That's where the access to a secret way out of the mountain is located.” His eyes met hers. “You're very lucky to be with me and not someone else. They'd have eaten you by now. I'm still waiting for a proper thank you.”

“You're not even gonna get an improper one! Accept the fact that you're not a heap of dust on the floor as a sign that I don't hate you.” Buffy pushed past him, walking over to the rockfall and igniting Mr Sparkly. The light given off by their lightsaber blades should enable them to see what they were cutting through.

“I knew it!” Kardash beamed at her, “You like me. I can tell.” He ignited his blue lightsaber blade and began cutting at a huge rock.

Buffy stepped back, allowing sections of rock to roll past her. “I never said I liked you. I said that I don't hate you enough to dust you - yet.”

The annoying vampire continued to grin and drawled, “'right'.”

The two of them worked away at the rockfall, slowly cutting their way deeper into the rockfall, Buffy tried not to panic. Ever since she'd woken up inside her coffin, buried in a grave, she had hated confined spaces. She'd confided in only one person about how hysterical she'd become and she wished he was with her now.

~Obi-Wan, please help me. I really need you right now.~ She sent the brain-message through their bond several times, he wasn't getting back. Why wasn't he answering her? Their Force bond felt as strong as ever. Where had he got to?

More rocks began tumbled around her. Over the hum of their lightsaber and falling rocks, she called, “How do we know this cave-in doesn't stretch for miles?”

The vampire looked back, his bangs falling into his eyes. “The Force told me,” he replied as if that explained everything. He pointed to a place just above and to the right of him. “See if you can cut that rock out. If we can clear it there'll be room to crawl through.”

Buffy began working on the rock he'd pointed at. She still didn't trust him. Not that this came as a surprise, there were very few vampires she'd found to be trustworthy and none of them were in this dimension. Despite Kardash's smiles and the way he attempted to flirt with her, Buffy knew he wanted something. Sooner or later she'd find out what it was.

~ Obi-Wan, I really need you, please get back to me~ Again, no reply. Buffy tried not to worry, but it was getting harder.

They kept digging, cutting off rocks and pushing them out the way with their hands and feet.

“Are you sure there's a way out?” Buffy pushed her hair away from her face with the back of her hand. It was hot work digging through the rocks. She was filthy, sweaty, and the drug they'd injected her with had left her feeling weaker than normal.

“Mateo and I came down here exploring and found the secret passageway. There's at least one of them on every level. My guess is the original miners created them in case they got trapped – like we have.” Kardash explained. “This one takes us to the tombs.”

Buffy deactivated Mr Sparkly and started throwing rock chunks to one side. As long as one of them had their lightsaber activated, it gave them enough light to work by. “Who's Mateo?”

“He's my little brother.”

“Is he in the mountain somewhere?” Buffy asked. There'd been a young boy with Kardash at the museum, she'd seen them run off together when she and Obi-Wan had killed the other Jedi vamps. That must be his brother.

“He's... somewhere else,” replied Kardash evasively. “Desolate has more bases than this one.”

Buffy stopped throwing rocks. “Where are they?” This wasn't the news she wanted to hear. That meant there were more vampires and probably more droids.

“Look! I can see a light coming through the rocks!” Kardash began cutting with a renewed spate of energy. Obviously trying to change the subject.

“I could torture you into telling me where these other bases are.”

Kardash looked scared. “I've my brother to think of. If Desolate or any of the others find out that I've helped you, they'll kill us both.”

“I'm not going to tell them. Scout's honour.”

“If I help you, will you help us in future?”

“Of course. Why do you think you'll need my help?” Buffy asked. In her old world vampires fell out with their evil overlords all the time. They never came to her asking for a passport out and a new identity.

Kardash went back to cutting rocks away, creating enough room for them to wriggle through. As he worked, he explained, “I've already seen for myself how this New Order favours the Temple Knights and Masters. The Service Corps, not so much. They turned Mateo when he was only thirteen and they think he's virtually worthless.” He stopped his work and met Buffy's eye. “I'm not letting anyone hurt him.” She nodded and he went on, “They intend to convert the Jedi Order, the knights and the masters and maybe all their padawans. They think that once the Jedi Order is gone and all the Force users are on their side the Republic will fall. They talk about a new Sith Empire all the time.” He shrugged, “Me? I don't care about an Empire or Sith glory. All I want is an easy life for me and Mateo. No fighting, plenty to drink, and a nice spot on a dark planet somewhere.”

“Where you can reign, evilly, over all the locals?” Buffy couldn't resist asking. So far, he hadn't told her anything she didn't know already or had guessed, but he had agreed to work with her. Spike had done the same thing when Angelus and Dru had formed apocalyptic plans that threatened to interfere with his football season.

Kardash grinned. “Seriously? I've never been one for making a name for myself. I'll settle for a peaceful life as an undead, exiled minion. You can even synthesise blood these days.” He held a cool hand out to her. “Come on up. Secret tunnel this way.”

On the other side, Kardash unerringly led her down corridors to where a rock jutted out the wall. Set high up in the wall she could see a half-hidden entrance. It looked similar to the one she and Obi-Wan had emerged from when they found their own secret way into the mountain. Most likely Kardash was right. Whoever had mined here had made lots of escape routes in case of a cave-in.

Kardash jumped up – aided by the Force- and helped Buffy up into the hole. She would never admit it to him but she was glad of the help as she was literally exhausted. It must be the drug, she reasoned. It was still in her system. Kardash picked up two light-sticks that had been left near the entrance. He handed her one and broke the seal on his own, igniting it.

“I'll go first,” he said. “It's a tight squeeze and the drops are sharp. Once it starts to level off, that will mean we're almost there.”

Together they began following the passage that would take them away from the mountain.

…....

Withered arms wrapped themselves around the Slayer's neck, thin claw-like fingers tangling in her hair. Buffy's screams filled the air, as she held the ladder with one hand and fended off the grinning, shrivelled face of the long-dead Sith. The body fell away, dropping down the shaft and banging against the sides it fell out of sight.

Buffy grabbed the ladder with both hands, her heart beating wildly, while above her Kardash roared with laughter.

“It was just a dried up corpse!” His laughter echoed around her. “You're supposed to be a Slayer.”

“I don't think you're funny!” She yelled back. She should have known the vampire was planning something. When they'd reached the bottom of the ladder that led up to the tombs, Kardash had happily volunteered to go first to 'prepare the way'. Now she knew why he'd looked so damned keen.

Still laughing, he looked down the shaft. “Oops, sorry,” he called, “not sounding sorry at all.

Buffy pushed on, forcing her tired legs to climb up the last few feet and then drag herself into the tomb. As soon as she was out, she crossed over to where Kardash stood at the tomb's entrance looking out.

“Dawn isn't far off,” he said. “We need to go. I don't think it's wise to hang around here any longer than we need to.”

“My speeder is over there.” Buffy said tiredly pointed over to the vehicle she and Obi-Wan had arrived in.

They set off towards it, Kardash making plans to find a lair to stay in during the daylight hours, but Buffy had stopped listening to him. Something nibbled at her mind, something that felt like...

“Obi-Wan!”

Kardash turned in surprise and then looked sharply up in the direction she faced. In the night sky, a single light was heading towards them.

“It's Obi-Wan!” A smile lit up her face as Buffy watched the light becoming brighter, and the low hum of the speederbike's engines reached her ears. “I can sense him through our bond.”

~Buffy?~

~Here, Obi-Wan. I'm here.~ She stepped forward onto the clear ground, waving her arms.

And there was Obi-Wan, a dark figure in the night, robes blowing about him as he rode the speeder-bike towards her. She waved again, and the headlight picked up her figure. He cranked the bike over, circled sharply, and came in to land. He didn't have time to switch off the engine before she was sprinting towards him. And then he was off the bike, striding towards her, and swooping her up into his arms, dragging her in close, and hugging her to him.

When Buffy realised the Jedi was trembling, she pulled back and saw pain and worry etched in his face.

“I'm sorry for leaving you,” he said. The closer he'd got to the Sith valley, the more his fears for her had grown.

“Shush.” Buffy pressed a finger against his lips before she replaced it with her mouth. Revelling in the warmth of his mouth on hers, how his body pressed against hers, her body afire from the heady emotion being with a man she deeply loved created. Frustratingly, he pulled away again.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry,” he murmured, his lips hovering over her mouth. She kissed him again but after a too short kiss, he broke away.

“I didn't mean to leave you.”

In his dream, Buffy had accused him of leaving her. He'd sworn to her that he wouldn't and then woken up to find she'd been left behind. Now Obi-Wan was determined to explain his actions.

“I went to look for you and Fett stunned me and dragged me back to the ship. He told me he thought you were dead otherwise, he'd never have left you. He claimed he thought he was doing the right thing getting me and the kids out of the mountain and if he'd delayed longer they might not have made it. I don't know if I should believe him or not, but he found me this speeder-bike so I could come back for you.” He gave a little snort. “It's probably stolen... But what happened with you? How did you get out?”

Buffy suddenly remembered Kardash and turned to see her speeder and vampire had vanished.

…...........

A/N;- Beta by Blackhat, thanks for the super fast turn around.

Yay! Finally, away from the mountain and on to the next adventure.  
Palpatine has teamed up with vampires, he's nicked Buffy's darksaber and has plans to overthrow the Jedi.  
We've also got Obi-Wan being followed by a Force ghost and Jango Fett tagging along for fun. I wonder what Andrew will make of him...


	178. Andrew Wells Meets Jango Fett

“Finally,” a relieved Obi-Wan muttered as he swung 'The Scythe' around and prepared to land on the platform extending from the Jedi tower. In his opinion, the return journey from Naboo to Coruscant had been one of the worst he'd ever been on; all due to the man sitting beside him in the co-pilot's seat.

Back on Naboo, Jango had told Buffy that he'd been abducted on Coruscant and he was without his ship. To Obi-Wan's horror, Buffy had immediately offered him a ride back with them. Obi-Wan had pulled her to one side, reminding her that Jango had shot them both in the back on separate occasions and pointing out that next time the blaster might not be set on stun. He suggested that the best way to cover the mistake was that once they arrived in Theed to inform Jango that their ship was much smaller than she'd thought and, owing to the fact that they had so many kids were travelling with them, she'd need to retract her offer.

As he'd feared, Buffy ignored his warning. She claimed she'd a plan for Jango. Those words alone instantly raised a red flag in his head. How many times had he witnessed Buffy's plans going spectacularly wrong? Obi-Wan had let out an involuntary groan and got a sharp look in return.

The bounty hunter had begun his campaign of verbal abuse and irritating sarcasm within minutes of take-off. He'd swaggered into the cockpit to stare down at Obi-Wan with fake concern. “Did you know you've got bags under your eyes? When was the last time you had a decent sleep?”

'Not since I knew you were coming with us,' Obi-Wan thought, sourly.

Over on the passenger seating, Buffy looked up from her magazine, worriedly. “You do look kinda tired, Ubi. You've not rested since we left the hotel.”

Jango continued, “There's also a really bad smell coming from you.” Behind Obi-Wan, some of the kids giggled. “If I were you, I'd take a shower and try to get some sleep.” With that, the man sat down in the co-pilot's seat and started making lots of minute adjustments to the course Obi-Wan had just spent several hours plotting.

Annoyed at the intrusion, Obi-Wan hadn't taken his advice. Instead, he'd examined each of the bounty hunter's course adjustments and found to his annoyance that they all made perfect sense. Then he'd then noticed that, while he'd been busy checking their course, Jango had increased their speed by 100%. Jango claiming that reaching Coruscant in the least possible time should be their main objective in case Palpatine and Desolate were there before them.

Aware Buffy and the kids were listening, Obi-Wan explained that they should proceed with caution. The Scythe had previously been owned by at least one Sith Lord, and they needed time to carefully check each section of the engines and ship for booby traps, etc. Jango had waved that off, replying that if the ship was set to explode it would have done so as soon as it went into hyperdrive. Obi-Wan had retaliated, saying Jango was probably more worried about his ship clocking up docking fines than the vampires reaching Coruscant before them. And that was how the majority of the time aboard ship had passed, with constant bickering between them.

Now, as Obi-Wan brought the ship in to land, the relief he'd felt when he'd first seen the Temple suddenly faded with another realisation. He might be rid of Jango but their return brought their other problems to the fore. Namely, dealing with a dangerous group of vampire Sith Lords and the fact he was conducting an illicit romantic relationship under the Jedi Master's noses. With his mind wandering, Obi-Wan's landing was clumsier than he'd have liked it to be.

Jango didn't miss the opportunity to say, “Needing some work on your touch-downs, robe-guy.”

Obi-Wan scowled, leaning forward in his seat to switch off the repulsors, he replied, “Flying is for droids,” he shot a sour look at Jango, “or those with droid brains.”

“You're just sore because your flying is the pits. You want my advice?” Obi-Wan opened his mouth to say no and Jango quickly cut him off, “My advice is to spend less time meditatin' and more time workin' on your flying. I've seen ten year olds who can fly better than you. Admit it. You need my help as an instructor. There's no need to thank me. If I see a Jedi in distress it's my nature to want to help them.”

“Yes, help them re-join the Force,” murmured Obi-Wan. He tried to soothe himself with the thought that he might have a mountain of problems to deal with, but at least he'd soon see the back of Jango Fett.

“You can teach me how to fly a spaceship, Jango,” Buffy piped up happily from beside him. As soon as she felt the ship touch down, she'd come over to stand between them and was gazing out the transparisteel windows at the people on the landing bay. “The Jedi gave up. Master Plo Koon had to spend three days in a deep meditation chamber after taking me out. He said I made him want to turn to the Dark Side.”

Knowing Obi-Wan would dislike Buffy spending time with him, Jango quickly said, “Sure, Sweetheart. I'll be happy to take you up and show you around my cockpit any time you like.”

~Oh, he's so gonna regret making that offer~ Buffy said via their bond.

~ Good. He deserves it.~ To hide his smirk, the Jedi busied himself with switching off the ship's engines and lowering the landing ramp.

Buffy suddenly leaned over Obi-Wan, her blonde hair tickling his cheek as she peered out the windows. “Whoa, looks like we've got ourselves a welcoming party.”

Obi-Wan looked out to see what Buffy was talking about. She was right, a small group was heading for the ship. Master Windu in the lead, his dark robes blowing out around him, Master Yoda on his chair hovering just behind him, they were followed by Andrew, bouncing from foot to foot, and in the shadows of the tower, Count Dooku loomed. The only one in the group smiling was Andrew, everyone else looked as if they were attending a friend's funeral.

“If that's the Jedi's idea of throwing a party,” Jango said, unbuckling his belt, “I'll forgo the speeches and make a sharp exit.”

Obi-Wan muttered, “Oh, please do,” under his breath.

Buffy laughed at Jango's observation. “Oh, don't worry about them, Jango. Yoda always looks like he's swallowed a fly. The sour-faced black guy is Mace Windu, I call him Nick. The dorky one who's grinning so much his face might split is Andrew. You'll like him,” she stopped and thought about what she'd said. She wasn't sure if Jango would like Andrew. It was more likely Jango would find him irritating and shoot him. “Well, he'll like you. A lot.”

“Yeah, 'n' why's that?” Jango asked.

“You'll see,” Buffy tried not to shudder as she said it. She hoped Andrew wouldn't start talking about Bobo Fett and clone armies to Jango. It might stop her plan from working.

“And who's the guy right at the back?” Jango asked as he headed for the ship's elevator. “The one in the long cloak lingering in the shadows, like a vampire?”

Obi-Wan slid a dark look at Jango and then sent a reproving one at Buffy, who'd laughed at the vampire comment. Jango meant Dooku. Not that Obi-Wan liked the Count, but he thought someone who'd served most of his life in the Jedi Order should have respect.

“That's Count Dookula,” replied Buffy. “I mistook him for Christopher Lee's Count Dracula when I first met him. He's this famous vampire actor from my dimension.”

“His name is Count Dooku, not Dookula,” Obi-Wan corrected primly. A sharp wave of unease came over him as he watched the man step from out the shadows. His dream came flooding back to him and the fact Dooku had come to meet Buffy, took on a whole new significance.

In his dream, he'd seen Dooku tell Buffy that she should forget all about Obi-Wan and that he planned on making her his Countess. Obi-Wan's heart rate sped up. Dooku had made it clear to all that he'd only stayed at the Temple because of Buffy. He must be besotted with her.

A subdued Obi-Wan stepped from the elevator onto the lower ship level where the Jedi youngsters waited for them.

***

“I want you all to go straight to the Halls of Healing,” Mace instructed the kids gathered around him. “After they've examined you, I'll make it my personal business to check on each one of you and assign you to a dormitory.”

“Yes, Master Windu,” the Jedi youngsters chorused and obediently began moving off. Some of them shot glances over at Buffy, Obi-Wan, and the bounty hunter as they left. They'd already said their goodbyes on the ship, but Buffy waved, Obi-Wan gave them a kind smile while Jango stared at them, his face expressionless. One of them, Borondi, hung back until Jango gave him a small, almost imperceptible nod. Then he scuttled off to catch up with his friends.

“I'm sure they'll let you speak to Borondi again in future,” Buffy whispered to Jango. Obi-Wan had moved off to speak to the two Masters and he was now listening intently as they spoke quietly to him.

“I doubt it,” said Jango, keeping his voice low. “I don't get on with the Jedi. They think I'm trouble and they won't want me anywhere near their kids.”

“Hmm, trouble? I wonder what gave them that idea?” Buffy teased. “I mean it's not as if you kill people for a living is it? You're just an innocent guy, who happens to wear a suit of armour, and you never cause the slightest bit of trouble.”

He slanted her a look, half smiling at her remark. “I've no idea why you want to hang out with this dour lot. I know you like Obi-Wan, but don't you see, he's the type of guy who's married to his job? He'll never turn in his robe for you, no matter how much you want him to. Why don't you leave the Jedi to fight the Sith, and let's you and me go off causin' chaos around the galaxy together.”

Buffy shook her head. “Tempting though that is, I've been averting apocalypses and fighting the forces of darkness since I was fifteen. I just can't walk away from trouble.” Talking of trouble... Out the corner of her eye, she could see Dooku and Andrew on their way over. Andrew's entire body was twitching with anticipation. Buffy's heart sank. She could feel the mortification setting in already and the young watcher hadn't even got to them yet. This was going to be embarrassing - she could tell.

Unable to contain himself, Andrew sprinted across the final few feet, with his hand thrust out at Jango. Buffy took a hurried step back, not wanting to get in between the two. This might get ugly as well as embarrassing.

“Mr Fett! I'd like to introduce myself!” Andrew squeaked, he snatched hold of Jango's hand as the man gaped at him in surprise.

“What..? Who are -?”

“My name is Andrew Wells, I'm the Founder and President of the Earth's Jango and Bobo Fett Appreciation Club.” The Watcher's hand pumped up and down rapidly, dragging Jango's with it. “What a great honour it is to meet you, sir. I've spent many, many years dreaming of this day. This is the most wonderful day of my life, it's even better than the day I met William Shatner and had my photo taken with him.” He clung onto Jango's hand, even though the bounty hunter was tugging it back and starting to look panicky.  
“You are so freakin' cool!” Andrew gripped the hand tighter and moved right into Jango's personal space. “I've got all your posters, several action figures with moving or removable parts, and a limited edition replica of Slave 1 which takes pride of place next to the original Enterprise on top of my dresser.  
I've also had my own YouTube channel devoted entirely to you. That was until YouTube took all the videos down for violating terms and conditions. I think someone jealous of my skills in editing must have reported it.”

Jango finally extracted his hand and stared at Buffy for help. “YouTube?” he asked, in a voice of dread.

“Yeah, it's...” Buffy waved her hand not sure how to describe YouTube to Jango Fett. “Andrew can explain later. He's a fanboy.” She wished Andrew had restrained his enthusiasm. She'd spent ages going against Obi-Wan and cultivating Jango's friendship. If he was on their side he might not be so inclined to go off and become a template for a clone army. She'd kill Andrew if he drove Jango away by his freakish stalking activities.

“Do not be fooled by my genial and refined appearance,” Andrew was saying. He'd decided he hadn't impressed his hero enough and also hadn't realised that Yoda and Mace had finished their whispered conversation with Obi-Wan and were now within hearing distance.  
“Once upon a time I was a mastermind of Evil. I walked hand in hand with the Dark Side, dwelling and thrilling in chaos and destruction. Buffy dragged me back from the pit of darkness and thrust me once more into the light.” Seeing Buffy scowling at him, Andrew added, “Did you know that Buffy is the new Darth Vader in this dimension? Don't worry, for even though she owns the Black Helmet of Power, she's a white hat. And when I say a white hat I don't mean she's a member of the clone-”

“Andrew! Andrew, will you please - SHUT UP!”

“Mr Fett?” Mace Windu said as he came to stand just behind Andrew, making the young watcher jump. On the other side of Andrew, Yoda sat giving him the stink-eye, making the Watcher twitch nervously.

Mace Windu continued to address Jango, “On behalf of the Jedi Order, I'd like to thank you for your help in returning our children to us. Might I offer you a meal and a night's accommodation before you continue your journey?”

“Yay!” Buffy beamed at Mace and then at Jango. “I knew they'd invite you to stay. You can grab Slave 1 and dock it here, there's plenty of room. There's plenty of spare apartments on our corridor that you can move all your stuff into.”

Yoda made a choking noise as if he'd swallowed a fly down the wrong way. Mace Windu's eyes bulged with horror.

“Those apartments are all spoken for,” Mace replied quickly, “I'm sorry, Mr Fett. Buffy didn't realise they belong to Jedi knights and masters who are currently working in the field.”

“That's fine. I'll just return to my ship.” Jango knew the Jedi didn't want him there.

“You can stay with me and Andrew, “ Buffy persisted stubbornly. She was determined to stop Jango moving to Kamino or fighting the Jedi on Geonosis. “We've plenty of room in our apartment.”

“Only two bedrooms, your apartment has,” Yoda pointed out. “Nowhere for guests to sleep, there is.

“Jango can always bunk with Andrew. I know Andrew would give his right hand to share with Jango.”

Andrew flushed scarlet. He looked glumly from at Buffy, saying in a small voice, “Jango would prefer to bunk with you, Buffy.”

Meanwhile, Jango was having second thoughts about staying in the Temple. It made sense. What better way was there of discovering your enemies' weaknesses than from within? He threw an arm over the plump boy's shoulder, pulling him against his chest. “I've no problem sharin' with you. A room or even your bed if the invitation's there.” He gave Andrew a slow wink which made Andrew blush even more and he made a strangled eep sound.

Noticing Obi-Wan was looking happier at the declaration, Jango threw his other arm around Buffy and drew her against him. “ Or maybe I'll share with Buffy. I don't have a preference. Either or both. I'm easy like that.” When Obi-Wan's jaw dropped, Jango's smile broadened.

Andrew looked as if he might faint while Buffy wrinkled her nose and wriggled out from Jango's armpit.

“There will be no 'bunking' going on in the Temple,” Dooku's cold, authoritative voice rang out, gaining all their attention. “I have a spare bedroom that you may use, Mr Fett.” The Count's dark eyes regarded Jango repressively. “However, I must warn you that I won't tolerate any form of sexual hanky panky or any other funny business going on while you're my guest.”

Surprisingly, Jango didn't argue. He shrugged. “That's fine by me.”

“Then follow me,” the Count intoned, before pausing to address Buffy. “It's good to have you back in one piece, my apprentice,” he said gruffly and strode off before she had a chance to reply.

The two of them disappeared into the shadows of the building. Mace Windu watched them, looking rattled at having a known bounty hunter taking up residence in the Temple. Master Yoda, meanwhile, was still scowling at Andrew.

“Can we call a meeting of the Jedi council and the Scoobies to go over what's happened?” Buffy asked Mace. “Obi-Wan said it wasn't safe to explain everything over the ship's link in case it had been chopped into.”  
“Sliced into,” corrected Obi-Wan. He put Dooku and Jango from his mind and went on. “Since Palpatine gave Buffy The Scythe, we thought it safer to wait before explaining the events on Naboo.”

“Many problems, you have caused us,” snapped Yoda, waspishly. The way Andrew was openly calling Buffy Darth Vader and her Watcher's casual talk of being an evil mastermind had made Yoda feel out of sorts. “Take a lot of explaining, this will.” Unable to remain with them any longer, he flew off, in a mixture of annoyance and dread for the future.

“Don't worry,” Mace said, seeing the way Buffy's face had fallen at Yoda's strong words. “We know you haven't caused this. Palpatine was a Sith Lord long before you came here. I'm sure you...” his eyes went to Obi-Wan, “...both tried your best to recover him. Master Yoda was hoping we'd be able to arrest him.”

“Arrest him?” Obi-Wan's face lightened. “You have evidence of his Sith affinity? I thought it would be our word against his.”

“You're correct. We can't arrest him for being a Sith Lord. He's covered his tracks too well,” Mace began walking towards the Jedi tower, Obi-Wan pacing alongside him and Buffy and Andrew following behind. Mace went on, “The Supreme Chancellor contacted his Senate office yesterday and told them he's recuperating from an exotic illness. He told them he'd be fit to return to work shortly and they weren't to worry. Should he return we will arrest him for being in league with vampires. After the Mirialan Senator was turned and sprung out of the Senate closet Palpatine made it a criminal offence to become or consort, willingly, with vampires. If he's become a vampire than he'll be convicted on a ruling that he brought in himself.”

“You know it won't be that easy?” Buffy pointed out. She was walking immediately behind them and overheard everything. “Sid will be one step ahead of you on this and he'll find a way of wriggling off the hook.”

“Plus he's really mean with a lightsaber,” Andrew added, enthusiastically. “He'll slaughter most of the Jedi masters, even if you go in a group of three or four. If I was putting together a Jedi dream team to arrest Darth Sidious, I'd say Master Yoda, Count Dooku, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and, of course you, Master Windu. Palpatine doesn't like you because your lightsaber is purple.”

“But don't go near any big windows,” advised Buffy, “In case he chucks you out.”

“And watch out for the lightning,” Andrew added. “If you deflect it back at him you can make his face shrivel up. If you keep it up long enough you'll be able to kill him.”

“Or chuck him down a handy energy shaft. That kinda works with the Sithy types.”

“Yeah, but we know that doesn't always work,” replied Andrew thoughtfully. “Especially if he's joined the fang-gang.”

“Just behead him then. You don't get people coming back without a head-”

“Or a head coming back without a body!” Andrew grinned.

“And pound his bones into dust like I did the Master,” added Buffy, getting into the demon disposal conversation. “Then, for added variety, jettison him into outer space.”

Mace Windu gave Obi-Wan a sidelong look before addressing back at Buffy and Andrew. “Erm, thank you for all your advice, Buffy and Andrew. You've mentioned the windows and the lightning in the past. I haven't forgotten and will take all your advice on board. In the meantime, I'll organise a meeting of the Jedi High Council so that you can present both your versions of events on Naboo.”


	179. The Warning

Inside the busy Jedi cafeteria, a group of non-Jedi sat at a table chatting animatedly together. Andrew Wells had pushed his now empty plate into the center of the table and was waving his hands and talking enthusiastically to Jango about Earth's weapons and magic. On the opposite side of the table, Buffy and Dooku sat, both wearing matching expressions of horror and embarrassment as they listened to Andrew.

A little further off, Quin and Obi-Wan stood by the wall in deep conversation. Obi-Wan was telling Quin about his dream and every so often one of them would say something that caused the other to regard Buffy or the Count narrowly. Obi-Wan looked apprehensive while Quin looked baffled at what he'd been told.

When Bruck Zanleer, the teenager who'd escaped from the mountain with them, entered the cafeteria and stopped by the door, the conversation in both groups died away. The teenager stood on tiptoe, scanning the faces, obviously searching for someone in the crowd. Spotting Obi-Wan, he pushed his way through a group of laughing padawans, circled several tables, and came to a stop in front of the two knights.

After making a formal bow, he said, “Knight Kenobi, I've been instructed to find you, Buffy Summers, and Andrew Wells.” He sounded short of breath as if he'd been hurrying. “The High Council need to see you all urgently.”

Obi-Wan pushed himself off the wall he'd been leaning against.“Thank you, Bruck. Buffy's sat over there. Tell them we'll go straight up.” The boy nodded, and hurried off to relay his message back to the Council.

“I wonder what's the urgency?” Quin mused. A red patch appeared in the center of Obi-Wan's otherwise pale cheeks and Quin guessed his friend was wondering if the Council had discovered his emotional attachment to Buffy. Lowering his voice, he whispered, “I don't think they'll want to see you for that. If it was, they wouldn't want Andrew there as well.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Because if they banish me they'll want Buffy and Andrew out of the Temple immediately.”

Quin shook his head.“Honestly I don't see it. Try not to let it stress you or else you'll give yourself away with guilt.”

Inwardly, Obi-Wan sighed. If he was about to be banished from the Order there was nothing he could do about it. He'd known the rules and made the decision to change his life a while ago and ever since he'd only been putting off the inevitable. The three of them (Andrew wasn't safe to live on his own) would find an apartment on Coruscant somewhere. A sudden thought occurred to him. Would the Council expect him to give up his lightsaber? It wasn't that he didn't know how to use a blaster, Obi-Wan had learned many years ago how to shoot, it was just he'd never envisioned himself without a lightsaber.

As he approached Buffy, his eyes were drawn to the curved silver hilt of Dooku's lightsaber protruding from his belt. The sight of it made him feel a little better. If they'd let the Count keep his weapon, he didn't see why they'd refuse him his.

After passing on the Council summons to Buffy and Andrew, Count Dooku had given them all a long shrewd look and declared that he'd accompany them. Leaving Jango and Quin behind, the four of them made their way to the turbolift. Obi-Wan worrying silently while the Count watched him with an imperious and speculative look on his face.

When they left the turbo lift they were met by the Iktotchi master, Saesee Tiin. He made no comment about the Count inviting himself along, merely waved them into the chamber. Inside, they were startled to find the Council was in the middle of a holo-call with a robed man. The four of them moved quietly along the circle of seats to take a closer look at the caller.

“Kardash?” Buffy doubted her eyes. Why would a vampire be holo-calling the Jedi Council?

The figure turned at his name. Forcing back the hood of his robe, the vampire tossed the hair from his eyes and smiled at her. “Buffy! Thank the Force! I'd forgotten how difficult it is dealing with the Temple Jedi! When I made the call I said it was urgent and they put me on hold! I had to listen to weird music before they put me through.”

Buffy grinned in agreement. “Yeah, it's totally dire. They've done that with me.”

“To verify your identities first, we needed.” Yoda replied with a wave of his three-fingered hand. “Someone selling us something, you might have been.”

The blue figure snapped, “A pity you didn't go to as much trouble when I was still alive!”

Yoda looked mulish. “Need to listen to you, we do not.”

“Need to listen to me you will, unless you all want to become extinct!”

“No longer a Jedi, you are.”

“I'm here to warn you!”

“Hey, what's up Kardash?” Buffy asked. If the vampire had a warning for them she didn't want Yoda driving him to cut the call before they'd found out what it was all about.

“Remember that promise you made me?” Kardash asked, eyeing her hopefully. Seeing Buffy's blank face he pouted. “You promised me and Mateo sanctuary and protection if we needed it!”

“Oh yeah,” She nodded. “I sorta told the Council about our deal.” She looked over at the masters, speaking to Mace rather than Yoda. She wouldn't put it past the muppet to say he'd no recollection of it – he'd been acting oddly around her since she'd come back from Naboo. “Nick, do you remember me telling you about a vamp who helped me escape from the cave-in? That was Kardash.”

Thankfully, Mace nodded. “I do remember. Kardash, if we can help you and your brother we will do so.”

“Jedi promise?” Kardash asked, his eyes on Yoda.

Yoda nodded. “Help you, we will.”

“As long as you don't attack our necks,” muttered Master Kid Adi Munda, touching his neck self-consciously.

Kardash looked from one master to the other warily. “I've only come to you because Darth Sidious is worse than Darth Desolate and he's Rancor-scat crazy.” The vampire shook his head as if he couldn't believe he was actually doing this. “Look, I know the Jedi Order likes to take its time, but this is going to happen fast. If you don't act on it, I've put myself and my brother at risk for nothing because you'll all be dead meat and the Jedi Temple will be up in smoke.”

Dooku cleared his throat. “Be assured, that I will take everything you say seriously.” At Kardash's questioning frown, Dooku added. “I am Count Dooku of Serenno. Once I was Master Dooku of the Jedi but, now I am quite separate from the Jedi Order.”

Obi-Wan shot a narrow look at Dooku and noticed Andrew's mistrustful expression. Andrew knew something. What was it? What in the Count's statement had dismayed the Watcher? Was it something the seer, George Lucas, had declared back in their dimension? Obi-Wan was pulled back from his thoughts as Kardash began to speak once again.

“I'm on a supply ship and I've temporarily blocked the official communication channel so that my superiors won't know I'm making this call.” The vampire paused, chewing at his bottom lip as if gathering his thoughts.  
“You'll have guessed Desolate has turned the Supreme Chancellor?” Yoda nodded and the vampire continued, “I like to listen and be in places I've no business being in. I find that if you pull out a bunch of wiring and sit on the floor looking busy no one gives you a second thought.” He grinned, looking around the chamber. “That works whether you're a Jedi or a vampire.” Spotting Yoda's scowl, he continued, “Things here are changing fast. Sidious has persuaded Desolate to turn not only Force users, but anyone who's capable of fighting for them. It's like he's building an army-.”

“Crap, I knew this would happen,” said Buffy. “Master vampires can't help sharing the blood and creating more and more minions.”

Yoda began to speak and all there heard the note of sadness in his voice, “In a dark place we find ourselves. The future is forever changing but foresaw trouble coming, I did.” He gave Buffy a meaningful look before turning his attention to Kardash. “Something more you have to add, young one?

Kardash nodded. He folded his arms into his sleeves, his eyes on the floor, looking every bit a Jedi as those sat in the chamber watching him.

“I overheard a conversation a couple of days ago between Master Sifo-Dyas and Sidious. If they'd found me, I'd be dust. Palpatine intends to return to the Senate for the Trade Federation speeches.”

“I thought that was all done and dusted?” Buffy asked, looking at Obi-Wan for confirmation. “Didn't the Galactic Republic charge them for acts of war against Naboo?”

“They did,” Dooku gave a snort of disgust. “I've followed their trials very closely and it appears Viceroy Nute Gunray and his several of his fellow accused have friends in high places. Every time the trials start they are released on a technicality.”

Andrew gave Dooku a narrow look. “Is it you who's been helping him?”

“No, it is not!” snapped the Count, his dark eyes flashing with annoyance. “Where do you get these stupid ideas from? If you don't know what you're talking about it is wiser to keep your month shut.”

“Uh, just checking,” replied Andrew sheepishly. He knew in the Lucas version of events, Darth Tyranus had used his influence to get Gunray off the hook. “Darth Sidious is behind this. Gunray only invaded Naboo because Sid told him to.”

Buffy interrupted, “So the Senate are having meetings about Nute Gunray?” She couldn't see what this had to do with Sid being a vampire.

Most of the masters looked over at Ki-Adi Mundi who knew more about this than anyone. He inclined his long head at Buffy. “The discussions in the Senate aren't about Nute Gunray. You see the Trade Federation represented a lot of planets with genuine grievances. Their armies might have gone but their grievances remain. To try to stop further discord in the galaxy the Senate is prepared to listen to these grievances to see what can be done. Already Senators and Ambassadors from all over the galaxy are arriving on Coruscant to attend these meetings.”

“And Sid's coming back for these big meetings?” Buffy felt perplexed. “Why would he want to come back to discuss inter-planetary grievances?”

“He isn't interested in the grievances,” said Kardash. “He wants a full Senate in attendance when he uses his position as Supreme Chancellor to add a last minute item to their agenda. He intends to abolish the anti-vampire acts that were created last year. He's going to argue that being a vampire is a health problem and therefore shouldn't be penalized. He also wants to revise Lord Vader's role as Defender of the Republic from Vampire's and outlaw slaying people who are already dead.”

“The slimeball!” huffed Buffy with annoyance.

It was Andrew's turn to be confused. “I thought you didn't like being Darth Vader? You complained enough about taking on tall, dark, and snorty's role when he gave you the title.”

“That's because I'm not Darth Vader!” Buffy refuted quickly. Around her, the masters exchanged looks. No doubt brain messaging each other about how she wasn't to be trusted.

“Buffy is nothing like a Sith Lord, Andrew.” The deep voice of Count Dooku rang out in the chamber. “Those among the Order who had doubts,” he didn't look at Yoda, but Buffy knew he meant him, “ no longer do so. Please do not confuse Buffy with one of your YouTube characters.”

Andrew shrugged. “Lord Vader, Darth Vader, it's the same thing.”

“No it is not! And if you don't shut up,” Buffy threatened, “I'll tell Jango how you used to kiss his poster every night before going to sleep.”

Andrew flushed scarlet and stared at the Council chamber floor. “Did not.”

“You did so! Faith caught you doing it. She told me.”

“I did not kiss Jango's picture. It was Boba's.”

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan was trying his best to shut the noise of their bickering out and concentrate on what they'd been told. “Kardash, you are telling us that vampire slaying will be outlawed?”

The vampire nodded.

A small tic played beneath Obi-Wan's eye. “Is Buffy in danger? Does he intend to arrest her for being a vampire slayer?”

Kardash nodded, his eyes sliding across to Buffy. “He's told everyone they are lovers and he intends to have her arrested and while she's in custody to change her into a vampire.”

The Council masters all stared at Buffy suspiciously.

“The guy's one Sith ritual short of dementia,” Buffy said quickly. “I wouldn't touch what he's got in his trousers with a six foot pole.”

Obi-Wan found himself pinching the bridge of his nose so hard that he was leaving nail marks. If a warrant was put out for Buffy's arrest, they'd need to leave Coruscant and head for the Outer Rim.

“More, you have to say?” Yoda quietly asked. Obi-Wan stopped massaging the self-inflicted nail marks on his nose and regarded the vampire worriedly.

“Palpatine intends to create a warrant for the arrest of not only Buffy, but many of the Jedi.” Kardash looked about him. “All the High Council as well as Obi-Wan.”

“What about me?” Andrew squeaked.

“Who are you?” Kardash peered at the plump Watcher.

Andrew puffed out his chest. “I'm Buffy's Watcher, Andrew Wells”

The vampire shook his head. “Nope, never heard you mentioned.” He turned away from the affronted Watcher and continued, “Once Buffy and most of the Jedi masters are in for questioning, he'll address the Senate for a second time. At some point during his speech he'll have the cameras turned off and the Senators will be attacked by a team of vampires he's putting in place. He plans on turning the Senators who will then fall under his and Desolate's control. This will be the first step in creating a new Sith vampire Empire.”

“The Empire Strikes Back!” screeched Andrew excitedly. Buffy elbowed him, sending him stumbling to one side where he glared at her and rubbed his forearm

“Let's forget that one and skip straight to Return of The Jedi,” Buffy whispered. She took a step forward and spoke louder so all the masters could hear her.  
“First thing is to work out when these attacks are going to be made. Then I think we should step in before the Republic agree vampires are simply misunderstood and cuddly beings. Which we know they're not, present company excepted, Kardash.”

He gave her a Xander-like grin. “I knew you liked me, Buffy.”

“Yeah, well, you and your brother can get your ass' back here. If we find out that you've lied to us you'll be the first to die on Mr Pointy.”

He pouted. “You're no fun.”

“So I've been told. Now, what we need to do is find a way of derailing Sid's plans.” Buffy looked around at each of the Masters before her gaze rested on Obi-Wan. “I think I've got a plan...”

Although Obi-Wan regarded her with outward serenity, down their bond, he hissed, ~ Oh, for Force sake, no.~

......................


	180. A short Political Career

Buffy's Short Political Career

The Grand Convocation Chamber was an immense room at the very centre of the Senate building. The chamber stood over a hundred meters in height and held over a thousand repulsorpods, one for each set of planetary delegates. During Buffy's last visit, when she'd received the title of Lord Vader, she'd been so anxious about what was to come that she'd hardly noticed what the place was like. This time, as she waited for the Supreme Chancellor to end his long-winded opening speech, she'd plenty of time to examine her surroundings.

She and Count Dooku were here representing the planet Serenno. The Count had used his position and his previous family's strong involvement in politics to secure them a seat during this session. Both of them wore the brown, quilted cloaks of office that were traditional to that planet. The Count stood proudly, his head held high, and his aristocratic face visible to all. Buffy, on the other hand, had pulled the cloak's hood over her head and down onto her forehead to disguise herself. There were other reasons why she needed to keep the cloak fastened, but hiding her identity was the main one. She planned on surprising Sid.

From within the confines of the hood, Buffy surreptitiously scanned the Senators seated in the pods alongside theirs. The delegates in each one were humans. In the first, two dark-haired human males in long swirling cloaks watched their screen's images of Palpatine with no outward sign of emotion. In the other booth, were two women. One of them, a tall, haughty blonde woman wearing a fancy headdress and what looked like clothespins in her hair, stared at Palpatine coldly.

“Who's that?” Buffy whispered to the Count, nodding towards the woman.

Dooku shot a look at the haughty woman before whispering back, “That's the Duchess of Mandalore, Satine Kryze.” He added, his expression one of distaste, “I hear she's a pacifist.”

Buffy regarded her thoughtfully. “She's got a long nose and I don't like what she's done with her hair.”

“I believe Qui-Gon and Kenobi had dealings with her in the past,” replied Dooku, his eyes on the screen and listening to Palpatine's incessant babble about the Trade Federation and the glory of the Republic.

“Yeah, Andrew told me all about it” Buffy replied sourly, “I've not forgotten.” She pulled her gaze from the other woman and back to the screen. “When do you think Sid will spring his addition to the agenda on everyone?” She'd looked through the files sent her as a planetary representative, but there was nothing there about a campaign vampire rights.

“Traditionally, it's done only if time allows at the end of the session,” Buffy groaned, and Dooku tried not to smile. “However, as this is Palpatine he'll most likely use his power as Supreme Chancellor to bring the subject up earlier rather than later. If he is going ahead with this, it won't be something he'll delay.”

“I hope so. Slayer's aren't good at waiting around.” Actually, some Slayers were good at waiting around, but Buffy wasn't one of them. Her gaze slid over again to the Duchess in the next box and then away. Yeah, she definitely was more of an action-girl and always would be. Her thoughts grew reflective as she stared out at the myriad of lights dotted around the chamber walls. Obi-Wan and the rest of the Jedi should be in position by now, although there was no way of being certain. Unofficial com-links were not allowed inside the chamber and she'd needed to leave hers behind along with her lightsaber. “I hope everything goes to plan,” she mused.

“You still believe Kardash is telling the truth? Palpatine could have engineered this.”

Kardash had warned them that Palpatine intended to revoke all previous laws that outlawed vampires. He would persuade the Senate to accept them as sentient beings with a health condition (food and sunshine allergies) and then issue warrants against her and the Jedi Order. Once she and most of the Jedi Order were out of the way, Palpatine and Desolate's vampires would overrun the Senate, turn all the politicians, and create a brand new undead Sith Empire.

“Look at it this way,” Buffy reasoned. “If Kardash is telling us the truth we're acting on valuable information. If it's a lie, and we've been set up, then Sid has forgotten that I know more about vampires than he does. Either way, we have to stop him. A Sith vampire in charge of the Senate is not a good thing for the galaxy. No one can argue with me about that.”

In fact, Dooku had asked her this question already, as had the entire Jedi Council, and Obi-Wan. She didn't blame them for being cautious. A lot was riding on this and, for the Jedi at least, an easier course of action would be to ignore the warning, stick their heads in the sand, and talk about the will of the Force. Buffy had seen the movies, listened to Andrew expound, and wasn't overly impressed with what the Force had to offer last time. It was time for a Slayer to turn the tide of darkness.

Dooku nodded and then cleared his throat self-consciously. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that it's been an honour and a pleasure having you as my apprentice.”

Surprised, Buffy turned to regard him from under her hood. The Count faced Palpatine's screen-image, but his cheek colour had heightened as if his words had embarrassed him.

“I've enjoyed working with you as well. You're a good teacher.”

“I don't blame Kenobi,” he added so softly that she wondered if she was meant to hear it. “If I'd met you when I was his age... I'd have chosen the same path that he's done.”

Buffy didn't know what to say. The Count had always disliked Obi-Wan and treated him with scorn, had jealousy been the cause?

He waved a hand, still not meeting her eye, and brusquely replied, “I regard you as a daughter, Buffy. Don't read more into it.” He looked up, the usual stern and forbidding look on his face once more. “I also expect you not to repeat this conversation to anyone. If you do, I shall deny it most vehemently and no one will believe you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir!” Buffy mock saluted him, knowing he'd appreciate her lightening the atmosphere between them. “Will do, Sir!”

Behind the Count's amused face, Buffy could see their interaction had caught the woman's attention in the next box. She was gazing at them both with open curiosity and Buffy's hand automatically went to her hood, pulling it further across her face. If Satine was following Obi-Wan's career she'd know that he was working with her, Lord Vader, and she didn't want to be recognised until the last possible second.

Around Buffy, the Senate broke into spontaneous applause as Palpatine's introduction came to a close. Checking the screen, Buffy could see the hover cam had panned out. It now showed images of the Supreme Senator benevolently smiling as he sat beside the Vice-Chair, Mas Amedda.

Once the applause died away, he took to his feet once more. “My fellow Senators, I would like to use my prerogative as Supreme Chancellor to discuss another topic not on today's agenda that is a matter of some urgency...”

Buffy and Dooku, tensed. Was this what they'd been waiting for?


	181. The Honey Trap

As she stood outside her shop, the Dathomirian Nightsister, Mother Ta'la watched as the squad of plumed Senate guards marched along the walkway towards her. Next to her, Tenacious growled softly and she shot the large Zabrack a warning look before returning her attention to the durasteel security shutters that were rolling across the windows and door of the shop. There was a loud click as the shutters' locking mechanisms slotted into place and, at the same time, the masked guards strode passed, continuing on their way.

“More vampires,” snarled Tenacious.

“Hush, they may hear.” Mother Ta'la had known most of the Senate guards for years and, despite their concealing masks, had spotted the imposters earlier that morning. With Buffy's warning in her ears, she'd made sure to give no sign that she knew they weren't who they were pretending to be and didn't want her hot-headed grandson to give them away.

Satisfied that her shop was secure, she and Tenacious caught the elevator to one of the lower levels. There they passed the main security office, both careful not to look in that direction in case they caught the attention of one of the fake guards, and headed for the large durasteel doors at the very bottom of the corridor. Two senate guards stood there, one on either side of the door.

When they were within a few feet of them, one called out, “Mother Ta'la. What can we do for you today?”

With an inward sigh of relief, Ta'la recognized the rough voice of Tam Leary one of the longest serving guards and nodded in greeting.

“I have need to access the lower vaults,” she explained. It wasn't an unusual request. The jewelery shop kept a secure storage unit in the lower levels and she or Tenacious often accessed it to replenish their stock. She took out the official documentation that allowed her access and handed it to Tam. The document had been signed by Palpatine himself, allowing her and Tenacious not only access to the lowest vaults, but also the right to carry a weapon when items of high value were being transported.

“Have you heard about the big debates starting in the Chamber today?” he asked, glancing over their clearance and not asking to see their weapons. “Palpatine's head of security has had us into his office individually to go over procedures. Drume,” he gestured to the guard opposite him, “and I are due to see him at the end of the shift.” He gave a grunt of frustration as he inputted data into his pad. “That Trade Federation are always causing trouble, one way or another.”

Mother Ta'la tilted her head in agreement. “Yes, I foresee much trouble ahead.”

Tam handed back their clearance. “Everything is fine here. Drume, let them through.”

The doors slid open to reveal another long corridor with a stairway off to the left. The Dathomirians took the stairs to the lower storage level. However, instead of going to their unit, the pair continued on down the stairs to the very lowest levels of the building.

Inside a filthy passageway that hadn't seen activity for decades, Mother Tal'la and Tenacious slowed their pace, their eyes on the floor as they searched the intricate pattern that decorated the tiled floor.

“Is this it, Nan?” Tenacious's sharp eyes had detected a raised line along one floor section.

Mother Ta'la knelt down by the ridge. She removed a small cutting device from her robe pocket and began to began to loosen the sealing compound that had been pressed into the gaps around the trapdoor. Once the grooves were clear of years of dirt and sealant, she nodded to Tenacious and stood to one side.

The Zabrack pulled out a blaster and aimed it slightly to the right of the trapdoor.

“Shoot directly into the center of the interlocking circles, nowhere else,” Ta'la ordered.

Tenacious fired. The strike hit the hidden mechanism dead-on center, and with a loud hiss, the trapdoor was released. The ancient mechanism that should have raised the door open smoothly shuddering to a sudden stop. Tenacious took hold of the edge of the trapdoor and, with muscles straining, lifted it fully open. Just visible in the darkness below, were old duracrete steps that led downwards into the remains of the ancient Galactic Meeting Chamber. The building that that the Senate had been built upon.

Once more Mother Ta'la dropped to her knees and this time called out the code words that Andrew had given her, “Captain Picard, this is Janeway. Are you in position?”

“Janeway, this is Captain Picard.” A moment later, the face of the Jedi Master, Mace Windu appeared below her.

“All is clear. Quickly, quickly.” Mother Ta'la motioned for the Jedi Knights to climb up.

In the end, over twenty Jedi knights came up through the door and crowded into the corridor.

“Palpatine's vampires have already infiltrated most of the Senate guards,” said Tenacious. “I wanted to take a few out, but Nan wouldn't let me.”

“Are you sure they are vampires?” Master Ki-Adi Mundi asked. If it was true, the vampire attack on the Senators could happen at any time.

From beneath her hood, the Nightsister glared at him. “I know these men for years. Always from same families. Now they different. Look different, move different-.”

“Smell different,” interrupted Tenacious. “They don't 'feel' right when you're near them. Nan says it's because they are undead. The guard on the vault doors told us they are all being briefed individually. That's right, Nan, isn't it?”

“Yes, yes. Replace guards with vampires. Soon all will be undead. You must be wary,” the Nightsister warned.

“This isn't the news we wanted to hear.” Mace looked far from happy at the news. “If he's moved his vampires into position inside the Senate it means he's already consolidated his position.”

“Leaving Buffy in more danger.” Mother Ta'la grimaced. “Surrounded by much darkness, pain, and death is she. The spirits tell me so. Love is her downfall. It is not good.”

Mace ignored her pessimistic forecast. Buffy was a Slayer and always seemed to be surrounded by pain and death. Instead, he asked, “Have you seen Kenobi?”

Tenacious answered, “Kenobi came into the shop earlier. He brought the other Jedi with him, Jinn, Vos, and Tholme. They left for the public gallery to get into position and watch the debates. Palpatine should have started by now...”

…...............

Around Buffy and Dooku's pod, the Senate broke into spontaneous applause as the Supreme Chancellor's introduction came to a close. Once the applause had died away, Palpatine took to the stand once more. “My fellow Senators, I would like to use my prerogative as Supreme Chancellor to discuss another topic that is not on today's agenda. It is a matter of some urgency...”

The Senator's amassed around the rotunda walls grew silent.

Now that he'd everyone's attention, the Sith Lord began, “It saddens me to inform you of a great threat to the peace of our galaxy. One that's grown malignantly under our very noses for some time.” Palpatine pressed the palm of his hand over his face, shaking his head as if in disbelief. He dropped his hand and glared around at those assembled. “We have been betrayed,” he snarled. “Betrayed by those the Republic once trusted implicitly.”

Buffy glanced about her. The Senators in all the nearby pods were regarding each other warily, wondering who the betrayer was.

Palpatine continued to glare around him. “My fellow Senators, we have been purposely misled by the Jedi Order.”

Despite knowing it was on the cards, Buffy winced. All around the rotunda she could hear gasps, grunts, whistles, and cries of dismay (and hopefully, disbelief) from the delegates.

Palpatine continued playing the audience. “On the Jedi Order's instigation, and despite my own doubts, the Republic recently brought in new laws to legalize the hunting and slaying of vampires. We were informed by the Jedi that these vampires were dangerous when, in fact, this is a monstrous lie!”

Red spots of anger showed on the pale cheeks of the Supreme Chancellor. He slammed his fists onto the edge of his platform in agitation.

He went on, “I have discovered, on good authority, that a vampire is nothing more than a person who has a health condition that causes multiple allergies! Allergies over which they have no control! Colleagues, any one of us could develop vampirism at some point in our lives and the laws we've been forced to pass by the Jedi are cruel to the extreme. Recently, I have been involved in extensive talks-.”

“Talking is not all that he's been doing,” muttered Buffy angrily and the Count patted her shoulder consolingly. This was giving her a bad taste in her mouth. She was already hot from being bundled inside the robe and having to listen to the sickly-sweet tone of the Supreme Chancellor made her want to puke.

“... a plea for mercy for their kind,” Palpatine finished dramatically

The Senators mumbled sympathetically.

Palpatine shook his head, sadly. “Given this information, I wish to take a new vote and repeal all the anti-vampire laws. I also wish for those who misled the Republic so gravely to answer for their crimes. In hindsight, this isn't the first time the Senate has bowed to the wishes of the Jedi.” Palpatine's eyes looked about searchingly. “Let me ask you this... How many times have the the Jedi interfered in your planetary politics? How many times has their interference caused you financial loss? The Jedi claim to be without ambition or crave power and yet time and time again we have been forced to do their bidding. Do these people think they are superior to us?” He slammed his fist down again. “I, therefore, demand that the Jedi High Council are questioned over this. I also demand that their Temple is locked-down whilst independent investigators scrutinize their files and archives for evidence of wrongdoing....”

“This is killing me,” whispered Buffy to Dooku. With her Slayer hearing, she could hear murmurs of agreement from other repulsorpods. No doubt the delegates from planets where the Jedi Order had stopped greed, criminal activity, and enslavement of others.

“Shh!” Dooku scolded. “We will miss our cue.”

“The Senator for Naboo, wishes to address the Senate,” intoned a mechanical voice.

The replusorpod containing the Senator for Naboo floated out to the Supreme Chancellor's platform. Buffy was pleased to see that it wasn't Jar Jar Binks, but a human female dressed in ornate umber-coloured robes. She remembered seeing Dooku speaking to her when they were in the diplomats' lounge, shortly before taking they'd taken their places inside the Senate Chamber.

“Supreme Chancellor,” the Nabooan called out, her voice high, but strong and unwavering. “These are strong claims against the Jedi you are making. May I ask, what evidence you have for this...” she paused as if searching her head for a diplomatic word, “raid on the Jedi Temple?”

“It is hardly a raid,” Palpatine refuted. “If the Jedi are innocent they have nothing to fear by us looking into their actions.” He gave her a kindly smile and then added, as if trying to simplify something for a small child, “If they prove innocent they'll be released and allowed to go about their daily business once more.”

“And what about Lord Vader?” the delegate asked. “Her role was to protect the Republic against vampires. Is she to be arrested as well? You are arresting your girlfriend?”

“I wish they'd stop saying I'm his girlfriend,” Buffy muttered.

Palpatine wavered on his feet and paled. (Buffy thought he was going for the sympathy vote.)  
“Lord Vader's involvement is despicable if she knows the true nature of vampires.” He sighed, loudly. “My duty is to the Senate and I can't allow my personal feelings to override my duty. Once the anti-vampire laws are revoked, she'll be taken for questioning along with the Jedi.” Sid gripped the side of the platform, a carefully distressed look on his face. “It's a very sad state of affairs when after years of being alone, you find the woman you adore above all others and she's-.”

The Naboo Senator cut him off, “I heard that you've been unwell recently?”

Buffy smirked and leaned closer to the view screen. For the first time, Palpatine looked apprehensive. “Ah, not really. I was a little run down. I took a vacation. First at my villa on Naboo and then later at a private health spa.”

Buffy grinned. Whoever this Nabooan delegate was, she was doing a great job. Now the woman was looking around her, to encompass the rest of the chamber. “Supreme Chancellor, can you state, before the Senate and the entire Galactic Republic, that you are NOT a vampire?”

To most people scrutinizing their view-screen, would Palpatine have look affronted by the question, to Buffy, he looked uneasy.

“Certainly not!” he replied. “That's ludicrous!”

Naboo representative nodded her head and smiled, pleasantly. “Yes, it would be wouldn't it? Because under the current laws, if you were a vampire, you'd lose not only your position, but also your freedom.” She beamed at the Sith. “It really is a good thing you aren't a vampire, isn't it? That will be all. Thank you for answering all my questions so clearly and honestly, Supreme Chancellor.”

The woman's platform floated back to the Rotunda wall and the next delegate was announced.

“The Senator for Serenno.” Intoned a voice, as their repulsorpod floated out into the center of the chamber to meet the Supreme Chancellor.

“Count Dooku, I had no idea you'd decided to enter the political arena.” Sid gave a sycophantic smile and slid a curious glance in her direction, speculating who she could be.

From the depths of her hood, Buffy could see suspicion in his small eyes. His grey tongue poked out and licked at pale, dry lips. No doubt wondering at the last minute switch, considering his options, and the best way of working the new situation to his advantage. Buffy felt a wave of alarm. What if her plan didn't work? Kardash had better not be lying, especially about the part where Sid was still besotted with her!

Count Dooku gave nothing away. In fact, if anything he looked slightly bored. “My position as Count of Serenno gives me the right to take a seat in the Senate, as I'm sure you already know.”

“Quite,” replied the Supreme Chancellor. “And your question?”

“I would like to ask, what exactly does a vampire look like? How would we Senators recognize one?”

“I am sure you know-.”

“Actually I don't, that's why I am asking for confirmation. I am sure the other Senators would love to know what a vampire looks like. Should he or she prove dangerous or not.”

“Very well, if you insist.” Palpatine addressed the Senate, “Vampires look exactly like the person they were before they developed their allergies. During an allergic reaction they do have a slight facial deformity, this occurs only when they transform-.”

“Into a demon?” Buffy asked.

Buffy stepped forward and throwing back the heavy cloak to reveal herself. Underneath the cloak, she wore a low cut, semi-transparent, white dress with special under-wired cups to enhance her cleavage. She smiled, broadly, at the shocked and now mute Supreme Chancellor, making sure she tilted her head to one side to show off her neck.

Spike had been a vampire for much longer than Sid and she knew that posing like this drove the peroxide vampire crazy – one way or another. Would this work with a newly made vampire-Sith?

Buffy reached up and trailed her fingers enticingly along the length of her neck. “My skin is so delicate and soft just here. Easily broken. Look.” She leaned over the front of her platform. “See how the pulse in my throat throbs? My vein is there – pulsating.”

Palpatine's nose flared and his face darkened with anger. He knew what she was doing and yet the part of him she enticed was unable to look away. Buffy licked her lips, keeping an eye on him while all the time angling her neck so that it kept his interest. However, foolish she felt doing this, she knew she needed to lay it on thick. Otherwise, it might not work.

“A master vampire called Spike once told me that a Slayer's blood tastes far sweeter and more powerful than a normal human's. See these marks? Angel bit me just here and almost lost complete control.” She touched the scars made by the Master and Angel so that Palpatine's eyes were drawn to them. “They all want my warm, sweet, Slayer blood...”

“Supreme Chancellor?” Mas Amedda spoke from his seat next to Palpatine.

Buffy bit her lip. She didn't want Palpatine's attention to waver from her neck. Using the spiked ring that she'd worn especially for this purpose, Buffy pressed the point into her neck until she felt the blood well to the surface. Palpatine's nose twitched. Buffy could see he was using every iota of his Sith training to stop himself from vamping out. That she could see his internal battle meant that he was really struggling to keep control.

As the blood trickled down her neck, Buffy whispered intimately, “Can you smell me? That rich and heady aroma? Imagine the texture and the sensation as it flows from your mouth and down into your throat.” Palpatine swallowed heavily, his eyes on her throat.

“What is the meaning of this?” Mas Amedda spoke again. “If this continues I shall have you thrown from the Chamber.”

Buffy was getting panicky. A newborn should have vamped out by now. Around her, she could hear mumbles as the Senators got restless. She touched the blood, raising her fingers level with Sid's face, and placing a drop onto her tongue.

Palpatine made a strangled noise in his throat and paled.

“Your lips on my neck, the sharpness of your fangs as they pierce my skin, the cry from my lips...” 'Come on, come on,' Buffy thought. She was running out of things to say. Spike would have vamped by now, although Palpatine was probably put off by the audience. “Touch me, feel me as I sag into your arms when your tongue licks at the drops from my th-”

Without warning, Palpatine Force sprang at her, his face fully vamped out. His feet landed on the edge of their platform and he grappled her to the floor before Buffy had chance to avoid him.

The entire Senate erupted. Shouts of horror, piercing screams, growls, grunts, and yells for security rang out. Buffy trapped beneath the Supreme Chancellor tried pulling away, but Palpatine's arms were pinning her in a vice-like grip, his head sinking down onto her throat. She felt the sharp cut of his fangs on her throat and the press of his lips against her neck. In the background, Dooku was yelling. Everything was too dark, there wasn't enough space inside the pod to fight, there wasn't enough air to breathe...

…


	182. Senate Rift

The scream of the high-pitched alarms emanating from the Senate Chamber sounded throughout the building. High up in the public gallery that overlooked the rotunda, the Jedi knights Kenobi, Jinn, Vos, and Master Tholme watched the scene below them with growing unease. Buffy's plan of pushing the newly made vampire to breaking point had worked out a little too well. The Sith Lord had lost complete control, not only transforming into a vampire in front of the entire Senate but leaping from his own platform and tackling Buffy to the ground.

Close-ups of the scene were playing on the view screens all around the public gallery. No doubt, they were also being transmitted into palaces, homes, offices, and bars everywhere in the civilized galaxy. The images of Darth Sidious's lined and ridged Sith vampire face as he struggled with Lord Vader would be gossip for years to come. Those Senators who'd not already left the chamber at the first signs of trouble stood in stunned silence. Watching the man they'd recently voted to become Supreme Chancellor turn into a vicious monster. They knew that this act of violence would have a huge effect not only on the dynamics of galactic politics but also on the galaxy as a whole.

Qui-Gon Jinn was the first to notice when the four blue-clad Senate guards inside the viewing gallery turned their eyes from the view screens and began to eye those around them hungrily.

“Obi-Wan,” he said quietly.

The younger Jedi didn't hear him. His focus remained on the struggle going on inside the Senate Chamber. Buffy lay trapped beneath Sheev Palpatine. Through their bond, he could sense her mounting panic and felt her cold shock the moment the wily Sith Lord drove his fangs down into her neck. The images and sensations were all so strong. He could smell the foul odor of the Sith's breath, see his lust-filled eyes, and felt her desperation as she failed to fling him away. He caught a glimpse of a past memory running through her mind, she'd fought another vampire who'd drunk her blood and gone on to kill her – The Master.

“Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon said again. He placed a gentle hand firmly on the younger man's shoulder, falling back on the familiar gesture that he'd often used when they were master and padawan. Obi-Wan turned troubled eyes on him, and he asked, “Remember, the here and the now?” At the younger Jedi nod and he continued, “Trust in the Force. Buffy and Dooku will handle Palpatine, I am certain of it. We have a more immediate problem on our hands.”

Obi-Wan's azure gaze went to the guards and then to Vos and Tholme, who stood at the opposite end of the viewing window. The pair turned slightly, caught his eye over the heads of the other spectators, and nodded. They'd noticed the guards eying those in the room like starving men outside a barbecued Nerf shop.

“They're armed with blaster rifles,” Qui-Gon said casually, stroking his graying beard thoughtfully, “and pistols. Below their official robes they wear an armor that will easily deflect wooden stakes.”

“We need our lightsabers,” Obi-Wan responded tersely. Knowing that all weapons were impounded before entry to the viewing gallery they'd each handed in a fake lightsaber at the security desk. They'd left their real weapons with Master Windu who was entering the building by a very different path.

“Weapons which we do not have,” remarked Qui-Gon placidly, although Obi-Wan thought there was a slight scolding note for his stating the obvious. The hint of censure no longer bothered Obi-Wan as it would have when he'd been a padawan. Qui-Gon had never worked with Buffy and Andrew, you needed to state the obvious to them as their brains worked differently to a Jedi's.

“What we do have, my young Jedi,” Qui-Gon continued with a small smile, “is the Force.”

Obi-Wan nodded and took another look through the viewing window. To his great relief, he saw that Dooku had used the Force to push Palpatine away from Buffy. The Supreme Chancellor sprawled against the raised edge of the Serenno repulsor pod. Palpatine rose angrily to his feet, somersaulted over the edge, and began jumping down from one platform to another. From the direction he was taking, Obi-Wan suspected that he was heading for the elevator located at the bottom of the chamber.

One of the vampire guards snarled, catching his attention. Realizing that he was wasting valuable time and still needed to contact Master Windu, Obi-Wan raised the master via his com-link. “Captain Picard, are you in position? This is Captain Kirk.”

“Picard here,” responded Mace Windu. “We have entered the area and moving into position.”

In the background, behind Windu, came the sound of blaster fire followed by Tenacious's complaining muffled voice. A moment later, Obi-Wan heard Mother Ta'la scolding him, saying that he wasn't allowed to kill everyone, he had to target vampires only.

“Everything is... secure here,” said Master Windu. The Jedi Council master sounded exasperated. It seemed he'd known what Obi-Wan's next question was to be as the Jedi Master added, “Janeway stunned the human guards. We'll be with you shortly.”

Before he cut the call, Obi-Wan quickly explained, “The Emperor has broken cover and attacked Seven of Nine. Seven of Nine is back on her feet but the Emperor has escaped and heading towards the elevator at the bottom of the chamber.”

“Are there any hostiles in your vicinity?”

Obi-Wan glanced towards the four vampires who'd been masquerading as guards. “There are and we're about to deal with them.”

“On our way.”

…...

As soon as the weight of the Sith Lord was off her, Buffy climbed unsteadily to her feet. Count Dooku's eyes met hers and she nodded, to reassure him she was alright before looking over at Palpatine. There was a strong smell of blood in the air - her blood. Buffy glared at him and touched the dripping wounds in her neck.

The gesture flared a flash of red-hot lust in Palpatine's Sith yellow eyes.

“Later,” he whispered, his tongue protruding to lick at the blood on his lips. She could see his mouth was full of her blood and a trickle stained his chin. “We'll finish this more privately, I promise.”

Before either she'd a chance to speak or act he back flipped off their platform. Dropping down onto one repulsor pod to the next; scaring the occupants who screamed, honked, or grunted in fright when they saw his face.

“Buffy.” At the sound of her name she turned, to find Count Dooku holding a handkerchief between his fingertips.

At any other time, his gesture would have made her smile. Here she was in a Sci-Fi dimension and she'd find the one guy who carried an old-fashioned pocket-handkerchief around with him. She took the Serenno monogrammed fabric and mopped at the blood that still ran down her neck, her eyes tracking Palpatine. She was about to dive from their platform to follow him when Dooku grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“We need to stop the bleeding.” He pulled a pack of bacta-powder from out of his pocket. Dooku didn't add that he'd feel better knowing the wound was disinfected after Palpatine's nasty, yellow teeth had sunk into her flesh, he didn't think she'd like reminding of it.

“I haven't time for this!” Buffy tried to push his hands away, but the Count ignored her protest.

“A Jedi always finds time to do what is necessary,” he answered smoothly and pressing a sequence on the control of their pod. The platform shuddered and then to descend rapidly for the chamber floor. As they dropped through the levels, he ripped open the bacta-pack and doused the two puncture wounds liberally with the healing powder.

They were still a long way from the floor when, all around them, the main chamber lighting and the individual platform lights went out simultaneously. The chamber was plunged into darkness. On various levels above them, Buffy heard doors being banged and cries to be let out. It seemed that any Senator who'd not already left the chamber had just been locked in.

“It's an emergency procedure,” Dooku explained. “Should a major incident occur inside the chamber all exits are closed by the Senate guard.”

“So only the Senate guard can open them?” They'd docked and after stepping from the platform, Buffy ran to the elevator she'd just seen Sid enter. Its shiny metallic doors were closed, and above it, the level indicator showed that the turbo-lift was rising upwards. “Palpatine got away,” she said, sourly.

“The Supreme Chancellor must have the code to override any stop put on the elevator,” Dooku muttered darkly. “It most likely will take him directly to his offices.”

The glow of red emergency lighting ignited around the chamber and at the same time, Buffy's Slaydar screamed in warning.

“We've got vampires incoming,” she said, swinging around to peer at the doors set in the wall not far from the elevator.

“I think now is a good time to draw your magical sword,” Dooku suggested in his rich, deep voice. He had no way of knowing, but thought it likely the vampires would have taken over the Senate guard. It was something he'd have done if he'd been a Sith. “I trust you'll be able to recognize a sentient from a vampire, Miss Summers? Now is not a good time to make a mistake.”

“Yeah, don't worry about it. Demons set off my Slaydar more than the weird species do,” Buffy replied. Without further prompting, she slid the magical sword from out of its sheath and held the shining blade out in front of her. The spell Willow had cast so long ago to make it invisible until drawn was still holding up. It was the only weapon they'd been able to smuggle inside the Senate Chamber.

Buffy gave the sword a quick practice swipe. It had been a while since she'd used it and the previous day she'd gone to one of the training rooms to re-familiarize herself with its weight and scope and have a few practice bouts with the Count. It felt strange after using a lightsaber to go back to a metal blade once again. Still, she thought, the blade had killed more than its fair share of demons over the years.

“Any vamp coming in here looking for a ready meal is going to find me waiting to serve them,” she promised the Count brightly.

…........

Up above Buffy and the Count inside the viewing gallery, the four Senate guards tore off their plumed helmets revealing their true vampire faces to those inside the room. A woman spotted them and screamed. Chaos ensued. People blindly stampeded from the threat only to find there was only one exit and the vampires were stood in front of it. Others, braver souls, took their chance to ran past them to get to the exit while the vampires leaped and dived at their chosen victims. Those at the door found themselves being crushed under the weight of those behind them as they found that, no matter how many times they hit the controls, the door's power had been cut and they were trapped.

Quinlan Vos pushed his way through the crowd, to stand in front of the door. Holding his ground amongst the press of people, he flung up a hand summoning the Force, and with a swift flick of his fingers from right to left, opened the door. The effect was immediate, people surged past, half-stumbling, some falling in their haste to escape. Quin found himself being dragged forwards with the crowd and had to elbow his way sideways to reach the wall. He pushed and shoved his way back in, through the sea of people and heading for the nearest vampire who'd grabbed a young Hapan female. He grabbed the creature by the shoulders, tearing him off her, and knocking him to the ground.

The vampire's hand went to his blasters, realized they were missing he looked up to see Quinlan pointing his own blaster pistol at him. The vampire laughed, knowing that the Jedi were pacifists. “Would you shoot an unarmed man, Jedi?” he sneered.

A second later, the blaster shot hit the center of his neck. Another two shots and his head bounced to the ground before it and his body dissolved in a maelstrom of ash.

Quinlan immediately tossed the second blaster rifle to Obi-Wan, who caught it with a grimace. Despite the Jedi's distaste for the weapon, he showed no hesitation using it - aiming for a vampire grappling with a fat man on the floor. The blaster shot hit the vampire directly in the buttocks and with a howl of pain and rage, he turned demonic yellow eyes onto the Jedi.

Obi-Wan shot again, this time one hitting the vampire squarely between the eyes and sending it to the floor where it lay with its limbs twitching. Obi-Wan wasn't certain if it would die from injuries, but felt certain that it could be left there safely until it could be dusted later.

He shot a look around him, finding that the other vampires had already been similarly disposed of and Qui-Gon was over at the door, beckoning to him. He gestured for his old master to go on, that he'd catch up, and turned back to the viewing window to stare into the red-lit chamber. Down on the chamber floor, he could just make out the tiny figure of Buffy brandishing her sword against a vampire as beside her Count Dooku deflected incoming blaster shots using a blue lightsaber he must have stolen.

~Buffy?~ Obi-Wan asked tentatively through their bond.

~ Busy fighting ~ she replied. ~ Sid's gone. Dooku thinks to his offices. Need the power back on, get the doors open, and the Senators out.~

~I'll see to it~

Reassured that she was neither panicking nor injured, Obi-Wan left her to search for the main energy switches and to seek out Palpatine.

….


	183. The Gift

The Gift.

Darth Sidious left the turbolift several floors beneath his office and headed for one of the meeting chambers where Desolate and other members of the Dark Council were waiting for him. As he moved along the corridor, two Senate guards turned the corner and walked toward him. Palpatine slowed, ducking his head, unsure if these were vampire substitutes and conscious of the droplets of Slayer blood that had splattered onto his face.

As the guards came alongside him they threw him a clumsy salute and Sidious knew they were vampires. He continued on, but rather than going straight to the meeting chamber he stopped by one of the many office doors on this level. Using the Force to open the door he quickly entered. The office was unoccupied and he walked to where an abstract statue were being displayed at the far side of the room. Lifting the statue, an artist's interpretation of victory over adversity, he pulled out the sparkly hilt of Buffy's darksaber from where he'd hidden it inside the base and carefully tucked it inside his sleeve. Then the Sith used the Force to check his appearance in the mirror hanging on the wall.

A line of blood stained his chin. He rubbed it off with the back of his hand, straightened his robe, and took a deep breath to center himself, knowing that the coming interview would not be a pleasant one. As he passed the desk, he hesitated and then touched the control panel. A viewscreen raised from the desk and Palpatine watched as footage of the Senate chamber began to play.

There was no sign of his vampire guards and the Senators were being escorted from the Senate rotunda by members of the Jedi Order. His lips drew-up, in a snarl of frustration. It appeared that another plan had been foiled by the Jedi. The vampires were supposed to have accessed the locked chamber and turned as many Senators as they could.

The droidcam changed. Now, one of the hovering droids showed a close up of Buffy's face as she and Count Dooku walked into the elevator. The Slayer's neck was caked in bacta-powder and her blood stained the low cut-top she wore. She stared up, directly into the camera lens, her face pale yet resolute. Palpatine's fingers stretched involuntarily towards the image, his eyes on hers before she turned away to listen to something Dooku was saying.

Sidious had no doubt that she'd find him. He also intended that the next time they met he would finish what he'd started down there in the Senate chamber. He toyed with the idea of keeping her alive, perhaps taking her somewhere isolated where he could torture her, but no sooner did the thought cross his mind than he discarded it. She'd already proved that he lacked any restraint around her. The only way to deal with Vader was by draining, siring, and then torturing later at leisure. He gave himself a mental shake, all that was for later, now he had to face the repercussions of his actions in the Senate.

As soon as he opened the door to the meeting room, Desolate's hollow voice called out his name, “Thidious.”

Sidious bowed his head subserviently to the seated vampire. “Master.”

To even use that title again stuck in Palpatine's craw. He'd always hated addressing Darth Plagueis as master and the Pau'an was more repulsive than Plagueis had ever been. Thidious! Desolate wasn't even able to pronounce his name properly!

“Come to me, apprentice.”

At the command Sidious's nostrils flared, but he made sure there was no other outward sign of rebellion as he walked across the floor. Around him, the other vampires watched jubilantly, happy to see the newest, most feted, Sith Lord being belittled. Palpatine flicked a glance at Sifo-Dyas. Standing behind Desolate, the ex-Jedi master was studiously examining the floor as if absorbed by the tile pattern.

Sidious had only moved a few steps when the first fork of lightning hit him in the chest. He gritted his teeth. More blue light crackled around him and Sidious instantly fell to his knees knowing that this was expected of him. The Force energy cut through him like a thousand blades slicing into his flesh and he focused on the pain, turning it outward, drawing the Force to him until the Dark Side of the Force crackled at his fingertips. Regretfully, he released the energy back into the Force. A little lightning strike wouldn't kill him or Desolate, being struck was more embarrassing than life-threatening.

“Your plan failed,” Desolate said flatly. He pointed to where a nearby screen showed a replay of Buffy offering Palpatine her neck and then being attacked.

To Sidious's shame, the sight of the Slayer's creamy neck made his face change. He pushed back, forcing the vampire aspect of him away and willing his normal face to reappear, but it was too late. Desolate was on his feet, in a swirl of dark, billowing robes.

“A Sith controls his passion! He does not let his passion control him!” Desolate snarled, the Dark Force swirling around him. “You were thopposed to be the strongetht Sith in the galaxy! You vanquished a Smoke Demon and yet the sight of your girlfriend's neck reduces you to a slavering wreck. That bite destroyed all our plans!”

“I cannot deny it, Master,” replied Sidious truthfully. Before entering the Senate he'd fed well and felt in complete control of the demonic blood urges. When he'd seen Buffy,and she'd taunted him, he'd lost control. “A Slayer's blood smells divine and...” he swallowed hard, “the taste is... irresistible.”

Desolate's lined face looked at him thoughtfully. “Very well, Thidious. You will capture Vader and bring her to me, alive and unbitten.” Surprise flashed on Sidious's face and he continued smugly, “If anyone turns Vader, it thall be me.”

Darth Sidious merely bowed his head at the jibe. Years of hiding his anger allowed him to conceal the wrath the Pau'an's words caused inside him. He knew that the Pau'an would never have her. It had been pre-destined, the Force had whispered to him many times that a vicious and might apprentice would be sent to him called Vader. She was his, body, soul, flesh, and blood! He would not share! How dare Desolate assume that he'd the right to take over that role! Anger roiled and Sidious silently swore that Desolate would never sire Vader, yet how would he ensure that never came to pass?

Palpatine shot a sidelong look at Sifo-Dyas, who met his eye and then dropped his gaze knowingly to Sidious's sleeve.

Deciding to portray the broken man Desolate expected him to be, Palpatine stuttered out, “My... my Lord, please, if-,” He broke off, as blaster fire sounded in the corridor outside.

“Shut-up, get-up, and take your place beside me, Thidious. We have visitors.” As Sidious reached the older Sith, Desolate growled, “This isn't over with.”

Palpatine nodded contritely, taking his position to the right and just behind him. From outside came the hum and whirr of Lightsabers, deflecting blaster bolts, and then the sound of lightsaber combat. When the sounds of battle finally died away and the door opened, it wasn't Buffy and Dooku who entered the room, but Mace Windu followed by several more Jedi Masters.

From all around the meeting chamber came the snap and hiss of lightsabers being ignited.

…...............

Count Dooku and Buffy stood silently in the turbo-lift together watching the numbers change as they rose through the building heading for Palpatine's private quarters. Suddenly, Buffy reached out pressing the button to stop the elevator and then stared at the flashing display, seemingly lost in thought.

Dooku gave her a questioning look and, when she didn't respond, touched her arm gently. “What's wrong?” he asked. “Why are we stopped?”

“He isn't this high up,” Buffy replied. She shivered. “I can sense Palpatine stronger than ever now he's a vampire, he's.... repulsive.” Dooku opened his mouth and she forestalled him by saying, “Yeah, I know he was repulsive before, but now he really does give me the wiggins.”

“Actually,” said Dooku, “I was going to ask where you think Palpatine is, if he isn't in his office?”

Buffy looked sheepish, “Oh! Er, lower down. If we descend slowly, I'll stop us at the level my Slaydar gets pinged.”

When they finally opened the turbolift doors a couple of levels further down, the sound of lightsaber battle came to them. Without hesitating, they ran from the elevator, down the long corridor heading towards the sound. Dooku holding the hilt of a lightsaber in his hand, a lightsaber that he'd managed to knock from the hand of a vampire guard just before Buffy dusted him.

As they rounded a corner, a blue shadow moved in one of the open doorways, and a figure stepped out to block their path. Dooku glared, his Force sensitivity telling him that this was no living human while, beside him, Buffy readied herself to attack.

“Buffy! Here!” The guard threw a cylindrical shaped object to her, it spun through the air, and she caught it.

The Slayer stared down at the familiar-shaped hilt of Mr Sparkly, then looked up inquiringly as the guard raised his mask to show his face. “Kardash!”

“The one and only,” smirked the young vampire. “They're down there, in the conference room.” He pointed to the double doors at the bottom of the corridor. With a quick nod of thanks, Buffy ran on.

The Count threw open the doors with a burst of Force energy and Buffy scanned the duels going on around her. The first Jedi she recognised was Quin, he was in mid-leap with his dark locks flying around him, his face twisted in a very un-Jedi look of contempt as he battled a huge, snarling Bothan. Quin's green blade flashed, his overhead blow blocked by a second green blade at the last possible moment. A little further off Kit Fisto wore a wide grin as he twisted his wrist, blocking blow after blow from a pair of Senate vampire guards who fought his green blade with their blue ones. She turned and Qui-Gon Jinn spun past her, his Jedi tunic whirling around him dramatically as he took on three ex-Jedi knights at once. She watched Mace Windu somersault over another vampire who then exploded in a cloud of dust. On the opposite side of the room, Obi-Wan was busy beheading something that looked like Gimli from Lord of the Rings.

They were not the only fights going on in the large chamber, but Buffy was searching for one face in particular – Darth Sidious. She darted past fighters until she found him surrounded by a ring of vampire guards. Palpatine stood by a doorway, the ex-Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas at his side. Darth Desolate stood slightly apart from them and Buffy's eyes met the yellow ones of the Pau'an Sith vampire Lord. He stared back at her and then smiled a welcome, revealing a set of long, yellow front teeth. Desolate beckoned to her mockingly and she moved forward, ready to engage the Master vampire.

From out of nowhere a giant Wookie vampire charged her, roaring abuse at her, and swinging a green lightsaber. Buffy ducked his blow and raised her own blade to block a downward swing, using Slayer strength to push his blade away.

“Size matters, not,” she quoted, chirpily, to the large creature as she spun and swung her blade in sideways.

He parried the blow and thrust at her. What he lacked in finesse, he made up for with brute strength and Buffy decided to change tactics. Using her enhanced speed, she ducked and darted away, always staying out of reach, determined to wear him down and then make a fast kill. As she bobbed and weaved, out the corner of her eye she saw Qui-Gon dust one of his attackers while, on the far side of the chamber, Obi-Wan had two clumsy vampires on the defensive.

The Wookie threw a weak Force push at her and she somersaulted away from it. Mid-turn she caught sight of Desolate watching her, Sidious now stood behind him and Sifo-Dyas stood further off. Sifo-Dyas' focus on Sidious.

Why was the ex-Jedi Master so interested in Sidious?

She jumped, avoiding a low cut calculated to take out her legs before thrusting with her blade and cutting the Wookie's arm. It roared angrily at her, its eyes reddened with rage, and she had to act fast, blocking a flurry of strong blows. Dooku came into her line of sight, the Count fighting alongside Qui-Gon with two new opponents. Buffy's eyes flicked over to Sidious. The Sith Lord stepped forward, his arm moving swiftly, the darksaber igniting as it was thrust into the back of the unsuspecting Darth Desolate.

The point of the Wookie's blade came within an inch of Buffy's eye. She jerked backward, parrying his blade, trying to see between the fighters who'd moved into her line of sight. What was going on? The Wookie's blade almost took the top of her head off. She swung her blade absent-mindedly, trying to angle herself around so that she could see what was happening with Desolate. Had Sidious stabbed him in the back? Suddenly, her view cleared and she saw Desolate stagger forward two steps before exploding in a bright flash of light and dark ash.

The Wookie thrust at her once more. This time she stepped sideways, narrowly avoiding a table that had been Force pushed towards her by Dooku. It hit the Wookie in his stomach, knocking him off his feet and sent him crashing to the floor. Buffy jumped up over the table and as she landed brought her blade down, then across - beheading the stunned creature.

Had she really seen Sid kill Desolate! She stepped forward, craning her neck as she walked, trying to look over the top-.

~Buffy! DUCK~ Obi-Wan's warning through their bond reverberated inside her head as his lightsaber sailed toward her.

Time slowed. Buffy dropped into a low crouch as the Jedi's lightsaber flew above her head. Behind her, the vampire who'd been about to strike her down was suddenly cut by the spinning energy blade. He wavered, then toppled to the ground, the top half of his body coming adrift from his lower half.

Obi-Wan threw up a hand, recalling his lightsaber back to him. As it circled back to him, Buffy rose to her feet with a smile of thanks. His blue eyes scolded her for her inattention, but through their bond the strength of his love was as strong as ever.

“Thanks for-,” she began saying and then stopped as a horrible, gut-twisting pain flooded through her.

Buffy staggered. Her eyes fell on the red lightsaber blade protruding from Obi-Wan's stomach and then up to his face. His pain-filled eyes met hers. Obi-Wan had been stabbed. The world tilted and went out of focus. All she could feel was the sense of loss and the overwhelming sense of sadness coming from Obi-Wan. He'd made a mistake and knew that he'd lost everything.

Qui-Gon shot past her, green lightsaber blurring as he fought an ex-Jedi Master. Part of her registered the shock on his face and knew that he'd seen what had happened to Obi-Wan. Mostly, though, she didn't care about Qui-Gon's feelings. There was no room inside her head to think of anyone or anything else right now. She felt numb and dis-jointed.

Please, don't let him die. Don't let Obi-Wan die. With that thought the world came back into sharp focus.

Qui-Gon drove his blade into the vampire and Buffy stepped around him just in time to see the man she loved fall onto his knees. Sifo-Dyas stepped out from behind him, holding up a red blade and, when he saw her, an evil smirk crossed his face. With a fast kick at Obi-Wan that sent the young Jedi falling to the ground, the vampire turned and hurried away through the fighters to find his new master.

Buffy pushed past Mace Windu who was fighting two fake Senate guards and narrowly missed being hit by a swinging blade. Further on, a vampire tried to engage her in a fight and she punched him in the face so hard that his face crumpled inwards and he dropped to the floor, out cold. Buffy jumped over the body of two dead Jedi and reached the spot where Obi-Wan lay.

Dropping to her knees beside him, Buffy stroked the red-gold hair away from his face before using a trembling hand to check the exit hole in his stomach. She didn't want to start pulling at it, but she could see that it was blackened and oozing blood where it hadn't cauterized the blood vessels.

Inside Buffy's head, the words, 'This isn't happening, this can't be happening,' repeated themselves, over and over again. She felt useless. The paltry first aid she'd learnt back in her own dimension hadn't prepared her to deal with injuries like this.

“Buff-y,” Obi-Wan's voice was barely above a whisper.

“I'm here. Obi-Wan.” Buffy could feel their bond becoming weaker and something inside her broke. He's going to die. Obi-Wan is going to die.

She stroked his forehead again, all the time listening to his shallow breathing, watching the way he fought for each breath. She took heart from the fact that he was fighting. He was fighting to stay conscious and fighting to stay with her. Buffy swallowed hard, forcing the lump back in her throat. She had to stay focussed, to stay positive, and not break down in front of him. Qui-Gon Jinn took up a defensive position beside them – stopping anyone from attacking and eyeing his old apprentice worriedly.

“You're gonna be okay, Obi-Wan,” she said, more to reassure herself than him. He didn't reply. His eyelids droop closed and it had her begging, “Obi-Wan, look at me. Stay with me.”  
If he doesn't look at me and see how much I love him, need him,, he might... slip away.

When he still doesn't respond she took his hand, lacing her fingers through his, and leaning in to be closer to him so that he knows she's there. He's warm and solid, and she's always thought him indestructible. But he isn't. A tear rolls down her cheek and plops onto his tunic.

She's sobbed into his tunic before, it's nothing new. This time though, he can't hold her and tell her everything is going to be alright. It's not fair. Andrew had told her that Obi-Wan Kenobi's life was all about sacrifice and she hadn't listened to him. She'd thought that future had been changed. He hadn't sacrificed himself so that Luke would survive, he'd done it for her. He hadn't been killed by to Vader, but for Vader. She hadn't changed things for the better for him, she'd changed it for the worse.

“I'm sorry. If I hadn't distracted you, this wouldn't have happened.” She should have been the one lying on the floor, not him. “Please, keep fighting.” She wouldn't let him stop fighting. “Don't leave me, Ubi!”

His eyes don't open and his words are raspy, but he says. “You thought I was a nerd.”

The crazy statement had her barking out a harsh laugh. “I always thought you were cute, Ubi. I could tell you were special.” Don't die. Please, don't die.

He sucked in a painful, ragged breath and Buffy panicked. “Quin... promised me... he'll look after you.”

“I need to get you back to the Temple,” she said, ignoring what he'd said and looking about her. The Temple had the Halls of Healing. They could work miracles there, she knew they could. If she got him back there they'd fix him. They'd make him better. Don't die, please don't die.

“No time,” he gave the tiniest shake of his head, “...will be with the Force.”

“YOU WILL NOT!” she snarled. Hot tears were trickling down her cheeks, down her neck, and stringing as they entered the bites Sidious had made.

“I'm not letting you go, Obi-Wan,” she said firmly. “I love you and I'm not gonna lose you to the damn Force.”

Maybe, if she refused to believe it, it won't happen. Don't die, please, don't die.

When he spoke again, his voice was so low that even a Slayer had to strain to hear it, “...love you... always...” and then the muscles in Obi-Wan's face relaxed and his body went limp.

…................................................


	184. Live Or Let Die

Mace Windu brought his lightsaber around in a fast swing, the top of the purple blade severing the neck of the vampire he was fighting. The column of dust exploded. Ash showered down, but the dark-skinned man had already turned away, seeking out a new adversary.

The fighters inside the chamber had dwindled. Most of the vampires had been dusted or escaped to other parts of the Senate. Over the floor was a thick layer of ash that testified to the number of vampires who'd been dusted. Sadly the Jedi had not escaped without losses, several bodies lay on the floor.

One of those injured was Obi-Wan Kenobi. Buffy knelt beside him, her long golden hair draped over his chest as she bent low across his body From where he stood Mace could see her shoulders shaking with her sobs and the suffering etched on her face. Obi-Wan's old master, Qui-Gon Jinn, knelt opposite her, speaking quietly to Buffy – no doubt trying to calm her. From the way Obi-Wan's Force Signature was weakening, Mace knew that Qui-Gon was fighting a losing battle. The young knight's life hung in the balance and Buffy had good reason to be so distressed.

Knowing that he wasn't able to help, Mace looked away, his eyes darting around the chamber seeking the visage of Sheev Palpatine. The last time he'd seen him was not long after he'd plunged Buffy's darksaber into Darth Desolate's unsuspecting back. After killing the Sith vampire he'd rejoined Sifo-Dyas, and then Mace had seen Palpatine nod towards Kenobi. Had Darth Sidious ordered the killing of Kenobi? Had the attack been done as revenge on Buffy for unmasking Palpatine in the Senate Chamber?

Mace had lost track of Palpatine and Sifo-Dyas after that. When he'd next seen Sifo-Dyas, the ex-Jedi Master had already stabbed Kenobi and was smirking at Buffy before darting away. Where had the pair gone? They weren't in the room.

The distinctive tentacles of the Nautolan, Kit Fisto, caught his eye. The Master had crouched beside one of the fallen Jedi, checking the woman's life signs. Mace saw him shake his head, press the dead Jedi's eyes closed, and then he rose to his feet, making his way over to Mace.

“Do you know where Palpatine is?” Mace asked.

Kit shook his head. “No, I-”

“I believe I know where he went,” called a new voice from just behind them. It was Master Agen Kolar, Master Saesee Tiin walked alongside the Zabrack.

“I was in the outer corridor,” Agen went on, “when I noticed Palpatine and the ex-Jedi Sifo-Dyas heading towards the elevator at the bottom of the hall. The display showed that the elevator rose upwards, but the fighting distracted me. I didn't see the level where it stopped, but I think it's likely he went to his office.”

“We need to find him,” Mace replied. Through the Force, he sensed an important Shatter-Point was about to occur. Something centering around Palpatine and his office. What was the Sith Lord plotting? Mace felt the familiar tug, the Force telling him he needed to act quickly. “I'll need you three to come with me. Four Jedi Masters should be more than enough to handle Palpatine and Sifo-Dyas.”

Something niggled at Mace and he eyed Buffy once more. Should he ask her and Qui-Gon to accompany them? She looked so distraught, however, that he decided it wasn't wise to involve her. It wasn't as if she was a Jedi, she wouldn't be able to switch off her emotions and focus on the task. No, he wouldn't ask her. She'd only be a liability that he didn't need. By the same token, he wouldn't ask Qui-Gon Jinn. From the way Buffy's fingers clung so desperately onto Kenobi's robes, as if she thought she could keep him alive by sheer will-power alone, she was going to need Qui-Gon more than he did.

“Come,” said Mace to the three Jedi Masters, and together they strode out the door.

…..............

The muscles in Obi-Wan's face relaxed and his body went limp.

“Obi-Wan!” Buffy tightened her grip on the Jedi's tunic, her knuckles whitening. Qui-Gon dropped down to the ground on the opposite side of Obi-Wan, his face drawn as he placed a hand on the young man's forehead. He was still alive, but his life hung by a thread.

“Don't... die,” Buffy begged, her voice breaking. Tears rolled down her cheeks, onto her chin, and dripped onto Obi-Wan. “Please, I... I've lost so much, so many. I don't want to...” her voice cracked, “You're the best thing that's ever... happened to me.”

Qui-Gon swallowed, the lump in his throat blocking his vocal cords, rendering him mute.

Buffy continued, “...stay with me, Ubi.”

Qui-Gon cleared his throat, offering comfort. “Obi-Wan is a fighter, Buffy. You can be sure he'll do his best...”

Buffy knew that Qui-Gon continued speaking, the way his lips were moving was a good sign, but she couldn't hear him. It was as if she'd pulled back and stepped into the cold Force. She was aware of the fighters in the chamber, the other injured Jedi needing attention, and Mace Windu talking to Kit Fisto. The Force told her that Mace was going to need her, but she ignored it.

Obi-Wan lay in front of her and she could 'see' his life force seeping away. She had to save him. She had to find a doctor. How was she even going to move him? Why couldn't she do the Force healing thing? He was going to die. She was going to lose Obi-Wan and it was her fault.

Master Qui-Gon Jinn eyed her warily. She was a Force Void and yet her pain was affecting the Force. If she'd been a Jedi, he'd say that her emotions put her in grave danger of falling to the Dark Side. Since Buffy was a Slayer, he'd no idea what her grief, or the fear of loss, would drive her to do.

“Buffy.” Qui-Gon touched her shoulder, trying to get her attention. “I'm taking Obi-Wan to the Temple.”

Buffy blankly stared back at him, too wrapped in her own thoughts to understand what he was telling her.

Qui-Gon spoke again, keeping his voice low and calm, “Buffy, you need to stop Palpatine and Sifo-Dyas from hurting others. I will see to Obi-Wan. I promise you, I will take him straight to the Temple Healers and he'll receive the best care.” Qui-Gon didn't add there was a possibility Obi-Wan would die before reaching the Temple, she already knew how badly the odds were.

“You... heal him,” Buffy stuttered out, rubbing at her wet face with the back of her hand.

“What?” Qui-Gon asked.

“Use the Force and heal him.” Buffy brushed a stray tear from her chin. Tears no longer flowed, her face had become set and determined. “Ubi, says you're better at healing than he is. Make him better.”

“I can't.” Qui-Gon shook his head sadly. “That is beyond my capabilities.”

Out the corner of his eye, he spotted Quinlan Vos and, just behind him, the welcome sight of droids arriving with stretchers. Qui-Gon beckoned to them, then turned back to place his hand on Obi-Wan's forehead once more. His face instantly became grave. “It's too late. You need to say goodbye,” he said softly. “He'll... find peace in the Force.”

Buffy's face jerked up. Inside the Slayer something dark and ancient flared to life at the Jedi Master's words. It clawed its way to the surface of the girl, snarling in a guttural, rasping voice that sounded nothing like Buffy's own, “Not Force's! MINE!”

Shocked into silence, Qui-Gon took in Buffy's altered face. Harsh features and enraged, golden eyes glared back at him. The Slayer gathered Obi-Wan to her, wrapping her arms around him possessively.

“Obi-Wan,” she growled. “It's time for you to be strong.”

At the word 'strong', the Force wavered around Qui-Gon. Drawn in by the call of the Slayer, an ancient magic wove its way through the Force and illuminated Obi-Wan in green light. The spell, first created so long ago by the Shadow men, sprang from the essence of the Slayer and sent flashes of power through her into the dying knight.

The effect was instant. Obi-Wan's eyes shot open, pupils dark with pain, his spine arching, and let out a blood-curdling scream. He screamed and screamed as if someone was torturing him. Torturing him with a dark magic that ripped through his body, trying to change him into something he could not be.

“NO!” yelled Qui-Gon. What was she doing? He scrabbled to his feet, reaching over, trying to yank Obi-Wan from Buffy's arms, and only succeeding in making her tighten her hold.

More of the eerie, green light surrounded the young Jedi once again. Obi-Wan let out another horrifying scream that made Qui-Gon's blood run cold. Why couldn't she let him die in peace? Why was she torturing him?

“Buffy! Stop! Whatever you're doing, it's making it worse!”

“Make it stop... please, make it stop,” Obi-Wan gasped weakly. Green light flared, his body convulsing with pain, Buffy still refusing to let go. Obi-Wan turned in her arms, his shadowed eyes fixed on Qui-Gon. “Please... master, I can't... take any more,” he begged, his breaths coming in short pants. “Don't make me... I don't want to live... not with this pain.”

Qui-Gon flung himself at Buffy, knocking her to the floor, and dislodging her hold on Obi-Wan. The young knight fell, unable to save himself, he hit the floor hard and let out a fresh moan of pain.

Buffy shrugged Qui-Gon's hands off her, reaching over for Obi-Wan again, only to be thwarted by Quin who blocked her way. She glared up at the young Kiffar, something shadowy and inhuman in her eyes. Quin glared back, standing firm and resolute, refusing to be intimidated.

Unaware of what was happening around him, Obi-Wan lay panting and trembling on the floor. Qui-Gon spotted the yellow sheen in the young Jedi's eyes before he closed them and the first thing that sprung to his mind, rightly or wrongly, was that Buffy had made Obi-Wan into a Sith.

“What have you done?” Qui-Gon yelled in Buffy's face. “What evil have you wrought?”

Qui-Gon was sure it had involved the use of the Dark Side. Had it been a clumsy attempt to heal Obi-Wan? If so, it had been like no Force healing Qui-Gon had ever witnessed. Buffy must have drawn directly on her affinity with the Dark Side. The only way to heal using the Dark Side was to change him into a Dark creature.

Qui-Gon knew he had to check Obi-Wan, yet he dreaded what he might find. Steeling himself for the worst, he moved around Buffy and Quin to where Obi-Wan lay. He sank into a crouch, stretching his hand and saw, to his great shame, that it trembled. Resting his fingers lightly onto Obi-Wan's face, he checked the knight's Force Signature and apprehension turned to relief. Obi-Wan shone as lightly and brightly in the Force as he'd always done. A little torn and damaged, perhaps, but he was still Obi-Wan.

“That...” Buffy began - she held her hands in front of her face, staring at them as if she had never seen them before- “...was the same energy that activates a Potential.” Her voice sounded incredulous. She shook her head. “No, it can't be. He's not even a girl.”

With that odd remark, she scuttled forward, wanting to touch Obi-Wan once again to reassure herself that he was still alive.

Qui-Gon caught her hand. “Don't you think you've hurt him enough?”

Buffy flinched as if he'd struck her.

Qui-Gon ignored the flash of pain on her face. He'd always been suspicious of her. There was too much darkness in her not to be. Now... now that he'd seen for himself what lay inside her, he wanted his former padawan as far away from her as possible. “I'll take Obi-Wan back to the Temple. You stay here and do what you do best.”

“Kill things,” whispered Buffy, her voice hoarse and stricken at what she'd just done.

Qui-Gon didn't hear her, he and Quin were too busy loading Obi-Wan onto a stretcher. Buffy drifted further away, left alone, and forgotten about.

**


	185. The Emperor's New Clothes

“I don't want to live...” Obi-Wan's cry seemed to hang in the air long after he'd been carried from the chamber.

Buffy stood with her back against the wall as the service droids moved around her, taking away the bodies of the fallen Jedi. Her mind continued replaying those last few moments with Obi-Wan over and over again. She relived her own desperate attempt to draw on the Force to heal him, the heady sensation as a wild energy buzzed through her, and her elation at having finally made that connection to the Force. She'd been so wrong.

Had she tapped into her Slayer powers and attempted to transfer the accelerated power of healing into him? Or had something more sinister happened when she lost control? She'd known Sineya was interested in Obi-Wan, after all, she'd called him hers, but Buffy had always thought that was because he'd appeared in the Slayer desert dressed as the Cheeseman.

Now, she wondered if Sineya could have tried turning Obi-Wan into a Slayer.

“Please... I can't... take any more. Don't make me...”

Obi-Wan couldn't be a Slayer. He wasn't a potential or a young girl, and this wasn't even her dimension. But if that is what had happened, it was no wonder the pain had been unbearable. Qui-Gon's expression of revulsion and disgust floated in her mind. Obi-Wan's old master hated her, she felt sure of it.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the man enter the room. It wasn't until he stood directly in front of her and placed a hand onto her shoulder that she looked up. Count Dooku's lined face regarded her kindly, dark eyes brimming with concern.

“Qui-Gon and Quin have left for the Temple with Obi-Wan,” he said, in his deep, velvety baritone. “Qui-Gon was most distraught. What happened? I was there when Palpatine stabbed Desolate, but then my fight took me out into the corridor. Did Palpatine serve the same trick twice?”

“It was... me,” Buffy's voice cracked. Unable to meet his eyes, she dropped her gaze to the floor. The bodies had gone, but the cleaning droids had yet to appear and clear away the ash and smears of blood. “I did it.”

The Count patted her shoulder. “Ah, I quite understand. Obi-Wan is one of the most irritating men I've ever met and I've often wanted to drive my lightsaber through him. It doesn't surprise me in the least that you attempted to kill him.”

Aghast, Buffy looked up sharply. “I didn't...I never...” The denial died away on her lips when she realized he was being sarcastic. He knew she hadn't stabbed Obi-Wan.

“Alright, it wasn't me that stabbed him,” she amended, begrudgingly. “During the fight I got distracted. Obi-Wan threw his lightsaber at a vampire behind me and Sifo-Dyas snuck up and stabbed him in the back-.”

“It's hardly your fault,” murmured Dooku soothingly. Although they lacked a padawan and master bond, he'd felt her despair long before entering the room. He regarded her thoughtfully, taking in the whiteness of her face and the deep purple shadows beneath red-rimmed eyes. It seemed to him that Palpatine's bite had weakened her physically and Obi-Wan's injury had diminished her spirit.

A rare surge of warmth and compassion rose up in him. Embarrassed by the strength of his emotions, Dooku gave a repressive cough, and added gruffly, “Kenobi should have realized that the Sith are a bunch of backstabbers if he'd-”

Buffy shook her head. “No, there's no one to blame but me. If I hadn't distracted him he'd still be here. It was my fault that he-”

“No, it wasn't!” Dooku gave her a little shake, his face stern. “If Kenobi was injured saving someone else, would you blame them for it?”

Buffy pouted and looked mutinous.

Dooku took that as a yes, and tied a different tactic. “He's a trained Jedi knight. As a member of the Order, Obi-Wan has always known the risk the position involved.”

“You don't know what I did to him later,” Buffy spoke so quietly that the Count needed to strain to hear her. “I didn't want him to die.” She looked up, wanting him to understand her side of the story, desperate that he wouldn't be as revolted by her as Qui-Gon.  
“I asked Qui-Gon to use the Force to heal him but he said it was beyond his ability. Obi-Wan was slipping away... I tried to use the Force...it...” Her control slipped, and a fresh tear trickled down her cheek. She roughly brushed it away, and swallowed, determined not to let the sobs take over. “It... didn't go right.”

Count Dooku shot a furtive glance at the corridor. No one was around. He pulled Buffy to him and hugged her awkwardly. It had been a long time since he'd held a woman in his arms and, in those days when he'd been quite popular, he'd always done his utmost to avoid the emotional ones.

Buffy continued talking, her voice was more muffled due to her face being pressed against his chest. “Something happened. Something that's never happened before. My inner Slayer took over and there was... this energy. It went into Obi-Wan and he started screaming.” Buffy lifted her head and stared at the Count grimly. “Please, you've got to believe me. I never wanted to hurt Obi-Wan, I just wanted him better.”

Count Dooku nodded. “I do believe you.” He wasn't sure what this energy was that she'd tapped into, but Dooku knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she would never intentionally hurt Kenobi.

“I couldn't stop the energy flowing and Obi-Wan was screaming, begging Qui-Gon to let him die. Qui-Gon was furious. I know he's gonna tell the Council that I'm dangerous, that we're in a relationship, and they'll never let me near Obi-Wan, or anyone else, ever again.” She sniffed, more tears trickling down her face.

Dooku silently handed over another clean handkerchief. Buffy took the soft fabric from him, wiped her face and blew her nose. A small part of her wondered how many handkerchiefs the Count carried around with him.

When she went to offer the damp hankie back, the Count grimaced and waved it away. “You keep it, I have plenty more.”

“Thanks,” she said in a small voice.

“Miss Summers, it sounds as if whatever you did gave Kenobi another chance at life. As for Qui-Gon... You mustn't worry about him running to the Council with tales, I shall speak to him.”

“What if Obi-Wan hates me?” That was her worst fear.

Dooku gave a soft snort. “Extremely unlikely.”

“But what if he does?”

The Count knew it was useless to argue with her. The only person with the power to convince her that he didn't hate her was Obi-Wan. “Then you will meet the problem if it occurs. Until then, we must concentrate on the here and now. Come, we have a job to do. There are vampires rampaging throughout the Senate building. We should-.”

“Mace Windu!” shrieked Buffy, confusing Dooku.

Buffy remembered the way Mace had looked at her and how the Force had tried tugging her into action. All this time when she'd been wallowing in self-pity others needed her. What if Mace was up in Sid's office right now? What if this was going to be a recreation of the scene where... Buffy tensed, hoping that she was wrong, but her gut instinct was telling her differently.

“Mace has gone to Sid's office,” she stated. She bit her lip, thinking of another vampire she needed to meet. “What are the odds Sifo is up there with them? If we don't hurry, Mace and the others will die.”

And she was through the door, striding towards the elevator, Count Dooku marching alongside her.

***

Up on Palpatine's floor, they found two guards blocking the door to his offices. Both wore the imposing uniform of the Senate Guards, blue robes, plumed helmets, weapons, and carried themselves with such an air of discipline and self-importance that they would have fooled many. Buffy, however, knew that they were impostors as soon as the elevator door opened.

In their turn, the guards recognized her as the Slayer, exchanged looks, and stepped out into the corridor to face her. Before she had the chance to warn Dooku that these were vampires and not normal guards, the older man had moved. Drawing on his strong connection to the Force, Dooku sprang. The Force propelling him forward with a blur of speed and fueling his swift somersault over the vampires' heads.

Landing behind the pair, the elderly Count sent out a strong Force push. “Take that, you vampire scum!”

The guards were thrown off their feet and launched down the corridor with such force that Buffy had to leap to one side to avoid being bowled over by them. They hit the wall behind her, one bursting into a shower of ash from the stake Buffy had thrown at him on the way past, the second crashing head-first into the wall with a loud squawk.

Stunned, the guard fumbled blindly for his lightsaber but was all for naught. Mr Sparkly's crimson blade swirled through the air and severed his neck long before he could find the power button.

Buffy regarded the two piles of ash sourly before walking to where Dooku waited by the door.

“No quips?” he asked the unusually silent woman.

She shook her head, refusing to look at him, and replied,“It's time we moved on.”

Dooku's eyes dropped from her face to the bacta powder gathered in clumps around the wounds on her neck. His face hardened. Master Yoda taught that a Jedi should not lust for revenge, yet here he was sorely wanting to dust Sidious in the darkest possible way for what he'd done to Buffy. The Dark Side whispered to him, as it had several times in the past, causing him to turn sharply away from Buffy.

Buffy put a hand on his arm and the whispering quietened at her touch.

“I'm sensing a vampire lying-in-wait in the next room,” she said. “I'll deal with the vamp whilst you find Mace and the others. They haven't come this way so they must taken Palpatine's private turbo-lift.” Buffy hesitated, hoping the man wouldn't take offense when she added, “Be careful, stay away from the window, and try not to do anything flamboyant that might lead to you having both your hands cut off.”

Dooku gave her an indecipherable look, then nodded. They then took up a position on either side of the door and Dooku hit the controls.

The door slid open slowly with a low hiss. Buffy craned her neck, peering into the darkness of the room beyond. She scowled. She'd seen vampires use the dark room trick before. Whoever walked into the room would need a moment for their eyes to adjust to the light.

Deciding that the trap needed to be sprung by a Slayer rather than a Jedi, she threw herself into the room, turning a cartwheel before falling and to tuck into a forward roll. There came the sound of movement, the familiar hiss of someone igniting their lightsaber, and then a red glow lit up the room. A figure came hurtling towards her, his shadow bouncing along the far wall.

Buffy flipped onto her feet, her own scarlet lightsaber igniting and rising to block the overhead attack. The twisted visage of Master Sifo-Dyas glared down at her as he pressed his hateful crimson blade against hers. Inside Buffy, flames of anger rose up, and she forced her lips to pull upwards into a parody of a smile. “Fancy meeting you here. I'm so gonna enjoy our dance.”

Over Sifo-Dyas shoulder, she saw that Dooku had entered the room and now stood, halfway along the wall, watching her. Buffy's eyes slid meaningfully to the door on the far side of the room, the one she knew led to Palpatine's offices.

“Hmm,” Sifo-Dyas parried her blade to one side and thrust at her once again. He grinned evilly at her. “Why would you feel like that?”

Buffy blocked him and shot Dooku another look, frowning at his lack of movement. She didn't have time to shout he needed to get a move on as, at that precise moment, Sifo-Dyas came at her with a particularly aggressive set of fast blows and she had to focus on the fight.

The dark-haired Sifo-Dyas pressed his blade against hers, sneering “What's wrong Miss Summers? Don't tell me that you are upset because I played tag with your favourite Jedi?” He threw up a hand, using the Force to pull down a stack of chairs that had been piled up next to the wall. In her haste to get away from the falling chairs, Buffy wasn't aware of the Force push he'd sent her way until it was too late. She was sent, sprawling, against a large desk.

Buffy rolled, just in time to avoid being crushed as the desk flipped over, coming to land in the spot she'd vacated.

Sifo-Dyas spun into the Count's direction. Dooku, who'd been in the process of tip-toeing to the door, froze. “Think I didn't know you were here, Dooku?” he snarled, forked lightning flying from his fingertips.

Dooku's lightsaber sprang to life, his arm holding the green blade vertically and at a slant - deflecting the stream of lightning away from himself and back at Sifo-Dyas, who had to duck to avoid being struck.

Buffy scrambled from the floor. “Go!” she yelled at Dooku.

The vampire turned, the gush of lightning streaming towards her now. It didn't occur to Buffy to deflect it, instead, she leaped sideways, bouncing off the wall, and landing behind the vampire. Her blade arced and Sifo-Dyas let out a shriek as the tip of the energy blade sliced through cloth and skin, drawing a dark line across his back. The acrid smell of charred cloth and burnt flesh filled the air.

“What's wrong?” Buffy asked, beginning to circle around the vampire seeking another opening. “Happy to stab others in the back yet don't like it being done to you, Silo?” Her voice shook, not from fear, but rage. Buffy struck, her blows becoming stronger as she allowed the Force to soothe and hone her focus.

The ex-Jedi's face contorted at the sudden change of tempo, he stumbled, and almost lost his footing. His face twisting, his features morphing into a vampire's as he snarled with an almost primaeval hatred.

Their blades locked. Sifo-Dyas leaned in, his face snarling as he spat, “Kenobi was stabbed because he is weak. It is a pity he can't be here to watch when I take my revenge on you.”

Buffy parried the energy blade away, striking again and again in a flurry of blows. For a moment she thought that she nearly had him, but the vampire seemed to dissolve, slipping to one side as Mr Sparkly sliced downward and cut into the upturned desk. As she pulled her blade free, Sifo took advantage by executing a low blow to her legs.

With her own blade still inside the desk, Buffy had no choice but to jump, tucking her knees over the vampire's blade. Then she kicked. One foot slammed into his chest, the other catching him under the chin. Sifo-Dyas's head jerked back and he staggered.

With her blade free and her feet firmly on the ground, Buffy swung the red blade once more. The weapon bit deep into the vampire's chest, gouging through flesh and tearing at bones like a hot knife through butter. He screamed, falling backwards as though in slow motion, his face filled with a mixture of surprise, pain, and horror.

“That looks kinda nasty,” Buffy said in a casual tone as she turned off her lightsaber slowly and deliberately in front of the fallen ex-Jedi. “You're a vampire so you won't die of it though. As a matter of fact, you could spend an eternity in that condition if I want you to.”

“That's...dark. You're dark,” rasped Sifo-Dyas, his yellow eyes wide with panic.

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Have you only just realised?” She flashed him a mega-watt smile as she fiddled with something in the back of her waistband. “I'm the darkest thing this galaxy has ever seen...”

With a blur of Slayer speed she struck, slamming the wooden stake through the gaping hole in Sifo-Dyas's chest to impale him through his non-beating heart. She stepped back, her expression growing melancholy as the vampire exploded and ash fell.

“...according to Qui-Gon I am anyway,” she finished sadly.

***

The first thing Buffy noticed when she stepped through the door of Palpatine's office was the breeze. The wind was blowing in through the gaping hole that had once been a huge window overlooking the skyline of Coruscant. The second thing she noticed was the two dead Jedi masters, who lay within feet of the private elevator door.

Buffy moved further into the room, stepping over the smiling corpse of Kit Fisto and on towards the broken window where Mace Windu stood, his purple lightsaber held menacingly at the fallen Palpatine.

“Dooku!” she called. The elderly Jedi was nowhere in sight.

“I'm over here, Buffy,” a voice called from behind a group of chairs at the other side of the room. “I'm quite alright. Landed badly and there is something wrong with my leg – again.” Dooku's voice sounded bitter, no doubt annoyed with himself.

Satisfied that the Count wasn't dead or dying, Buffy continued towards the two figures by the window.

“Stay back, Buffy, this is Jedi business,” Mace called over to her, never taking his eyes from the Sith Lord who half-lay, half-sat, against the wall. He wagged the purple blade at him. “You, my Lord are under arrest.”

“Mace can you, like, move away from the window?” Buffy asked. The wind whistled into the room and there was broken glass shards everywhere. Mace was only a foot or so from the edge of the window ledge and outside in the Coruscant night sky she could see lines of speeders flying past. She hated heights, why did everything have to be so high up on this planet?

“The window's fine,” Mace called back. “Don't worry about it.”

Palpatine gazed over at Buffy, wearing a woe-is-me-expression. “Help me,” he asked his voice quavering with emotion. “This isn't about vampires this is about the Jedi Order trying to take power-.”

“Oh, please,” Buffy cut in, “save me from the speeches. That one isn't going to work with me. And Mace, can you, please, move away from the window?”

“Your plot to gain control over the galaxy has failed,” Mace said to Palpatine, ignoring her. “You will never be Emperor here. You have lost.”

“No!” Palpatine raised his hands. “It is the Jedi who have lost! You will die!” Blue Force lightning shot from his fingers at Mace.

Buffy ran towards them, Mr Sparkly humming in the air beside her.

“Get him, Vader!” yelled Palpatine. Who for some odd reason seemed to think Buffy was on his side. “You're a Sith like me. The Jedi are the mortal enemies of the Sith and they will never trust you.”

Buffy looked from one man to the other, unsure how to help. Mace was grimacing as he repelled the Force lightning and Sid's face was becoming even uglier than normal.

“Help me,” begged Sid, “Help me Vader, I'm just a poor man who can't...” his voice trailed away as he collapsed, apparently exhausted.

Buffy was not fooled. “Mace step away from the window now. He's got more Force lightning up his sleeve.”

“I'm fine, Buffy, really,” said the Jedi Master.

Suddenly, Palpatine sent a Force push at Mace and the man staggered, losing his grip on his lightsaber which flew through the window.

“Power! Absolute power,” cackled Palpatine. He laughed manically and sent another stream of Force lightning at Mace. The Jedi flew up into the air, through the window, and dropped out of sight, presumably to hit the ground many feet below.

Darth Sidious rose to his feet, advancing on Buffy who lifted her red lightsaber in front of her. But Palpatine didn't intend to fight her, he lowered his voice, letting it become wheedling, “Accept your destiny, accept the Sith title of Darth Vader, and rule alongside me.”

“Don't do it, Buffy!” yelled Count Dooku's voice from behind the chairs. “You don't want to become a vampire, there'll be no more sunbathing!”

“Ignore him!” snarled Darth Sidious, circling around her. “He's an old, weak fool who can teach you nothing. Accept me as your master and I shall give you the power to save Obi-Wan.”

Buffy's cheeks flared pink. “Umm, I think I've messed that one up all by myself.” She brought up Mr Sparkly, striking a fighting pose. “It is time you came with me, Sid. The Jedi want to arrest you, so-”

“I think that time is over,” interjected the voice of Master Mace Windu from the window.

Palpatine swung around, his mouth dropping open at the sight of the man he'd thought had fallen to his death. “How did you...”

Jango Fett appeared, hovering outside the broken window in full armour, he waved a gloved hand at Buffy before dropping out of sight.

Mace Windu grinned. “Buffy thought you might try throwing me from the window so she asked the Mandalorian bounty hunter to keep an eye out for me. In case, I needed him.”

“You can't kill me,” growled Darth Sidious. “Only the darksaber is capable of killing the strongest Sith vampire in the galaxy!”

Buffy smiled, the dark smile of a vampire Slayer. “But we can cut lots of bits off, Sid.”

“No!” Palpatine growled, and with a whirl of billowing, dark robes he ran. Charging from the room with Buffy and Mace on his heels.

“He can't have gone far,” Mace told Buffy, slowing his pace once he saw the direction Palpatine had taken. “There's no way out of those chambers.”

The Jedi master used the Force to open the next set of doors and they entered the room, looking around them for the missing Palpatine. It was empty. Only an open door leading onto a balcony stood testimony to where the Sith Lord had gone.

Buffy was through the door first, leaning over the balcony, and looking around her.

“There!” Mace jostled in next to her, his finger pointing at a craft zooming off below them.

Buffy eyes could just make out the figure of Sheev Palpatine in the passenger seat and Jar Jar Binks driving before the speeder sped off into the lines of traffic and was lost from sight. It seemed that they hadn't been the only ones making contingency plans. The old schemer had escaped to fight another day.

..............


	186. Need

Inside a chamber within the Halls of Healing, Obi-Wan floated inside a bacta-tank. Buffy stood beside it, the palms of her hands pressed onto the plexiglass as she stared up into Obi-Wan's face. The Jedi floated serenely in the liquid, his red-blonde hair floating about his head like a Saint's halo.

“Obi-Wan,” Buffy whispered, at the same time calling out to him through their mind-link.

She waited. This time would he realize that she was calling him and awaken? It was well over a week since the attack on the Senate and Obi-Wan after his operation he hadn't regained consciousness. The Healers told her that he'd need to be in the tank for a few days. They'd said it was a miracle that he'd lived long enough for them to operate and, considering the extent of his injuries, he was healing well.

But when he didn't waken they'd become tight-lipped and silent. Unable to get the truth from them, Buffy had snooped. She'd finally overheard a conversation that made her stomach drop... there were doubts that he'd ever wake...

Buffy swallowed the lump in her throat and hoping that Obi-Wan might hear her, began to talk.  
“Dooku has been discharged after his hip replacement. The healers are relieved as he kept shouting abuse and throwing his stick at them again. They told him he needed to take it easy at his age and he told them they were all a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears imbeciles.”

Buffy went quiet, thinking of the big argument Dooku had with Qui-Gon over her. Neither had admitted they'd quarreled about her (Qui-Gon refused to look at her, let alone talk to her), but Quin had been in the infirmary visiting Obi-Wan at the time and he'd overheard every word. He'd even heard Dooku threaten to wring Qui-Gon's 'scrawny neck' if he said a word against Buffy.

Buffy went on, “There's still no sign of Sid or the rest of the vampires. Jay thinks they must have hidden the space yacht at a private thingy because all the main ones claim that he's never been there. Jay has a lot of contacts and he's taken me with him, asking around...” her words died away as she remembered that Jay wasn't Obi-Wan's favourite person. He thought the bounty hunter had an unhealthy taste for danger and would lead Buffy into bad ways.  
“Anyway,” she continued, “Kardash and his brother have left for some planet on the far side of the galaxy with a promise they won't eat anyone. I think they have the demon thing under control and will keep their word.” She went quiet again, running out of things to tell him. There was so much she wanted to say and couldn't.

~Obi-Wan, I need you here with me. Please come back~

“Here often, you are,” Yoda's voice said from behind her.

Buffy looked in the plexiglass at Yoda's reflection. The tiny master leant on his gimmer stick, watching her from the doorway. How long had he been there? He could have been watching her since she'd come in for all she knew. Suddenly aware of the way her hands were pressed up against Obi-Wan's tank, Buffy stepped away.

Yoda hobbled slowly into the room, leaning on his stick as if he could barely walk. Buffy thought that he was over-acting. Everyone knew that the mutant chihuahua-frog could hold his own in a lightsaber duel, despite his great age.

Yoda came to stand not far from her, his eyes on Obi-Wan. “Young he is, strong too,” he croaked. “Much to live for. A great future in the Jedi Order, he has.”

“Hmm,” agreed Buffy, absent-mindedly. Her mind once more was focusing on Obi-Wan. The bacta-fluid made his hair appear darker and the beard that he'd been threatening to grow since first meeting her now covered the lower part of his face. It made him look less like the Obi-Wan she knew and more like the one from the movies. Not that she cared about him looking like Ewan McGregor. She just wanted him awake and well again.

She needed him so much. She missed him teasing her, calling her his Chosen One, and trying to order her about as if she was his wayward padawan. Tears that were always ready to surface these past days welled up in her eyes. How could she do this on her own? The future was bleak without the man she loved.

~Wake up, Obi-Wan. I need you.~

Yoda let out a long sigh, and Buffy's eyes slid into his direction. He was always watching her. Sometimes she thought she saw sympathy in his eyes, on others suspicion. Had Qui-Gon Jinn defied Dooku and told Yoda how she'd tried healing Obi-Wan?

“Care for him, you do, hmm?”

“How could I not?” She was automatically on the defensive. “Obi-Wan has always been there to help me. He is a very kind man.” She had to be careful. If Yoda realized that she'd seduced Obi-Wan Kenobi, he would throw her out of the Temple and who knew how they'd punish Obi-Wan. Andrew said that the Jedi Order might be a bunch of peace-loving, warrior monks, but they could be ruthless with any member who broke their rules.

“Forbidden to the Jedi, attachments are,” said Yoda, sagely.

“Obi-Wan is attached to the Jedi Order,” Buffy replied dully. Obi-Wan loved the Temple and his life within the Jedi Order.

Yoda banged his gimmer stick on the floor, her words irking him. “Meant personal attachments, I did. Twist my meaning, you shall not!”

A ghost of a smile came to Buffy's lips at his cross retort and Yoda fought to control himself. After a moment, he went on, in a voice more befitting a serene Jedi Master, “Between life and the Force, he hovers.”

“Optimist you are, not,” muttered Buffy softly.

Despite his advanced years, Yoda wasn't deaf. He shot her a stern look of rebuke but found the effort was wasted as she was no longer looking in his direction. Yoda took in her sadness and the way her shadowed core had grown darker since the Senate attack. She didn't look well. Yoda thought she spent an unhealthy amount of time in this room, staring at Kenobi.

The small master sighed inwardly. He'd seen many deaths over the years and seen how it affected others who'd allowed themselves to develop strong attachments. The Slayer lacked discipline and had grown overly-attached to the Jedi tasked with guarding her. He felt that, should Obi-Wan cross into the Force there'd be a strong chance Buffy would go dark.

His face stern, Yoda warned, “You fear loss too much, young one. The fear of loss is a path to the Dark Side. And with the Dark Side so strong in you, an easy path it is to take.”

Buffy bowed her head, with almost Jedi-like abeyance.

Yoda waited for her reply and seconds ticked by. To his dismay, Yoda realized that far from being cowed and accepting his advice, Buffy was so angry she was beyond speech. Danger crackled in the air, but Yoda ignored it, knowing he must continue with the warning.

“Young he is. Sorrow to lose him it would be. Unfortunate truth that many Jedi die in service, it is.”  
He leaned on his stick, looking up at Obi-Wan. “Rejoice if he transforms into the Force, mourn him, do not. Miss him, do not.”

Buffy kept her head down, looking at Yoda sideways from under her lashes, rage roaring in her ears.

Yoda continued, “Attachment leads to jealousy, the shadow of greed, that is. You must train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”

A chill descended over Yoda and, through the Force, a face came towards him. A dark-skinned, human face whitened with chalk, her eyes shadowed and predatory. Its mouth opened wide and the word 'MINE!' shook the Force.

Yoda jerked back, and the horrific vision was gone. The Force hummed around him as it had always done and there was only Buffy was in the room, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

“No sign of him waking yet?” Master Mace Windu called as he entered the room.

Not trusting herself to speak, Buffy shook her head.

Mace looked from the Slayer to the Grand Master. Buffy held herself stiffly, white-lipped and close to tears. Next to her, Master Yoda was draped over his stick, his ears hanging limply on either side of his head. Mace suppressed a sigh of frustration – they'd been arguing again.

It was Buffy Mace chose to stand next to and it was on Buffy's shoulder that he placed a hand. “Try not to worry. You'll soon be back to teasing him again.”

“Maybe,” Buffy said, her voice thick with emotion.

Mace scanned her face. There were dark circles beneath her eyes and hollows under her cheekbones. “Have you eaten anything today?” he asked.

“Huh?” Buffy shrugged. “Oh, no. I'm not hungry.”

Mace persisted, “How long is it since you ate a proper meal? Andrew told me that you are refusing to eat and spend most of the night prowling around the apartment.”

“I do eat,” Buffy argued, “and I don't prowl. As for Andrew...” Her mouth turned downwards. “He needs to keep his mouth shut.”

But it wasn't Andrew she was mad at. It was Yoda and his insensitive comments. Rejoice if Obi-Wan dies? Mourn him not? Was this the same 'friendly' advice he'd given Anakin when he'd gone to him concerned Padmé was going to die? If it was, no wonder he'd freaked out and gone over to the Dark Side.

She continued to gaze at Obi-Wan, floating around in the stupid, baggy underwear they'd dressed him in. How could she eat when she was sick with worry? How could she sleep knowing that Obi-Wan might not live to see another day? When she did sleep, her dreams were always nightmares. She dreamed of Obi-Wan being stabbed, of him screaming and begging her to stop trying to heal him, and worse, she dreamed that he was already dead. She'd wake up, her stomach cramping with fear as great waves of panic tore through her. Some days she hardly made the bathroom in time before throwing up.

~I need you, Obi-Wan. Come back to me. ~

There was too much pain to continue carrying on. She couldn't face it without Obi-Wan.

“You need to eat, whether you feel hungry or not,” Mace was saying. He gave her a gentle smile. “Let's go to the cafeteria and we'll eat together.”

Buffy panicked, visualizing herself with a huge plate of food and Mace watching her chew every mouthful. “Thanks, but I don't feel like company. I'll grab a sandwich and head back to my apartment.” She turned for the door, knowing she'd need to collect a sandwich as Mace would check-up on her.

The two Council Masters watched her leave and were silent for a long moment. When Yoda was certain that she'd left the infirmary, he said, “Awake, he does not.”

“And the longer he remains like this, the less likely he will,” replied Mace, shuffling uncomfortably.

Yoda nodded. “Try to break it gently to her, I did. Darkness beckoned when I tried.” The memory of the predator's face inside the Force hovered in his mind.

“It is only natural,” Mace Windu went on, defending Buffy. “Buffy is very kind-hearted. She blames herself for his injury and would take the loss of Obi-Wan hard.”

“Sickness and darkness all around her, there is.” Yoda watched Kenobi bob up and down inside the tank. His young body healing fast, his mind a blank.

They both continued watching the red-haired knight sleeping peacefully in the bacta-tank for several minutes. Yoda realized that even if Kenobi lived, it wouldn't be the end of the problem. Buffy had grown too attached to him and as for Kenobi... he was a young knight, keen to uphold his vows, but weak.

It would be too dangerous to let their partnership continue.

When they explained it to him Kenobi would see reason. It was the Slayer he didn't trust. They couldn't send her away from the Temple, with her dark core it wouldn't be long before another Sith Lord popped up out of nowhere, trying to stake a claim. They must keep her close and it was Obi-Wan who must leave. A mission they could send him on, one where he'd be away from the Temple for a very long time.

...............


	187. Confusion

Quinlan Vos strode down the corridors of the Jedi Temple. Occasionally, he'd pause to ask one of the knights or padawans he knew if they'd seen Buffy. Finally, someone told him that Andrew was in the cafeteria and Quin eagerly made his way to the next level where the dining hall was located.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered he spotted the blonde Watcher sat in the midst of fellow diners, a plate of food in front of him.

“Andrew!” Quinlan Vos called to get his attention.

With a bright beam of happiness on his face, Quin pushed past a group of loitering padawans to Andrew's table. It was there that he spotted something that made his good mood evaporate and his expression turn stern. Jango Fett sat at Andrew's table casually cleaning his blaster pistols with a young Jedi boy on either side of him.

Quin recognised the boys from the group that had rescued from the vampire's mountain lair on Naboo. They were Bruck and Borondi, the younger of the two tagged along behind the bounty hunter wherever he went as if Jango was the master and he, his padawan. Quin scowled. Jango was neither a Jedi nor a good example to follow.

“Hello, Jango,” said Quin, striving hard to sound friendly and failing.

Jango continued polishing the handle of a blaster, not bothering to look up. “Quinlan Vos.” There was a mocking note in his voice. “Kiffar and Jedi knight. What can I do for you today?”

For a while now, Quinlan had believed Jango was creating a dossier on him. It no doubt listed all his likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, ready for the day when someone wanted him dead and Jango took the contract. The Kiffar scowled some more. The bounty hunter took no notice of anyone except Buffy and Count Dooku and neither of them was around to keep him in check.

Across from the bounty hunter, Andrew scraped a spoonful of creamed ice up from the side of his dish, his eyes darting from Quin and Jango as he ate.

Quin nodded to the blaster in Jango's hand. “You know this isn't the place to clean weapons, Jango.”

Jango raised the blaster, pointed it at Quin's face, and pretending to check the sights. Next to him, the two youngsters exchanged nervous looks whilst Andrew continued eating and watching them as if it was a scene from a holo-movie.

“If you don't want me here, you only have to say,” drawled Jango. He put the blaster away and rose from the table. “Follow me, kids. I'll show you a trick or two the Jedi Order will never teach you.” He strode off, with Borondi and Bruck following in his wake.

“The Jedi Council will throw him out,” said Quin. There was more than one master in the vicinity and they'd been watching Jango covertly.

“I think he's getting ready to leave.” Andrew spooned more creamed ice into his mouth as Quin slid into Jango's empty seat. “He says he can't cope with all the Temple rules, Buffy is no fun any more, and says Dooku is cramping his style.”

“Does Buffy know this?” Quin asked. Despite Jango's previous attempts at kidnapping and killing her Buffy was keen to keep him around. She said that if he wandered off he might succumb to temptation and sell his body to science.

Andrew shrugged.

“Where is she?” Quin hadn't come here to discuss the bounty hunter. He'd a far more important piece of good news to relay. “I have news for her that I know she'll want to hear and thought she'd be eating lunch with you.”

Andrew shook his head, a pout on his lips. “Buffy doesn't eat lunch any more.” He pushed the remains of his dessert into the center of the dish so that it formed a mound. “She doesn't leave the apartment much either. When she does she's either making enquiries with Jango, visiting Obi-Wan's bacta-tank, or with Dooku.”

“Is she with Dooku now?” Quin asked, “I really need to speak to her.”

“Yeah, she must be. Dooku turned up early this morning and they went off in her speeder together. They came back to the apartment and sat whispering together. They shut up as soon as they saw me and left.” Andrew's mouth turned downwards. “I think she prefers him than me,” he said, stabbing the mound in the bowl with his spoon. “It's as if she's avoiding me. I don't think she wants me as a friend any more?”

After spending several minutes soothing Andrew's ego, Quin left him alone with a second helping of dessert and headed for the training rooms. Since Dooku was unable to spar due to his hip operation, Buffy was no doubt destroying droids whilst Dooku manned the controls.

His guess proved correct when he found a training room with Buffy and Dooku's initials displayed outside the door to indicate that the room was in use. Yet instead of entering and delivering the message, Quin found himself walking to the next doorway. The door was locked, but a lock was no impediment to a Jedi knight. With a flick of his wrist, the door lock sprang open, and he sprinted up the stairway that lay behind the door.

At the top of the stairs ran a narrow, enclosed walkway with a long window overlooking the training room. Quin cautiously approached it, not wanting to be seen by those in the room below. He'd done well to be cautious, Buffy and the Count were stood almost directly below him. The Count had discarded his cloak and leaned against one of the pillars. In front of him, Buffy stood dressed in a light-coloured Jedi training outfit. Quin was shocked at how frail she looked. The bones in her shoulders stood out, her hips looked more angular, and her face appeared gaunt in the harsh overhead lighting.

No broken target droids littered the area, so they'd either not started the session or they'd given up on the idea. Buffy looked dazed and the Count seemed angry and exasperated. Buffy swayed and Quin leaned closer to the window, peering down at her. Was she about to faint?

It seemed the same thought had occurred to the Count as he took her by the arms and pulled her against his chest. A shocked Quin watched as the Count stroked Buffy's back as she leaned on him.

What was going on down there? On one side of the window lay a series of audio controls to enable masters to communicate with padawans in the training room. Quin pressed a button to mute all sound from the gallery and opened another to allow him to hear what was being said in the room below.

After a while, Buffy spoke. “If he wakes, how am I going to tell him, Yan?”

Yan? Dooku's first name is Yan? What was going on? Were they discussing Obi-Wan? Quin felt torn, embarrassed to be eavesdropping on his friends' private conversation and also too curious to leave.

“...as soon as he wakes...” he heard the Count reply. Dooku looked annoyed, whether at Buffy or whatever it was they were discussing.

Buffy shook her head and mumbled something too low to hear. The Count gave her another pat on the back.

“After what I did to him...” Buffy sniffed, her voice thick with emotion she added, “Now this.”

The Count snorted. “He's only alive now because of you intervened. Qui-Gon was too quick to condemn, just because you used energy that wasn't from the Light Side of the Force.”

He raised a hand, pushing away a lock of Buffy's hair that had dropped into her eyes. As if ashamed, Buffy ducked her head self-consciously.

“You must take my advice,” continued Dooku. “If I was in his position I'd rather know sooner than later. The longer you leave it the worse it will get.”

“I can't,” Buffy mumbled.

“Imagine if he discovers this on his own. Remember his reaction when you told us that Palpatine was a Sith Lord? Obi-Wan doesn't like it when you keep secrets from him.”

Buffy mumbled again, her words too low for the audio to catch.

“That die was cast long ago, m'dear,” Dooku said. “Most likely if he lives he will regard it as the will of the Force and carry on as he always has.”

Buffy snorted as if she doubted it.

Dooku took a step back, although Quin noticed that he kept hold of her hands. “Buffy, I've told you how I feel. As the Count of Serenno you'll always have my help and protection. And if you become my Countess...”

Quin almost choked.

“... you'll have money, wealth, and power at your disposal. There will be no need to live in fear of poverty or...”

Quin turned away, having heard enough. He descended the steps feeling sickened at what he'd heard. How could Buffy think Dooku was a better man than Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan might not be rich, but he was kind, genuine, and deeply in love with her. As for Count Dooku... He should know better! He was as bad as Palpatine... no worse! Palpatine hadn't known Buffy and Obi-Wan were a couple when he'd made a move on her, Dooku did. It was no wonder that Obi-Wan had never trusted him.

His face sour, Quin entered the training room and watched the pair jump, guiltily, away from each other. Dooku eyed him warily. No doubt the old Jedi master sensed Quin's emotional turmoil if not the reason for it. Buffy kept her back to him, brushing away tears before turning to face him.

“I've brought you a message, Buffy,” said Quin, his voice harsh and joyless, “Obi-Wan has regained consciousness. I was there when the Healers helped him from the tank.”

The huge smile that broke on Buffy's face faltered when she misread Quin's grim expression. “Is he... alright?”

Quin shrugged, non-committally. “He seemed it.” Then added bitterly, “Obi-Wan was more concerned for your health than his own. He wants to see you.”

“He doesn't hate me!” Buffy smile lit up the room, relief evident in her voice.

“No, he doesn't.” Quin folded his arms across his chest and glowered at her. “Don't give him anything to hate you for.”

She shot him a confused look and darted past him for the door.

Dooku's commanding voice brought her to a halt as she hit the door control. “Buffy! Where are you going?”

“To see Obi-Wan, of course.”

Dooku shook his head. “They won't let you in yet. There'll be several hours worth of tests to perform and-.”

“I don't care!” Buffy retorted.

“Then let me come with you,” Dooku said, picking up his stick and cape. “Just don't rush, my poor hip can't take the stress....”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

In the Halls of Healing, they were intercepted by medical droids who told them Obi-Wan was in the middle of tests and unable to see visitors. When Buffy refused to leave, they showed them to a waiting room with a hard bench running along one wall and left them alone. Time passed. Buffy paced up and down whilst Dooku took out his datapad and resignedly browsed the CNN channel.

Buffy glanced over at him several times but didn't speak. Her thoughts on Obi-Wan and wishing she'd been there instead of Quin when he'd woken. Their mind-bond was quiet and the silence worried her. It either meant Obi-Wan was asleep, ill, had a headache, or he didn't want to speak to her. What if it was silent because he hated her? It was all very well him asking Quin if she'd survived. It didn't mean that he'd forgiven her for trying to ram the Slayer energy into him and torturing him. What if he'd asked to see her so that he could break up with her?

“Will you accept my proposal?” Dooku asked out the blue.

“What? Oh, I...” Buffy faltered. She knew it wasn't fair to keep him waiting for an answer. It was an honour to be asked and she should jump at the chance to become the Countess of Serenno, but... right now, it felt like just another problem she needed to deal with. What did he expect from her? Did he expect her to study politics, learn Serenno etiquette, stop slaying, and behave decorously? She knew that being a Count on Serenno was almost like being royalty and, apart from on Naboo, she'd had no close contact with royals. He might want her to start wearing odd make-up and weird headgear.

Seeing hurt and disappointment on Dooku's face, Buffy crossed the room and took a seat next to him. She reached over and took his hand in hers.

“You really want to adopt me? Do you think I'd be a good daughter and make a decent Countess?”

Dooku gave a little embarrassed cough and squeezed her hand. “I couldn't think of a better one,” he answered, his voice gruff with emotion. “I've no intention of marrying and producing children at my age so you'll be doing me a great favour. It will also be mutually beneficial as it will provide you with many powerful allies and a great deal of protection from the other ruling families. Palpatine or even the Jedi Order are less able to intervene in your life. Why you can even have your own army, quite separate from anyone else's, to command the way you wish.”

“What about politics?” Just the thought of giving a speech to the Senate made her shudder. She'd always been more about action than speech giving.

“I shall deal with all that,” Dooku reassured her. “You will simply be my daughter and as so, have my protection.”

Buffy nodded. “Can we keep this between ourselves for now? I need to think and discuss it more with you. Today... there's been a lot to take in.” She let go of his hand and waved it in the direction she thought Obi-Wan might be in. “My Buffy-brain can only deal with one thing at a time and Obi-Wan is taking up a lot of room in there.”

“Very well, we can-.”

“You wish to see Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Dooku?” asked a very tall, female Togruta wearing the robes of a healer. She stood in the doorway, her eyes on the ex-Jedi Master rather than Buffy, who being a non-Jedi didn't rank above a service droid in her eyes.

“I do,” the Count replied, “Is he well?”

“Satisfactory,” she answered, with the evasiveness of doctors everywhere when asked how patients were doing. “We're still doing tests and awaiting results. However, Obi-Wan asked me to allow a short visit between tests.” She glared at them as if all visitors were a nuisance and she had far more important things to see to. “Please, come with me.”

They followed her down the maze of corridors. Passing rooms containing bacta-tanks, past operating theatres, and more rooms containing injured or sick Jedi until she stopped outside a screened cubicle.

“Please keep the visit brief and say nothing to agitate him,” she said, before striding off to her next patient.

When Dooku went to open the sliding screen, Buffy hung back.

“What's wrong?” After all that pacing in the waiting room, he thought she'd have been desperate to see Obi-Wan. “I'll stay outside so that you two have your privacy.”

“I'm not telling him now,” Buffy whispered.

“Oh, I agree. This is definitely not the right time,” he soothed.

Buffy gave him a little nod, took a deep breath, and walked into the cubicle.

Obi-Wan lay on a narrow medical examination trolley in the center of the small space. He looked pale and drawn and his eyes were closed. Buffy froze, watching his chest rise and fall under the thin heated-blanket they'd wrapped him in. Had he fallen asleep? Should she wake him? Was he going to be angry with her?

And then Obi-Wan's eyes opened and seeing Buffy standing by his bed he smiled. It wasn't the usual cool, polite smile of a Jedi Knight. It was the special smile that he used only with her when they were alone. A soft, warm smile, full of love, and, more importantly, it lacked any sign of accusation. A moment later, she was in his arms and she was shedding tears again. This time not from fear or panic, but happiness. Obi-Wan still loved her and all the pain she'd caused him had been forgiven and forgotten.

….............


	188. Discovery

The Coruscant sun shone through the windows into the Jedi Temple. In different areas of the giant structure, bells rang signifying the end of classes for that day whilst in other areas the Masters, Knights and their Padawans went about their daily business

Up in the accommodation wing, Buffy lay on Obi-Wan's couch, her lips moving slowly across the jawline of the Jedi knight as he helped to divest her of her top. Warm hands stroked down her back, fingers slipping under her bra strap to pull at the catch, his mouth dropping down onto her released breasts. Buffy moaned softly as she felt his tongue her skin, the roughness of his beard grazing her nipple. In response, she dug her hands into his hair, her breathing becoming more rapid as his head dipped-.

Obi-Wan sat straight up, looking panicky. “The Force is telling me Master Windu and Master Yoda are coming down the corridor!”

Buffy let out a moan of frustration. “They'll go past, ignore them.”

“The Force is telling me that they're coming here.” Obi-Wan was on his feet, grabbing for his undertunic and dragging it over his head.

She watched him tuck his shirt into his trousers and reach across to the opposite chair for his tabards. It was the first time they'd had a chance to be together since he'd left the hospital and now they'd been interrupted. She let out a long sigh, wishing they could find an excuse to visit Naboo again and rent a private villa where no one could disturb them. “Pretend we're not in,” she suggested.

“They'll sense my Force signature!”

Obi-Wan was searching for his boots now. She'd no idea why he wanted to put his boots on, it wasn't against the Jedi Code to go barefoot in your own apartment. “Can't you do a bit of that Force cloaking and vanish off their radar?”

Obi-Wan threw her top to her, she caught it and scowled. “Guessing that's a no, then?”

“You know it's an incorrect use of the Force. Using it for personal gain only leads to the Dark Side,” he replied primly.

“It's so not for personal gain.” Buffy looked around for her bra, she couldn't see it so pulled her top over her head. “It's the same as telling a white lie to save someone's feelings. You're pretending not to be in so they don't have their feelings hurt by knowing they aren't welcome.”

“That's a wrong way to use the Force, Buffy.” He'd found his utility belt and was fastening it.

Buffy guessed that meant their fun and sexy times had been postponed until later. “The Force tells me that I don't care,” she replied, kneeling on the floor and stretching under the couch trying to find a shoe that had gone astray. His panic was beginning to get to her.

“The Force tells me you don't care too.” Obi-Wan's eyes sparkled with mischief and his smile made her melt all over again. As she hopped towards him on one leg, pulling on her shoe, he dropped a kiss onto her lips. “Hide in my bedroom, they're almost at the door.”

Buffy tutted. “So cloaking yourself is wrong, yet it's fine for me to hide in your bedroom? Where's the logic in that?”

He grinned and placed another kiss on her cheek. “Less logic, more self-preservation. If they find you in here with me they might guess what we've been up to. It's no use being thrown out the Temple until we know more about what Palpatine is up to.”

Buffy rolled her eyes at the mention of Palpatine, then allowed herself to be hustled away into Obi-Wan's bedroom.

…....

“Perhaps he isn't in?” Mace said to Yoda as they waited in the corridor for Obi-Wan to open the door.

“In there is, Kenobi,” replied Yoda, hovering next to him in his hover-chair. “Sense him as well as I, you can.”

“Perhaps he's busy?” continued Mace. “Have you ever noticed that when you're in the middle of taking a shower either the com-link alarm goes off or someone calls to see you? Buffy says it's all down to Murphy.”

“Murphy's fault, it is not!” snapped Yoda, tapping his nails on the side of the chair as they waited. “Fault of the Dark Side, it is. Affects us in many underhand ways, that outsiders do not understand. Wary and prepared, a Jedi should always be.”

Before Mace could form a reply, the door opened to reveal a dressed Obi-Wan. The young knight bowed deeply to his two masters.

“Master Yoda and Master Windu. My apologies for keeping you waiting. I was just about to get in the shower.” He didn't voice an invite, but stepped to one side and gestured for them to enter.

They came to a halt in the center of the living room, Mace's eyes scanning Obi-Wan's neat apartment. As usual, nothing looked out of place, there wasn't even an unwashed mug sitting on the small table in front of the couch. “We've called to see if you've finished writing your report on the Senate attack,” he explained. “I know it hasn't been long since you were discharged from the infirmary, but the Council are very keen to read your version of the events.”

“I finished it while I was still in there,” Obi-Wan replied, as efficient and conscientious about his work as ever. “Please take a seat, Master Windu. I've left my datapad in my bedroom. I was intending to give it a final read-through tonight before sending it over to you.”

He left the room and Mace Windu took a seat on the couch while Yoda floated around the room. Mace wriggled, uncomfortable in his seat.

“Worms, you have?” asked Yoda with a little smirk.

“Something is digging into my robe.” Mace leaned to one side and felt beneath him. Then pulled at a black strap sticking up from beneath the cushions.

Yoda watched, the wrinkles becoming deeper in his forehead.

Mace pulled out the rest of the black fabric and held it up in front of him. It was a black lace bra with red flowers embroidered over the cups. “That's a...” his words died away as he realised that he probably shouldn't be able to identify what it was.

“Hide it!” Yoda squeaked. “Into your pocket, it must go! Quickly, Obi-Wan returns...”

Mace hurriedly shoved the bra into his robe pocket, pushing it into the deepest corner so that it couldn't be seen.

Obi-Wan rounded the corner of the living room, a datapad lying open in his hand. “Yes, it is finished. I'll send you all a copy.” Then he looked up, sensing the atmosphere in the room wasn't the same as when he'd left. “Is everything alright?”

“No, no. Everything is fine. We'll be on our way.” Master Windu rose and went to the door, stopping and letting Master Yoda go past him. He then did something that surprised both Yoda and Obi-Wan. He put out a hand to touch the young knight's arm. “Obi-Wan, you've been through a lot recently. I want you to know that if you ever want to speak to me - about anything at all - I'm here for you.”

Obi-Wan visibly swallowed. His eyes went from Master Windu to Master Yoda, who was waiting in the corridor, his face inscrutable.“Er, thank you, Master Windu. That is very kind of you. I shall remember it if I ever need your counsel.” He gave the two masters another bow as the door closed.

The two masters silently made their way to the turbo-lift at the end of the corridor. Neither said anything for a long moment.

Master Windu was the first to break the silence. “I'm worried about Kenobi.”

“Much to be worried about, there is,” Yoda replied, his dark eyes on the flashing panel in front of them.

Mace folded his arms, his eyes were also on the flashing numbers on the panel. “Obi-Wan has been under a lot of pressure since he became a knight. The kind of pressure that changes people. Makes them take up...new hobbies.”

There was silence while Yoda tried working out Mace's line of thought. “Think the bra belongs to him, hmm?”

“Possibly,” replied Windu, refusing to look Yoda in the eye.

“Believe Obi-Wan Kenobi has started to wear women's underwear, you do?

Mace turned to the ancient Master and nodded slowly. “It is nothing to do with the Jedi Council if he simply enjoys wearing it beneath his robes, However, if recent pressures are driving him over the edge, we need to be aware.”

“And if the underwear is Buffy's, hmm?

Mace Windu's jaw dropped. “You think Obi-Wan is stealing women's underwear?” He was almost vibrating with tension now. “I shall start making discreet enquiries. We need to find out if any of our female Jedi have noticed missing underwear. Do you think he is sneaking into apartments or taking them from lockers?”

Yoda gave Windu a dark look. “A more reasonable explanation, there is.” The elevator stopped at a busy section of the Temple and neither master spoke until they reached another wide and empty hallway.

Mace Windu had been chewing over Yoda's words. “Do you think Buffy had a wardrobe malfunction and it fell off?”

Yoda let out a soft groan of frustration and rubbed at his temples. “Kenobi took it off Buffy!”

“I doubt that he did that,” Mace argued. “It isn't something you can pull off without them realising. Unless... Do you think he used the Force inappropriately? Do you think he sent her to sleep in order to remove it?”

“Encourage him, she has!” Yoda found himself struggling to maintain his Jedi serenity. “Multiple disturbances in the Force, I've sensed. Inside the Temple, the sexy times have occurred!”

Windu's jaw dropped, and he came to a sudden halt. Yoda had to stop his hover-chair and fly back over to him.

“No,” said Mace, unwilling to believe it. “I can't see Buffy being so desperate that she'd seduce Kenobi. He might be a Knight but he's the Temple's biggest idiot when it comes to women.” He gathered his robe around him, smoothing out the creases and then rubbed the skin back on his bald head. “A sensual woman like Buffy would choose an older man. Someone with more experience of... the galaxy. Someone brave and strong, with a mysterious darkness about them.”

Yoda frowned. “Count Dooku?”

“No. I was thinking of someone younger and better looking. Someone known to have a good sense of humour and up for a little fun.” Mace smiled and preened some more until he caught Yoda's withering look.

“Find out the truth, we will.” Yoda's mouth a straight line in his face. “The bra must be shown to a Jedi with the gift of retrocognition. Examine it closely they must, find the culprit and then the matter taken to the Council.”

“As long as we don't ask Quinlan Vos what he thinks,” said Mace thoughtfully. “He's too close to Buffy and Obi-Wan and might not provide us with a truthful answer.”

The two masters walked off, discussing the best person to show the bra to and how best to deal with Kenobi if it turned out that he was the one breaking the Jedi Code.

…..................


	189. The End Part 1

The End  
PART ONE …. The Summoning

“The cookies from the Dark Side have landed!” Andrew announced, walking into the room, a plate of steaming cookies in each hand. He wafted the plates around, letting the cookies' aroma fill the air. It had the reaction that he was hoping for. The Jedi-Scoobies all leaned forward, breathing in the heady scent of freshly baked chocolate chip and peanut cookies.

Placing the two laden plates onto the caff table, he said, “Dig in everyone.” Then as hands began to grab, he warned, “Careful, they're still hot.”

“I have no idea why you call these Dark Side cookies,” Quin said, dropping the two he'd snatched onto his plate and blowing on his burnt fingers. “There's nothing dark about them. As far as food goes, they're really quite innocent.”

“It's an 'in' joke,” mumbled Obi-Wan, who had the sweetest tooth of all of them and despite how hot they were had already taken a bite. Aware that everyone was looking at him and his mouth was full, he swallowed, before going on. “Buffy says that 'welcome to the dark side, we have cookies,' is a bumper sticker in her dimension.”

“And what's a bumper?” asked Jango. He hadn't said much so far, as this was his first Scooby meeting and he'd been watching and listening to the others. He broke off a small piece of baked cookie, held it to his nose, and took a long, suspicious sniff before nibbling at the edge.

Drawn by the smell of baking, Buffy entered the living room. “A bumper is part of a car. It's our dimension's version of a speeder,” she explained, pulling on the front of the loose black top she wore. “Sorry for being late. I'm having a... bad hair day.”

Everyone looked up at Buffy's hair which she'd tied into a topknot.

“It looks very nice like that,” said the Count with a wave of his Darth Dracula mug. “It shows off your aristocratic facial features.”

Buffy beamed at him while Quin scowled, and shot them both a dirty look.

“I've saved you a seat next to me.”Obi-Wan smiled warmly as he patted the cushion beside him on the couch. Buffy immediately went over to settle in between him and Quin. As she did Obi-Wan bent his head to whisper into her ear, something that made her eyes sparkle.

Quin shot a look at Dooku, to see what his reaction would be to Buffy and Obi-Wan's canoodling. From the way he was sipping his caff, Dooku didn't seem overly concerned, but Quin knew that the wily Count wasn't one to give up easily when he'd set his sights on a target.

“So...” Buffy began, she took a sip of caff from the 'Sith Queen' mug, swallowed and then placed it put it down on the table. “What's the sitch? Any new sightings of the Darth Sid and the Fang Gang?”

There was a thick silence and everyone shook their heads. Finally, the Count spoke, “Not as yet. However, my contacts have all been alerted and as soon as they hear anything will contact me. I doubt a group of megalomanic vampires will hide for very long.”

“Palpatine definitely isn't the hidin' type,” Jango said. He'd finished eating his cookie and was beginning to realise why Buffy put up with Andrew's antics. It was solely for his culinary skills. Jango went on, “He's also the sort who'll spring out from under your nose when he's good an' ready.”

Buffy turned to Andrew who was staring out of the window, watching passing speeders. “I've been thinking... can you remember any of Darth Sidious's hideouts?”

The Watcher gave no sign of hearing her.

“Yoo-hoo, Earth to Planet-Andrew! Come in Andrew!”

He jumped, glowered, and when he'd registered what she'd said, replied, “You're on Coruscant not Earth. You should say Coruscant to Planet-Andrew.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Buffy went on, “Name some places that Sid and his side-kick, Vader, liked hanging out in.”

That comment confused Jango. “Aren't you supposed to be Vader?”

There was an awkward silence during which the Scoobies either exchanged uncomfortable glances or stared at the floor.

Jango snorted. “Guessin' I've hit a don't-tell-Jango secret.”

“I wasn't meant to become Vader, someone else was,” Buffy mumbled, she pulled at the hemline of her top again, avoiding Jango's eye as she decided how much to tell him.

When he opened his mouth, asking the inevitable question, she forestalled him by saying, “You swore to aid us in the fight against the vampires and that means you'll need to keep this secret as well.”

Jango's lips turned up into a sneer as he looked at the Jedi sat next to her. “I swore to aid you, Buffy. I'm not a big fan of the Jedi.”

Both Obi-Wan and Buffy glared at him. “We're all on the same side, Jay,” she pointed out.

Jango compromised. “Okay! I'm on the side of the Scoobies. Tell me your big secret and I swear to keep it.”

“You'd better,” Buffy warned. “If word of this gets out, and I'll know it's you, I'll chase you all over the galaxy and make you pay.”

Jango gave her a lewd wink, mainly to annoy the Jedi next to her. “That sounds promisin'”

“Back in our dimension,” explained Buffy, “there's a seer called George Lucas. Andrew knows things that Lucas saw as he's his number one acolyte.”

Andrew beamed at the compliment. “By the Force of George Lucas and Youtube, I've seen the futures of many in this galaxy. You should see my limited edition poster of the Millennium Fal-”

“Shh,” hissed Buffy. “Remember to be the Man-Of-Mystery and save the poster discussion for another day. Ideas on Darth Vader and Darth Sidious hideouts, please?”

“He may be in the Unknown Regions,” Andrew replied. “There's an uncharted planet there called Exegol that-.”

“Exegol? Never heard of it!” Jango said. He'd managed to snatch the last cookie off the plate just as Quin reached for it. Now he settled back in his seat triumphantly and made a big show of taking a bite from it as the Kiffar glowered at him.

Andrew stuck up his nose, condescension in his voice as he replied, “That's because it's an unknown planet in the Unknown Region. It's a totally unknown planet, 'cept to me and the Sith worshippers who live there.”

The Jedi eyed him suspiciously.

Jango, however, wasn't happy about the planet that no one had ever heard of. “What are the co-ordinates to this mystery planet?”

“I don't know! It's in the Unknown Regions and it wouldn't be an unknown planet if everyone knew where it was!” Andrew felt cornered and when cornered he began to sulk. “Sid might not even know where it is.”

Jango began laughing. “It's so unknown that even the guy hiding there doesn't know where it is!”

“It's because Buffy changed Lucas's visions and disrupted the timeline!” Andrew took a deep breath to steady himself and continued. “You see, after the Fall of The Jedi -”.

“That I agree with you on. They fell long ago,” snarked Jango, ignoring the Jedi glares thrown his way.

Andrew continued, “After the fall of the Temple, the Emperor Palpatine-.”

“Oh, he's an Emperor now?” smirked Jango, thinking how easy to wind Andrew up. “When did that happen?”

“It hasn't! Neither has Order 66 or the Clone-”

“ANDREW!” shrieked Buffy, shaking her head hard at him. “Never mention the clones!”

“Just to let everyone know,” said Dooku in a calm voice. “There is someone lurking outside in the corridor.” He'd tilted his chin, his eyes closed as he sensed the currents within the Force.

The room became quiet. Andrew feeling flustered sent a mutinous glare at Jango while everyone else strained their senses looking over at the door and wondering if they were being spied on.

“I believe it's a young padawan with a message for one of us,” continued Dooku, who prided himself on being much more Force-sensitive than either Obi-Wan or Quin.

“We're always getting interrupted.” Buffy shot a sly look at Obi-Wan, who's cheeks flooded with colour. Obi-Wan muttered that he'd better check who they were and went out into the corridor to intercept them.

No one spoke and after a few minutes of conversation with whoever it was, Obi-Wan came back and announced, “The Council wish me to attend a meeting. I'm needed straight away.”

“Do you want me to come as well?” Buffy called over. Obi-Wan was taking his robe from where it hung on the peg next to the door and began to pull it on.

“They've only asked for me. I suspect it's about the Senate attack report that Master Yoda and Master Windu called for the other day. They said they were going to discuss it at the next meeting. I'll be back as soon as I can.”

….........

When Obi-Wan reached the top of the tower, he was surprised to find that the doors leading to the Council chamber had been left open. He paused, peering into the chamber beyond. Were they open to admit him? If so, that was unusual. It was far more usual to be kept in the waiting area until the Masters were ready to see him.

After everything he'd gone through recently, it made him wary and he reached out into the Force, to search for anything untoward or any sign of Dark disturbances. There was nothing. In fact, since Palpatine had left Coruscant the Force had already started to feel clearer and less polluted.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi!” Master Ki-Adi Mundi called and beckoned to him from inside the chamber.

Still feeling a little thrown by the unusual reception, Obi-Wan walked into the sunlit room and took his position inside the circle of masters. He bowed low, noting as he did so that they still hadn't found a replacement for the Council masters who'd lost their lives during the Senate attack.  
He wondered if Qui-Gon would be offered and accept a position? To his mind, there was no better candidate in the Temple to serve on the Council than his old master.

“Obi-Wan,” Master Windu began, “do you know why you've been sent for?”

That was an odd question to ask. Obi-Wan warily shot a look at Master Yoda, who sat in his chair next to Windu. The small green master's face only appeared to show mild polite interest.

“I presumed it was something to do with my report, Master Windu,” Obi-Wan replied evenly. He was careful to maintain the Jedi poker face and fixed his eyes on a point just over the top of Master Windu's shoulder.

Mace leaned forward in his chair. “When you became a knight, you took an oath to uphold the Jedi Code, did you not?”

That question didn't sound good. Obi-Wan's heart picked up speed, his palms began to sweat and he fought the impulse to gulp. Had they found out how he'd broken the Code? It was still better not to assume they knew. He remembered that he'd assumed wrongly in the past and nearly given the game away. He answered, “I did, Masters, and I don't regret it. I have always tried my best to behave-.”

Something black and lacy flew through the air and landed in a heap at his feet. Obi-Wan stared at it in bewilderment whilst all around him the circle of masters scrutinised his reaction.

“Explain this, you must,” Yoda's eyes seemed to bore into Obi-Wan's. Searching for something and not finding it.

Obi-Wan scooped up the scrap of lace and silk, running the straps and cups through his hands, before blushing, and dropping it back onto the floor when he recognised it. Shame flooded him. He'd known the day would come, but this wasn't happening how he'd planned it. He'd wanted to find out where the vampires were, defeat Palpatine and then, once he'd known Buffy was safe, throw in his resignation. He'd even planned a leaving speech.

It was stupid of him, he knew, but he felt humiliated by the fact they'd brought him in here to throw Buffy's bra at him. Shamefaced, he stared down at the toe of his left boot.

“We know the bra belongs to Buffy,” said Mace his voice cold and sharp. “We've had a master talented in retrocognition to look it over. Not your friend Quinlan Voss. She informed us that it was removed by yourself in the throes of passion and then accidentally sat on by myself when I visited your apartment.”

Obi-Wan's cheeks grew redder and redder as the Master spoke.

Mace, continued, accusation in his voice, “We made you a knight and gave you your first mission. Your first mission! By your actions, you've broken not only the trust of the Council but the Code of a Jedi.”

“Have you nothing to say in defence, young one?” Yoda asked, his tone not unkind. It wasn't as if Kenobi was the first Jedi to stand before them having broken the vows of the Order and he doubted he would be the last. He knew he wasn't the only master here who sensed the great waves of shame rolling off Kenobi. It made Yoda far more confident that the young knight would see reason and accept his split from the Slayer.

Obi-Wan raised his head and cleared his throat before speaking. “Yes, I would like to say something, although I'm not sure if it is in my defence. I'd like to thank you all.” Obi-Wan looked at Yoda, who'd taught him many classes as a youngling, and then on to Master Windu who'd been kind to him during his lightsaber training. “I am not ungrateful for your help over the years and I must apologise for letting you all down. I did not set out to do that and for a long time I struggled against my feelings.”

Yoda nodded, feeling more and more satisfied. “A painful lesson, you have learnt, Obi-Wan.”

Mace glanced at Yoda and then went on, “The Council have decided to give you a new mission. There's a ship waiting below to take you into Hutt territory where we wish you to spy on their activities.”

Obi-Wan gaped at him. “What?”

Mace ignored him and continued. “Before you board that ship you must inform Buffy that your relationship with her is over.”

Master Ki-Adi-Mundi nodded in agreement. “We think it is better coming from you. She might not believe us if we tell her that you don't want to see her any more.”

Through their bond, Obi-Wan sent a quick warning to Buffy. ~The Council knows. They want to split us up. I have a very bad feeling about this.~

“We can understand your reluctance,” went on Mace, misinterpreting Kenobi's lack of response. “You're worried in case she turns aggressive when you explain you're choosing the Jedi over her.”

“Women can be like that,” said Ki-Adi-Mundi with a nod of his long head. “My wives were absolutely livid when I told them I'd had enough of them and was going back to single life in the Jedi Order. One of them smashed a vase over my head.” He rubbed at the back of his head, remembering the pain of the old assault. “She always was a sneaky one. I never even sensed it coming through the Force.”

“And you don't need to worry about her being unprotected,” Mace said, trying not to look smug and failing. “It's been decided that she's moving in with me – into my padawan bedroom- where I can keep a close eye on her.”

“I'm not scared of Buffy hitting me,” replied Obi-Wan firmly. “I love Buffy and have always planned on leaving the Order to be with her. We will pack and be gone within the hour.”

There was a deathly silence in the chamber. The only thing Obi-Wan could hear was Master Plo Koon breathing through his mask and the hum of the speeders in the distance.

Mace glanced over at Yoda, who nodded solemnly at him in return.

“I'm afraid we can't allow you to stay with Buffy. It's far too dangerous.” Mace steepled his fingers together and regarded Obi-Wan over the top of them. “There is a good reason why attachments are forbidden to a Jedi. A Jedi has difficulty dealing with all the strong emotions that it arouses and makes them prone to falling to the Dark Side”

“With respect, masters,” Obi-Wan snapped. “I really don't care what you have to say about the dangers. I'm leaving the Order. I've already asked Buffy to marry me and she's agreed. Don't try to stop us.”

He gave them a small bow, the last he intended to ever make, then turned on his heel and marched over to the door. It was shut and didn't open. A hot spark of anger flared inside and he shot a glare over his shoulder at the watching masters. “Do you think a simple lock will stop me from loving her?”

He tried to open it with the Force and frowned when the lock didn't open. What were they going to do? Call the Temple guards and arrest him?

Yoda's voice, normally always so soft and serene, called out his name harshly, “Kenobi!”

Years of training had him turning, looking down at the small Master who'd followed him to the door.

“I sense much Darkness on the path you intend to take. Stop that, we must. Accept our counsel and our wisdom you did not. Accept our judgement, now you shall.”

A tendril of fear uncoiled inside Obi-Wan's stomach. ~Buffy~

~What's going on? What are they doing?~

Obi-Wan tried moving and found that he couldn't. A memory came to his mind, from when he'd been a padawan. He and Qui-Gon had taken a narrow mountain pathway when a mist fell and their guide lost his way. Obi-Wan had slipped on a wet stone and only just stopped himself from falling to his death. He'd lost his connection to the Force and then hadn't been able to move. Knowing that danger lay all around and if he made another wrong move it would send him plummeting down the mountainside. Qui-Gon, with his usual gentle calm, had talked to him and helped him to battle through his fear of the surrounding danger.

Now, standing alone inside the Jedi High Council Chamber, Obi-Wan had the same feeling of being lost and of danger being all around him. What had the master's done? He'd lost his connection to the Force and his future wasn't clear to him any more. Something rose up inside him, something dark and possessive which snarled 'Mine'.

“What's... go...ing on?” Obi-Wan mumbled. It felt as though a fog had descended over his vision and his vocal cords wouldn't work properly. Were the masters using some form of mind control on him?

“I'm sorry about this,” said Mace from close by. “But the Council decided that if you refused to accept the terms of the separation, we'd have no alternative other than erasing your memory.” He lifted a hand towards him. “We'll try not to make this too painful.”

“Wh...at?” Obi-Wan asked still frozen. “Er..ase my mem...ory? How c...an you do... that?”

But deep in his heart, he knew. Growing up, he'd heard whispers of Jedi having their minds wiped. He'd always assumed it was a tale, made up to keep the padawans in line. Now, as he looked from one master to the other, he saw the harsh truth in their eyes. They'd wipe his memory rather than risk letting him and Buffy stay together.


	190. The end part 2

**“I'm sorry about this,” Mace said from close by him. “But the Council decided that if you refused to accept the terms of the separation, we'd have no alternative other than erasing your memory.” He lifted a hand towards him. “We'll try not to make this too painful.”

“Wh...at?” Obi-Wan asked, still frozen to the spot. “Er..ase my mem...ory? How c...an you do... that?”

But deep in his heart, he knew. Growing up he'd heard whispers of Jedi having their minds wiped. He'd always assumed it was a tale, made up to keep the padawans in line. Now, as he looked from one master to the other, he saw the harsh truth in their eyes. They'd wipe his memory rather than risk letting him and Buffy stay together.

The pressure inside Obi-Wan's head began building as each one of the Jedi Masters drove their mind into his. Ruthlessly delving into his memories. Obi-Wan fought back, desperately trying to reconnect to the Force. To call upon the Force, to wrap it around him like a blanket, was the only chance he had of stopping this... But the pain inside his head was excruciating and he could barely sense the Force never mind call it to him and envelope himself into it.

He lost his balance, toppling to his knees, the palms of his hands pressing against his temples as if they could physically shield his mind from the Masters' influence. They were relentless, tearing into his mind, trying to find the memories of Buffy, intending to peel each and every one of them away from him and erase them from his memory.

“NOOO!!” he screamed. He needed to resist. He had to regain control, If he didn't, and was unable to form some sort of shield, he'd lose Buffy forever.

Then, just as the last vestiges of his Force link snapped, something that had lain dormant since it had been placed there, roared to life. Dark, shadowy, and ancient, it rose up. It clawed at the invading minds, ripping loose their connections, and then, like a huge predator shielding its young, it blocked all further access to his mind. The internal Slayer had awoken.

Confused, Obi-Wan removed his hands from his head and looked around at the surrounding circle of Jedi masters. “You didn't-,” he began.

~Obi-Wan! Take cover!~

Buffy's urgent warning had him springing to his feet. Master Piell and the long-necked Yarael Puff were knocked to one side. Sprinting and dodging past grasping hands Obi-Wan put as much distance between him and the Council Chamber doors as he could.

“He mustn't get away!” yelled Mace, misinterpreting his action. The Jedi master's eyes were blood-shot from the pressure of trying to delve into Obi-Wan's mind. “The mind-rub failed. It must be completed.”

BOOM!

The sound came from behind Mace. The chamber doors shook, and plaster dropped from the Council chamber ceiling. A warning screamed through the Force to all those who could hear it. It sent the masters running, scattering around the chamber as more blasts of Force energy hit the door. The door buckled and a sliver of a gap appeared. Hands appeared in the opening. Human hands, delicate yet amazingly strong for their size, began to tear the doors apart.

Grimly, Obi-Wan rose up from his hiding place to watch the small, formidable figure of Vader, dressed in black and holding her red lightsaber before her, stride into the Jedi Council chamber. She was not alone, for others followed her, but Obi-Wan only had eyes for Buffy. He took in the golden shining eyes, not of a Sith, but a furious Slayer. A Slayer who was seeking revenge on those who'd broken Rule Number Two – never touch a Slayer's boyfriend.

Her eyes met his and the yellow hue vanished, replaced by the warm, loving green that he knew so well and her entire face shone with relief. The corners of Obi-Wan's lips tugged upwards. No one could say Lord Vader didn't know how to make a dramatic entrance.

Someone moved to stand beside her and only then did Obi-Wan take in the other rescuers. Count Dooku was there, his dark eyes shooting daggers at the Council Masters and cutting an intimidating figure despite his walking stick, There was Quinlan Vos, winking at him as if they were padawans again and this was some huge jest. Alongside him was Andrew Wells, the Watcher bounced from one foot to the other with excitement as he grinned and looked about the chamber. That kind of behaviour no longer surprised Obi-Wan, this was Andrew after all.  
Jango Fett moved over to stand to the left and slightly behind Buffy, looking as if he'd like nothing better than to blow holes into everyone. Then, finally, right at the back was someone he hadn't expected to see. It was his old master Qui-Gon Jinn.

The tall, long-haired Jedi stared over at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan felt a tentative nudge through their old master and padawan bond. ~Are you well, my apprentice?~.

His concern gave Obi-Wan a warm glow. Recently the two of them had been at odds, yet his old master had felt his pain and come to his aid. ~I am, Master.~

Qui-Gon gave a small nod, folding his arms across his chest and standing placidly, regarding the Council Masters who were now looking strained and very uncomfortable.

Buffy waved Mr Sparkly at Yoda. “What were you doing to Obi-Wan?”

“Putting right the wrong you have caused,” Yoda replied. He'd drawn his own lightsaber when the Scooby gang had entered and although he hadn't raised his lightsaber against her, his ears were twitching which, Obi-Wan knew, was never a good sign.

Buffy must have thought the same because when she called over, “Obi-Wan, are you okay?” she kept her eyes on the small master.

“I'm fine,” he replied, moving past the other Jedi masters - who didn't attempt to stop him - to stand in the space between Buffy and Dooku.

As he turned back to face the Council members, Qui-Gon stepped behind him and placed a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder as he'd often done when he'd been his padawan. It was a gesture of support and calmed and reassured Obi-Wan. He shot an appreciative look at his old master over his shoulder, seeing the concern in Qui-Gon's blue eyes, and smiled his thanks.

“What happened here?” Qui-Gon asked. The question was addressed to Obi-Wan, but he asked loudly enough for everyone else in the chamber to hear him. “I was in the cafeteria when I felt an intense pain coming from you through our old bond.”

“The Council found out about my relationship with Buffy,” Obi-Wan explained. “When I told them that I was leaving the Jedi, they jammed the door and said they intended to mind-wipe me.”

“Mind wipe?” repeated Dooku. “For having a relationship? Surely not?”

Obi-Wan went on. “They told me that it was too dangerous for us to be together.”

“That's really sick,” Buffy said, the energy blade hummed in her hands as she shot a death glare at the small master in front of her. “I'm surprised at you, Yoda. You're supposed to be the good guys in this dimension. What kind of people would do something like that ?”

“I told you,” Jango shouted over, he'd both blasters drawn, “the Jedi take sides and the side they choose ain't always the right one. It shows how twisted they are to do this to one of their own, just because he's got himself a girl.”

The only rescuer who wasn't shocked was Andrew. The Watcher prodded Buffy in her shoulder excitedly. “This is what I told you about!” He bounced up and down, like a toddler at a zoo. “Back in the days of the Old Republic, there was a guy called Revan. They wiped his mind too. He'd done more than Obi-Wan has done though. He'd gone rogue and the Council-.”

“We really don't want to hurt Obi-Wan,” Mace cut in quickly, annoyed that Andrew knew so much about a dark period of Jedi history. He looked from Buffy and Yoda, the two were still focussed on each other, their lightsabers ignited. “I think it would be wise to put aside our weapons and talk about this without resorting to violence.”

“Fine,” replied Buffy. She looked down at the tiny Yoda. “Shall I be the bigger person,” she smirked, “and turn my weapon off first?” To prove the point, she switched off her lightsaber and Yoda, not wanting to be outdone, quickly followed suit.

Jango muttered to himself and dropped his blasters back into his holsters. All of the masters, except Yoda, returned to their seats. The small green master stayed where he was, only a few steps away from Buffy. His face was twisted in an expression of immense concentration and something that might be curiosity or the beginning of a stroke.

“Mace, maybe you can tell me why you intended lobotomising Obi-Wan? Also,” Buffy pointed at the black bra lying on the floor, “isn't that mine? What's it doing in here?”

Mace Windu not only looked sheepish, but his bald head began to sweat. “First, let me assure you that we weren't going to lobotomise Obi-Wan. We were simply going to use a mind-rub to wipe all knowledge of you from his brain.”

“Gee thanks! Like I wouldn't have noticed anything different about him,” Buffy said and began tapping her lightsaber hilt against her leg. Although her initial panic had subsided once she'd found that Obi-Wan was safe, she still felt tense and angry.

Sensing her discord, Obi-Wan stepped closer, his hand reaching for hers and then taking it in his. It served to ground himself as much as it did her. “I'd never have seen you again. They had a ship waiting to take me away,” he told her.

Jango, who'd moved closer leaned in to stage whisper into Buffy's ear. “I don't trust them. They might try lobotomising the rest of us next.”

His words doing nothing to calm the situation and Qui-Gon Jinn gave Jango a hard stare before addressing the Council. “Masters, you must have had a good reason for such drastic action? I'm looking forward to hearing your explanation.”

Mace looked to Yoda, who's stare remained on Buffy, then back at the rest of the Council. “Young Kenobi broke the Jedi code by developing an attachment and embarking on a relationship.”

“He's hardly the first to do so,” Qui-Gon pointed out. “I've felt the lure myself, as you have too, Mace...” His voice trailed away. It wasn't quite an accusation against the other master, but there was the insinuation there that spoke of him knowing a secret he could let slip if he wished to. “To my knowledge, no one has ever been mind wiped for it.”

“I'm not disputing that most of us are tempted at one time or another. A true Jedi walks away from temptation. To give up everything you hold dear, or love makes a Jedi stronger in the long run.” Mace raised his chin, staring defiantly back at Qui-Gon. “With Buffy being what she is, we have strong reason to believe that Obi-Wan will fall to the Dark Side. That would lead to serious repercussions for the Order. Extreme situations call for extreme measures.”

“I have no intention of falling to the Dark Side,” Obi-Wan stated. “I've already told you this.”

“Your intentions might be good, Obi-Wan,” said Master Ki-Adi-Mundi. “However, for a Force-sensitive an emotional relationship is a dangerous one. When I married I had the permission of the Order and even I found it extremely difficult not to become attached to my wives. What you have to remember is that Buffy,” he nodded his long head at her and smiled kindly, “charming though she might be, is very different to my wives or any other human being. She told us herself that the original Slayer was the product of a union between a young human girl and a Dark Side demon. ”

“It was more of a magical union than sexual,” corrected Buffy. “I don't think it was enjoyable for either party. And I'm still waiting for someone to tell me why my favourite bra is on the floor?”

“It was used as evidence to incriminate Obi-Wan,” said Mace. The look she bestowed on him was distinctly evil and he tried appeasing her by adding, “You can have it back now. We've finished with it.”

“Eww!” Buffy gave a shudder, before saying “As if I want it back after everyone's been touching it! Burn it.”

Yoda's ears twitched and she glanced at him. His silence was odd. Normally he couldn't resist dropping his pearls of wisdom into the conversation.

“Yoda, is this all because of my dark inner-core?” Buffy asked. “I've explained, a Slayer's job is to fight the Dark Side creepies not create more of them. I'm not gonna let Obi-Wan go dark.”

When Yoda didn't reply, merely stared at her face.

Obi-Wan felt a flash of anger and exasperation at his silence.“You don't need to explain anything to them, Buffy. You've fought the Dark Side and won time and time again. You've uncovered a Sith Lord and brought to light the Sith tomb beneath the Temple. You might have an affinity for the Dark Side, but there's no one with more good in them than you.”

He'd the urge to tell Yoda everything. To confess how many times the Dark Side had beckoned to him and how it was Buffy, and their love, that had always pulled him back. The only reason he held back was they would wilfully misinterpret it. No doubt they would claim that if she'd never been there he wouldn't have teetered.

His words must have broken into Yoda thoughts as now the green master's eyes no longer burned into Buffy and had moved to Obi-Wan. Yoda let out a long sigh as if the Force had been granting him future visions and it had exhausted him. “Explain, she need not. Before me lies many answers. More than inner darkness the Slayer carries.”

Obi-Wan frowned at the cryptic comment.

“What's he talkin' about?” Jango asked Quin. “What's he sayin'? Can you translate?”

The Kiffar shrugged, as much at a loss as Jango, whilst Qui-Gon angled himself to get a better view of Buffy.

Yoda pointed at the Slayer and continued, “Not needed was her bra. Biggest proof of your misdeeds before us, she brings.”

Buffy's eyes widened and she shot a guilty look at a bewildered Obi-Wan.

“Oh,” said Qui-Gon. He'd always had a close connection to the Living Force and was the first in the chamber to realise what Yoda was hinting at. He gave an embarrassed cough. “I see what you mean.”

“I wish someone would tell me,” called Andrew. “I can't see anything from back here.”

“Me neither,” said Quin. “I'm a Jedi and I've no idea what I'm supposed to be seeing either.”

“The Jedi are all crazy. He probably thinks he saw a pink Nerf.” Jango snorted. “And the green guy is the worst of the lot. He's got Serenno robins whistling in his head.”

Obi-Wan let out a gasp. His brained stuttered. He knew his mouth was opening and closing, not daring to form and utter the words in case he was wrong about this. After all, it wasn't possible. And yet, now he was looking for it, he could see it clearly. Buffy was glowing with the Force. Why hadn't he noticed it before?

His shock made his words come out more harshly and with more of an accusation than he intended. “You're pregnant,” he said.

He didn't hear the sharp intakes of breath from those in the chamber. Instead, he focussed on how Buffy refused to meet his eye and squirmed, as everyone stared at her stomach. She tugged on the front of her top self-consciously as if that could hide from view what every Jedi in the chamber could now see.

“How can you all tell?” she asked, her voice miserable.

Qui-Gon answered her, “You're a Force Void and the baby is Force Sensitive. It's shining very brightly.”

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Drawing in deep breaths as he tried to sort out his thoughts. How had it happened? They weren't so stupid to not have used contraception. Was it Buffy's Slayer metabolism? Had it thrown it off? It had happened, but why now? It was bad timing. They were at war with Palpatine and the vampires and were about to be kicked out the Temple. How would they cope? He was going to be a father! He'd no idea about normal family dynamics, what if he did something wrong? How could two people who were warriors in the middle of a war bring up a child?

And then another thought... an unpleasant one. Why hadn't she told him? Didn't she want his baby? Had she planned on getting rid of it behind his back? A flash of surprising anger. “Why didn't you tell me?” he asked.

“You were ill,” Buffy said miserably. “I only knew for certain when you were in the bacta-tank and I've been waiting for a good time to tell you.”

She'd meant to tell him. Relieved, he smiled and the dimples appeared in his cheeks. “I don't think that worked out very well, did it?” he teased.

Buffy shot a shamefaced look at the watching audience. “Uh, I guess not.”

Aware they'd been caught staring at her, the masters began talking amongst themselves. Dooku argued with Mace about the mind wipe and Yoda was hobbling back to his seat. A tear zig-zagged down Buffy's cheek and Obi-Wan forgot that he was a Jedi knight standing in the Council Chamber. He drew Buffy into his arms and used his thumb to brush away the tear.

“I never thought I'd be a father,” he admitted huskily. “It's come as a surprise. A wonderful surprise that I never thought I'd have. To have a child, our own child. I'm very happy about this.”

“Really?” Buffy asked doubtfully. “You didn't seem it.”

“Most definitely.” Obi-Wan grinned and happiness lit his face. He was going to be a father! And a Force-sensitive baby too! An image rose into his mind of a blonde boy wearing Jedi robes following him around. The child of his dreams. He remembered his recent vision of standing, not in a desert but in a forest with the boy. The boy had been pointing to something out of sight. Was that Buffy? Then when he'd visited the Slayer desert, the boy had been there. He'd assumed he'd followed him, what if he'd been with his mother all along?

A sharp voice cut into his thoughts, that of Master Adi Gallia. “The baby could be Palpatine's? She wasn't only his Vader, she was supposed to be marrying him. She's probably been providing him with extra girlfriend services!”

“Hey!” Buffy stepped from Obi-Wan's arms and advanced on the woman. “The baby is Obi-Wan's. I have not been giving Palpatine any extra girlfriend services!”

“A baby doesn't change the fact Obi-Wan is still in danger if he leaves the Jedi Order.” Mace looked more unhappy than ever. He continually rubbed at his head, as if he was developing a headache. “This situation isn't going to end well.”

“For Force Sake!” interjected Qui-Gon. “Let the boy go. Although it pains me to say it, for Obi-Wan would have made a far better Jedi than I, his place is no longer with the Order. It is with his future family.”

“He can't leave!” snapped Mace. “Don't you understand? If he leaves our control something bad will happen.”

Obi-Wan took hold of Buffy's hand once again. “Then I'll stay in the Jedi Order and marry Buffy. The Code will need to change.”

His suggestion created calls of objection from the Council Masters.

Quin slapped Obi-Wan on the back. “Cool. I'm all for that.”

“Such extreme measures are not necessary,” said Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, looking thoughtful. “I have a different proposal.” The other masters quietened as he addressed Buffy, “How many Slayers are in this dimension?”

“Only me.” She didn't look at Obi-Wan. He wasn't a girl and she'd seen no sign of him developing a Slayer side.

“Then,” continued Ki-Adi-Mundi, “if Buffy is a rare species in danger of going extinct, it is our duty to provide Kenobi with a special dispensation to marry and reproduce with her. That way he can stay in the Order. He will be merely following one of our mission directives.”

“Rare species?” Buffy muttered indignantly. “He's on a mission?” Behind her, she could hear Jango and Andrew snickering together at the absurdity of it and she didn't know whether to tell them to shut up or join in.

Yoda rapped the floor with his gimmer stick. “Allow this union to happen on one condition, I will.” He looked at each of the Jedi Masters in turn, then at the Scoobies and finally to Buffy and Obi-Wan. His expression had become almost sly.

“Law of the Republic requires Force-sensitive babies be given to the Jedi Temple. Give up their baby, they must, if-”

“Nope!” snarled Buffy. “Never in a million years do you get my baby.”

“Raise this child together, you shall not.” Yoda waved his gimmer stick at her. “Fear causes anger, anger causes-.”

“Skip the bits in between and get to the suffering. Anyone who touches my baby I guarantee will suffer.” Buffy stepped towards the masters, vibrating with rage.

Obi-Wan placed a restraining hand on her arm. “We won't let them. The only way this child will see the inside of the Temple is if we are here with him.”

“I agree,” Dooku's deep baritone rang around the chamber “The child shall not be raised in the Jedi Temple. It will be raised at my home on Serenno. Buffy has already done me the honour of accepting my proposal and intends to become the next Countess.”

Quin groaned.

“What's going on?” asked Andrew. “I'm getting confused. Is Buffy marrying Obi-Wan or Dooku?”

“She can marry them both,” said Jango. “I don't see the problem.”

“She's marrying me, of course, said Obi-Wan. “I've already asked her. The Count is adopting Buffy.”

“Adopt!? As in his daughter?” Quin found himself gaping at the Count who smirked back over at him.

Mace tried a different track. “Can you guarantee the child will be safe at your home, Dooku? There isn't the same security there as there is here. With Palpatine on the loose, a Force-sensitive child will be in grave danger of being taken.”

“Taken?” muttered Qui-Gon. “It had better not be taken.”

Count Dooku flipped the edge of his cloak over his shoulder, saying almost disdainfully as he did so, “The child will be safe at my castle. Unbeknown to you I have amassed quite a droid army out there.” With his forbidding glare, he added, “No one, not a Jedi or a kidnapper will take my grandchild, the Heir to the Count of Serenno, if they try I shall fight them, not only on the battlefield but in the courts of the Republic.” He put a hand on Buffy and Obi-Wan's elbows to guide them out the chamber. “Come Buffy, Obi-Wan. Let us leave this place. There is nothing here for us any more.”

As they walked over to the buckled and ripped door, Obi-Wan slipped his hand into Buffy's. “Luke,” he said with a smile that he knew Buffy could never resist.

“Look? Where?”

“Luke, the name. I have always liked the name Luke. Luke Kenobi has a nice ring to it, don't you think?”

“A good strong name,” said Dooku approvingly. “With a name like Luke, he'll be strong in the Force and make a name for himself in the galaxy.

Andrew rudely shoved a bemused Qui-Gon to one side. “You can't call it Luke! Ben Kenobi is a much nicer name.”

No one took any notice of him.

“You know, I don't mind the name Luke,” Buffy said wrinkling her nose as she thought. Then she slanted a teasing glance at Obi-Wan, adding, “Luke Perry is definitely drool-worthy.”

“Do we go for Luke then?” Obi-Wan pressed, ignoring this Luke Perry.

Andrew had now begun panicking, he prodded Buffy urgently. “Ben! Call it Ben!”

Buffy scowled. “I'm not calling it Ben! Honestly, if it's a girl are you gonna expect me to call it Glory?”

“It's a boy,” Obi-Wan said firmly. His hand moved from hers to rest lightly on her stomach. “Hello there, Luke Kenobi.”

…..

In his chair in the Jedi High Council Chamber Yoda smiled the smile of a master who knew more than he was letting on.

Mace asked, “What now, Master Yoda?”

Yoda smiled. “Bide our time, we shall. Vader's son, Luke will be trained by me. Seen it in the Force, I have.”

The End Of Episode One  
The (not so) Phantom Slayer Menace

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A/N;

First of all, I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

This story is my come-back after a break from writing of over ten years. I had never written sci-fi before and all the action scenes are very new to me. In the past I had a tendency to write long stories (never this long though) and a fascination with putting people in different worlds or situations to what they are used to and seeing how they react.

Please excuse any of my writing eccentricities, odd spellings, mixed up tenses etc. I am dyslexic (growing up undiagnosed) and have fibromyalgia. When I get tired I tend to make mistakes. Okay I should have a full-time beta, but they are hard to find.

Blackhat did a fantastic job on those chapters that he beta'd for me and he helped me a huge amount with my action scenes. Thank you Blackhat. Hope you come back to the board soon.

I am not a big Star Wars nerd. In fact, everyone who knows me wondered why I started writing a story set in the Star Wars universe when I knew so little about it. I have no idea why either. It just sort of happened.

I wanted to write a story where we have an outside force (Buffy) doing her best not to alter the timeline of a well known story and the story trying to alter her into Vader.  
Buffy isn't one to stand by and watch evil take over and the apocalypse happen around her. She saves Qui-Gon, sets Anakin on a different path (got ideas for a story arc for him), messes up Palpatine's plans and exposes Jar Jar as the villain he is (sorry, I don't like him).  
Add a love interest who is out of bounds and a few vampires and you get this story.

Yoda, people have asked me if I don't like Yoda. Actually I do. I just don't think Yoda would be keen on Buffy. She is too much a grey force and so emotional and 'worldy' I don't think he would understand her.  
Palpatine (Sid) is great fun to write. He is even more fun when he falls in lust with Buffy. Sith boys really are more fun. ;)  
Obi-Wan, I thought I might have a problem writing Obi-Wan, but when I looked into his tragic story, I felt more and more sorry for him. I think he deserves a love story where he gets the girl and Buffy is the one who'll shake his universe. Buffy too needed someone kind, considerate and special after all she lost and went through. Obi-Wan is Buffy's Tara.

There are plenty of different takes on Buffy in the Star Wars universe, hopefully, there aren't any others like this. If you like the story though and it inspires you to write, go for it!

I know my sense of humour can be a little oddball, however, I've mostly had positive reviews on here and the other places I posted. Only one or two negative ones. Mainly off a forum troll who obviously hadn't read the story (nice try, fell badly short – I laughed), someone else on ff complained that it was a comedy and how dare it be, even though it was labelled as such (roll eyes). Oh, and I had someone say that I had ruined Star Wars for them. I am not sure what they meant. I took it as a compliment. :D My story stronger than Star Wars and Lucas's vision? WOW.

Anyway, if you ever reread this story again you'll see that I dropped in a lot of clues as to where it was going (also the sequel!). Some of those chapters that you may have thought were 'fillers', really weren't!  
I also had great fun with the visions, yep clues there too. Also Buffy's nausea has been going on for a while. I kept thinking someone would spot it and realise. :)

Did anyone spot any of the clues?

What else...

Luke Perry starred in the movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Pike, I believe. I thought it apt that she'd want to call her baby after him.

That there is a Luke Skywalker in SW, son of Vader, is just a coincidence... honest, haa haa. ;-)

I have a few ideas for the sequel.

You will note Obi-Wan has a little bit of Slayer spirit in him, that there is a Force Ghost on the loose, vampires are hiding out, Palpatine won't be happy about Buffy marrying someone other than him, Yoda is planning on taking Luke away from his parents, and the Sith holocron remains in Obi-Wan's possession. Not exactly a recipe for a quiet future...

Maybe no one will want to read a sequel though and I'll be wasting my time...

If you liked this story, let me know with a review. (I answered every one! Even the troll's!)  
And don't forget to recommend it to others. :)


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